In the GOP world when you can’t win on the issues you claim elections aren’t about issues, they’re about personalities.  When you can’t win on personalities you go on the attack, you try to make voters fear your opponent. Think of it as “The Political Theory of Stupid”.  It’s crude, it’s offensive, and McCain campaign manager Rick Davis is banking on it:

“This election is not about issues,” said Davis. “This election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates.”

Davis added that issues will no doubt play a major role in the decisions undecided voters will make but that they won’t ultimately be conclusive. He added that the campaign has “ultimate faith” in the idea that the more voters get to know McCain and Barack Obama, the better the Republican nominee will do.

This is a tried and true unspoken tactic that’s worked for The GOP for a generation. There’s only one problem: People not only like Barrack Obama, the majority of them think he’s right on the issues as well and he’s not hesitating to point it out.

For those of you who can’t watch videos here’s the transcript:

Announcer:
- They share the same out of touch attitude.
- The same failure to understand the economy.
- The same tax cuts for huge corporations and the wealthiest 1%.
- The same questionable ties to lobbyists.
- The same plan to spend 10 billion a month in Iraq when we should be rebuilding America.

McCain (interview clip): I voted with the president over 90% of the time, even higher a lot of even my Republican colleagues.

Announcer: We just can’t afford more of the same.

It’s no wonder McCain desperately wants to avoid campaigning on the issues; he knows he’ll lose.  But there’s a deeper reason, a darker reason.  By focusing attention on the issues one of McCain’s own tragic flaws is revealed, that his “maverick” personality is a fraud.

[...] every leader must have a set of principles that can’t be compromised — otherwise everything is transactional, everything for sale. When McCain is willing to sign away the principle derived from what is the defining moment of his life, then the question is what core of character remains?

McCain can’t win on the issues and the public image he’s spent a lifetime cultivating is eroding.  If the McCain camp is showing it’s cards in September you’ve got to wonder: what else have they got?

It can’t be much.