With Foe In Limelight, McCain Gets Folksy

CBSNews.com Reports: Republican Counters Obama's Foreign Trip By Spotlighting Pocketbook Issues At Home

(CBS)  This story was written by CBSNews.com political reporter Brian Montopoli.

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As Barack Obama was meeting with dignitaries in Israel on Wednesday afternoon, John McCain was in a Bethlehem, Pennsylvania grocery store, trying to make a point about high food prices. It was there, as Newsweek reports, that the presumptive GOP nominee was jokingly asked, during some "stilted" small talk near the check-out registers, if he was going to be bagging any groceries.

It's been that kind of week for McCain: The following day, as his Democratic rival was speaking to an estimated 200,000 plus enthusiastic Germans at Berlin's Victory Column, McCain was talking with a few dozen people at a German restaurant - in Ohio. Political pundits have seized on these sorts of contrasts to characterize the McCain campaign as "flat footed" or worse, arguing that Obama has completely dominated his opponent this week.

Ask the McCain campaign, however, and they'll tell you that the situation is nowhere near as grim as the pundits suggest.

"I don't think the national media is in touch with what's going on out there," McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said. He said that the McCain campaign has gotten "tremendous local and regional coverage" this week, pointing to news reports in places like Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and Rochester, New Hampshire.

Rogers may have a point: The cover of the New Hampshire Union-Leader on Wednesday featured a large photo of a smiling McCain and the headline "Back, and on attack"; Thursday, Wilkes-Barre's Times Leader proclaimed "McCain straight talks W-B," while Pennsylvania's Citizens' Voice featured a full-page color shot of a waving McCain Thursday and a headline about the candidate coming to town.

"Our focus this week is talking directly to hardworking Americans about the issues that effect their lives," Rogers said. Asked if Obama's international trip plays into their strategy because the presumptive Democratic nominee is not focused on everyday pocketbook issues at home, Rogers had this to say: "We run our campaign based on John McCain's priorities. But it's a nice contrast for us."

For all the talk of Obama's recent success, the race remains relatively close: Most recent national polls show Obama in the lead, but the average spread is only 4 points. As the Obama campaign has looked to widen that gap with this week's international tour, the McCain campaign has counter-programmed by zeroing in on the economic concerns of average Americans. Obama may look good in Berlin, the implicit critique goes, but he's not going to get milk under $4 per gallon.

"What we've been doing is going into important markets, and target states, and talking about economic policies and gas prices," said McCain senior advisor Charlie Black. "It doesn't make national news, but it dominates the news in the markets we're in."

Nonetheless, even the most optimistic members of the McCain camp would have to concede that this week has not exactly gone smoothly. McCain had to play defense on national security when critics accused him of misstating the Iraq War timeline in an interview with CBS News. His planned trip to an oil rig to advocate for offshore drilling to lower gas prices was canceled thanks to hurricane Dolly. An oil spill on the Mississippi River made for a powerful talking point for opponents of his drilling plan. And he (once again) made reference to Czechoslovakia, despite the fact that that country has not existed for 15 years.

Still, the campaign believes it has made progress in battleground states even as Obama has dominated the national headlines and the media have engaged in hand-wringing over the the Arizona senator's campaign. Black suggested the national media have a tendency to overestimate its importance - "The question folks [in the national media] have to ask is how much influence do you have versus local news and everything else that goes on in a campaign," he said.

McCain vowed this week to spend his time "campaigning across the heartland of America and talking about the issues that are challenging America today," and he has focused on high food and gas prices. Obama, McCain and his surrogates have suggested, doesn't recognize the importance of finding short-term solutions. Adviser Doug Holtz-Eakin said in a conference call Thursday that McCain's policies are the ones that address "the real economic duress that people feel right now."

Not everyone feels that message is getting out. Conservative activist Grover Norquist, head of Americans for Tax Reform, said McCain's economic message is actually better than that of President George W. Bush, arguing that if voters understood the difference between the candidates, "Obama would be ten points down, not a couple points up."

