Americans Blame GOP for Economy by 2-to-1

McCain is out of touch and off-message; Obama is reckless

(NEWSER) - With the economy in trouble, John McCain and Barack Obama have been talking economics. How are they doing?

• Not very well, says the Wall Street Journal, declaring that the candidates “appear to know more about Mars than they do about financial markets.” Obama’s offering a return to “paternalist” policies, while McCain seems off-message and out of touch.
• McCain’s responses, particularly his call for a financial 9/11 commission, seem awfully slow, writes John Fout of TheStreet.com, and his financial advisors have terrible records.

GOP candidate compares Obama to Herbert Hoover on economy

(NEWSER) - John McCain painted a dismal picture of the economy today at a rally in Virginia, comparing Barack Obama’s solutions to Herbert Hoover’s while declaring himself the right candidate to fix the mess, the Virginian-Pilot reports. McCain also raised the specter of his flailing campaign in an effort to invigorate voters, warning that Barack Obama is “measuring the drapes” at the White House. More»

'Drastic action' needed, GOP insiders say

(NEWSER) - Republican strategists say John McCain won’t be able to get back on his feet without addressing the economy, Politico reports. While some want further emphasis on Barack Obama’s associations, there’s broad agreement the economy is what’s ailing McCain. “It's hard to imagine the voters thinking about anything else when the Dow Jones is dropping 500 points a day,” says one pollster. More»

Economic crisis will ruin political, financial fortunes alike

(NEWSER) - Disaster’s dead ahead for John McCain, for Barack Obama, and for the rest of us, too, writes Rosa Brooks in the Los Angeles Times. McCain is “a dead man walking,” as he’ll soon find out. The "winner" will be a President Obama with no idea "how to keep the global economic crisis from sending all the rest of us to the bottom of the sea, right along with McCain and the GOP." More»

Obama opens up 49%-43% national lead amid economic turmoil

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama has boosted his nationwide lead with his response to the economic crisis and debate performance, according to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. The candidate now leads John McCain 49%-43%, a 4-point jump from two weeks ago. Obama has also swayed independent voters, turning McCain’s 13-point lead with that group into a 4-point lead of his own. More»