Image and narrative in a campaign.

Wow, it's great to be home.  I've had a relaxing day, similar to the Saturdays I had last year.  The best part of it all- getting the weekend New York Times, including this week's New York Times Magazine.  I just spent a good amount of time reading a really interesting article in the Magazine.  Here it is: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/26/magazine/26mccain-t.html?_r=1&oref=slogin. If you have a good chunk of time, I would highly recommend it.  It's hefty, but worth the read.  Robert Draper gives the reader a remarkable behind the scenes look at some of the biggest moments in the McCain campaign to date, including some inside info and insight on what happened during the selection of Sarah Palin.  

Draper also does a really good job of looking into the ways in which John McCain has morphed as a candidate.  We all have noticed this, whether it was the shift over the summer from "experience first" to "change" and "maverick".  John McCain has run an ever shifting, morphing campaign, intent on capturing the current emotion of the time.  While all candidates generally change after the primaries, when they had to appeal directly to the party base, to a more centrist position, John McCain's shift has been all over the map.  People are desperate for change, however, this is no excuse for McCain to flip his message completely.  The American people are not stupid.  People noticed when McCain picked up his opponent's central theme and try to claim it for his own.  This shift is ultimately part of John McCain's undoing.  While McCain has fumbled to try to grasp a theme or message that resonates with the public, Obama has been fairly steady with his message, only slightly altering the campaign slogan of "Change We Can Believe In" to "Change We Need", reflecting increased urgency as the campaign comes to its final stages.

Maybe John McCain was doomed from the start.  Whether it is because of  his party affiliation or his ties to the Bush Administration on the War and the economy, John McCain has had an inherent disadvantage this campaign just because of who he identifies with and what he has done over the past eight years.  However, his reckless and erratic campaign and message have not helped him this campaign cycle.  Obama has been the candidate of steadiness and consistency, while John McCain has been anything but those qualities, especially for the past few months. The John McCain of 2000 was nowhere to be found during this general election, as he morphed from a man of conviction and principle, to a man that, in my eyes, just seems desperate to win.