That message is simply not reaching their ears, Norquist argued - though he didn't blame the McCain campaign for that.

"How could he command attention? I don't know - short of torching himself like a Buddhist monk," Norquist said. "He has a good message. But it is difficult to get the establishment press to cover those stories. I do not expect Time Magazine will put on its cover how many dollars Obama will cost your family."

Critics have knocked the McCain campaign for being largely reactive in recent days - running advertisements in places like Berlin, Wisconsin, as a cheeky response to Obama's Berlin speech, for example. But Black, McCain's senior advisor, brushes off such concerns, saying he feels comfortable with how the week has gone.

"Obama is spending the week trying to enhance his commander in chief credentials - with some voters he has to pass a threshold on that," he said. "Be he hasn't moved in tracking polls, and we're going to beat him on the commander in chief issue no matter what he does. So we're focused on the domestic issues, the pocketbook issues." (While Obama trails on the commander in chief question, McCain trails on the economic front: The Arizona senator was seen by just 31 percent of respondents in a recent CBS News/New York Times poll as the candidate is "better able to improve economic conditions." Obama was cited as "better able to improve economic conditions" by 51 percent of registered voters.)

Rogers put it more bluntly.

"200,000 screaming Germans isn't going to do it for him," he said.

[rltw175b]

And he (once again) made reference to Czechoslovakia, despite the fact that that country has not existed for 15 years....
this guy really has a problem!!

[johnbush2-2009]

While Obama was organizing a rock concert in Berlin, John McCain was down on the ground listening and talking to the average American.

While Obama was in Germany with dreams of being leader of the whole world, John McCain was on the ground grateful to have the chance to lead this nation.

I don''t want a megalomaniac as my President. I want someone who cares about the concerns of the average citizen. I want John McCain as my President.

[obama8years]

Every day, there seems to be a new example of Barack Obama''s Peoples Temple-like grip on otherwise (semi) rational people. What began as a political phenomenon borne of a particularly charismatic figure has turned into a creepy and possibly malignant force. It is the Obama Hypnosis.

[obama8years]

Who does Obama remind you of sitting in front of a Crowd of European Socialist in Berlin, Germany.
Anybody?

[mandalay-bay]

Why has McLame been spending so much time in Supermarkets lately?..this is getting strange...first he making a speech from the cheese isle...and now he''s in the produce section...

[mandalay-bay]

Who does Obama remind you of sitting in front of a Crowd of European Socialist in Berlin, Germany.
Anybody?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by Obama8years at 11:33 AM : Jul 25, 2008

You?

[wardoglrs]

johnbush2:
Why dont you just go over ti=o the web site of the senate and see just where John McCain stands you are illinformed. McCain or Obama are not fit to lead as a president.
If you vote for any one these your going to hurt yourself and the children of the future wake up
You really need to look into someone before you pull that vote.
At this point Bob Barr would be a better man than any other on the ticket.

[gangesdak]

A backlash may come and haunt Obama. It can be argued that McCain is not in reactive mode as some pundits suggested, but Obama is. In order to prove McCain wrong about his inexperience in foreign affairs, Obama had to make a whril winf tour, lose his sleep, and had to give speeches to the crowd that will not vote for him. McCain during that time was building his base at home. Time will tell.

[harrydoghiny]

McBush is a senile old fool who eats creampuffs at Schmidts House of Wieners while Obama speaks before 200,000 cheering people. This MUST be good news for Republicans.

[micma-2009]

What a contrast.

Obama was giving an inspiring speech to hundreds of thousands of excited Europeans while McBush was doing a small press conference from the cheese isle of a grocery store. "Earl clean up on isle 3. McBush''s diaper is leaking."


lol!





Obama is looking more Presidential every day!

