Hot on Facebook

Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

Noonan: Why McCain Is Rising

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 22, 2008 8:21 AM CDT

(Newser) – The race for the White House has just become a “real” one, with John McCain climbing in the polls and Barack Obama sinking. Why? Because people are finally “paying attention,” writes Peggy Noonan in the Wall Street Journal. In McCain, Americans are seeing a familiar face: the “POW senator” with a “prickly” attitude, while Obama remains a charming unknown who can’t be categorized.

To many, Obama’s labels don’t identify him. He’s “a community organizer (what's that?), then a lawyer (boo), then a state legislator (so what, so's my cousin), then US senator (less than four years!),” Noonan notes. Obama’s performance at the Rick Warren debate didn’t help. When it came to abortion, for instance, McCain was the familiar conservative, while Obama seemed “radical or dodgy," Noonan notes.

[Images (4)]

[Quotes (1)]

Obama gestures as he speaks during a town hall meeting, Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008, in Chesapeake, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Obama listens to a member of the audience after a town hall meeting, Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008, in Va. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

McCain's performance at the Rick Warren debate was straightforward and familiar, Noonan says. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., talks about immigration and border issues Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008, during a town hall meeting. (AP Photo)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

I suspect everyone has the convention speeches wrong. Everyone expects Mr. Obama to rouse, but the speech I'd watch is Mr. McCain's. - Peggy Noonan

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Polls: Obama Widens National Lead

Democrat opens up 5.8 point lead over John McCain

(NEWSER) - In the final hours, Barack Obama's national lead in the polls is still inching up, writes Nate Silver at Fivethirtyeight.com, to 5.8 points by late last night from 5.4 earlier in the afternoon. Silver's analysis of the latest polls also predicts that Obama stands to win more than 340 electoral votes. The polling maven attributes the uptick to three factors: a strengthening position in Pennsylvania, a dead-ending McCain campaign, and more undecideds making up their minds. More»

McCain's Chances Slimmer Than Ever: Silver

But tightening Pennsylvania polls provide lone bright spot

(NEWSER) - John McCain is hanging by a pretty thin thread, writes statistics guru Nate Silver at fivethirtyeight.com, and that thread is Pennsylvania. Two polls show a slight narrowing in Keystone country; one shows Obama’s lead down to 10 points, while another, right-leaning poll puts it at 5. But with no other good news for the Arizona senator yesterday, his overall win percentage probability fell to a new nadir of 2.8%. More»

It's Obama's Moment: Hold On for Dear Life: Noonan

'Hold on for dear life,' because history's making a liberal turn

(NEWSER) - Peggy Noonan gives it up for Barack Obama today. “He has within him the possibility to change the direction and tone of American foreign policy, which need changing,” she writes, and his election will “serve as a practical rebuke to the past five years, which needs rebuking.” He showed good judgment during the campaign, she allows. "He showed grace when he didn't have to." More»

Jews Favor Obama, Survey Says, But ...

... by a thinner margin than they supported fellow Dem Kerry in '04

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama has a big lead among Jewish voters, according to a survey by the American Jewish Committee. But his 57% support, to 30% for John McCain and 13% undecided, is “a bit lower than one would expect,” a group exec tells VOA News. At this time in 2004, John Kerry had 69% of the vote, which grew to 76% by Election Day. More»

McCain Running in Place: Polls

Obama has a 96.7% chance of victory, 538 predicts

(NEWSER) - John McCain isn’t gaining any ground in the polls, according to FiveThirtyEight, which pegs Obama’s odds of victory at 96.7% to McCain’s 3.3%. As of yesterday, polls predict a final electoral score of 351-187, numbers unchanged from the day before. National tracking polls showed minuscule moves in McCain’s direction, but that hasn’t shown up in state-by-state polling. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website