[micma-2009]

Honestly, McSame''s biggest obtacle to becoming President is overcoming the massive, dirty, smear campaign that the neocons in his own party used on him running up to the nomination.

[vote_or_die]

obama is fixing what bush screwed up

[micma-2009]

Even Republicans aren''t very excited about McSame''s campaign. They''d probably rather a Democrat win so that they can blame their failures on him.


lol!

[xlib]

How DARE mccain campaign while the messiah is out of town turning water into wine!! Why, who does he think he is-candidate for POTUS!!!
Certainly he should have had the where with all to stay home glued to the tv and watch the messiah in action. By the way, love the use of the the word "foe" in the title.
You know, I think mccain should check with the empty suits handlers to find out what he can and cannot campaign on. That''s only fair.

[whitemale08]

Obama doesn''t need to do phony photo-ops to convince the working class.

It''s John McCain that has to pretend tax cuts to the rich shrinks the defecit and stops roaring inflation.

[husein_pasha]

Is this Mc Pampers housewife?

[xmanborg]

MANDALAY-BAY, Your too much, I love it.

McCain has not been into a supermarket for years. Look at the picture above he looks like Doctor EVIL in a Black Suit and it completely out of place in the super market and he is pointing at something.

ducka, ducka, ducka, ducka, I am hip, I am groovy said Doctor Evil in the Super Market.

[rltw175b]

Obama8years - you make a lot of sense Obama the nazi? ***

hey you should get some help!! there are doctors that could help you....

[libsluv2spit]

obama is too busy trying to please europeans..hummm

[xlib]

obama8years-good one. Love the way he ripped off his speech. Of course these leemings wouldn''t know about that. The empty suit is "all new, all fresh". Funny how you can put a Chicago politican in an expensive suit and he can be passed off as, oh, anything.
Ok, put your hands up if you felt a "tingle" down your leg when you heard his new, fresh, speech.
Come on, move away from the koolaid vat, take a break and put your hands in the air.

[valentin73]

Remember this before you wisecrack on the other;
EVERYTHING OBAMA IS DOING IS CALLED Politic-ing,
he WANTS to be President of the US.
Go ahead and laugh all y ou want to.
Come November, you remember!

[micma-2009]

"waaaaaaaahhhhhh"


Posted by Xlib




You sound really upset that Obama is so popular. Poor baby. If you nuts hadn''t screwed things up so badly, you''d have this election all rapped up. Instead, you and your fellow incompetents will be on your way back to the farm in November. Soon you''ll have to go back to wearing hoods and burning crosses in peoples yards to get attention.

Good bye litte neocon.



lol!

[xlib]

whitemale08-mccain/feingold; mccain/kennedy, mccain and other dem. Keating 5-see there fella, mccain gets along real well with you libs. Could be that''s why most conservatives don''t like him. Most conservatives don''t vote the party line like you leemings. So, when you bad mouth mccain, he*&, your spewing on one of your own.
And yep, a lot of us can''t wait to see how the empty suit and his handlers totally scr*& this country over. Get used to calling each other, comrade.

[perceptions5]

Over 70% of Americans want this Do Nothing Democrat Congress to lift the ban on offshore drilling, but they won''t.

And they won''''t because they are being PAID by the environmental lobby not to.

My fellow Americans we cannot HOPE for lower energy prices.

We have to VOTE for lower energy prices.

Vote REPUBLICAN on November 4th and lets send these Do Nothing Democrats home for looking after the interests of their special interest group, Enviro''s instead of looking after the interests of the American people.

Enough is Enough with the Democrats and their blocking of "domestic" development and production of OUR natural resources.

This Party, the Democrats are 100% responsible for the suffering of millions of Americans.

.............CROOKS!

[mljoslyn]

While Obama is overseas talking to people who won''t be voting for him, McCain was in Columbus speaking to people with concerns of health care and cancer research.

[husein_pasha]

You will have to change mc caoin`s pampers during official ceremonies

[micma-2009]

What a contrast.

Obama was giving an inspiring speech to hundreds of thousands of excited Europeans while McBush was doing a small press conference from the cheese isle of a grocery store. "Earl clean up on isle 3. The old man''s diaper is leaking."


lol!





Obama is looking more Presidential every day!

[johnbush2-2009]

During the primary campaign, Hillary Clinton complained that Obama%u2019s candidacy was built on %u201Cjust words%u201D and ignored the reality of politics. That theme is picked up again today by New York Times columnist David Brooks, who writes of Obama%u2019s style: %u201CHe has grown accustomed to putting on this sort of saccharine show for the rock concert masses, and in Berlin his act jumped the shark. %u2026 Obama has benefited from a week of good images. But substantively, optimism without reality isn%u2019t eloquence. It%u2019s just Disney.%u201D

(courtesy of CBS News)

[xlib]

micma-didn''t post waaaaah!! What are you prattling about. Nope, not upset at the empty suit and his big time photo op in Europe. It''s just a shame he couldn''t take the time to meet with our soldiers. I hear his people somehow blamed Bush. Couldn''t have been Bush, he was too busy churning up hurricanes.
Sure the empty suit is popular, media loves him, all his little secrets are kept that way, no one can say a word against him, his wife, his liberal voting record, his lack of experience, his 143 days in the senate. Say, other than reading speechs, just what has he done. Oh yea, he''s a community organizer just like al shapton.
Me, not voting for either one of them.
No crying here, just stating the obvious, comrade.

[johnbush2-2009]

Obama is looking more Presidential every day!

Posted by micma at 12:00 PM : Jul 25, 2008

Looking Presidential???? Any idiot can do that.
Giving speeches with a lot of substance, now that is another thing altogether.

I am afraid that Obama''s speeches are just a lot of hot air. Obama is a fraud.

[whitemale08]

country over. Get used to calling each other, comrade.


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Posted by Xlib at 11:59 AM : Jul 25, 2008--

Hey I''m independent just like you my brotha,

I would rather have seen Ron Paul or Bob Barr but because no one who has a chance to stop the war or at least is willing to help the working class.

If we didn''t live under the "Federal Reserve System" I would be a Republican in a heart beat.

But because we don''t then the socialism for the rich needs to share some of that socialism with the poor.

[ejcspau]

Obama shows me he will be another Bush! He is more interested in world relations than taking care of the people who have the power to elect him or not! I hope not. God helps us all if Obama wins.

[truthspeake2]

LOL....talking about a farce and photo op, if folks believe that McSame has even seen the inside of a supermarket like most of us folks, then I have a bridge in Brooklyn I want to sell you.

[jb20084]

This photo-op looks weird. McCain is so out of touch with everyday concerns that he has to be lead around a grocery store, in a suit! This is probably the first in his life he''s been in a supermarket - you know he comes from the days when only women went to the market- and now he''s too rich to care about the prices.

[johnbush2-2009]

You will have to change mc caoin`s pampers during official ceremonies

Posted by Husein_Pasha at 12:00 PM : Jul 25, 2008

Muslims like yourself will be sorely disappointed if you think this nation is going to elect a muslim to the White House.

[whyafghan]

I just heard that Barack Obama will appear on NBC next Thursday night and do his stand-up routine (without teleprompters) on LAST COMIC STANDING? Here is just a few of his jokes.
Q: What does Jerusalem have in common with Hiroshima?
A: Nothing yet.

Q. What do I (Barack Obama) and Osama Bin Laden have in common?
A. We both have friends who bombed the Pentagon.

Q. Why do I (Barack Obama) not drink Pepsi?
A. Because things go better with coke.

Should be a great show.

[husein_pasha]

we won`t be, Obama is christian:):):):)

[jimfinster]

Maybe he can get a job as the bag boy there.

[hungry1968]

Ask the McCain campaign, however, and they''ll tell you that the situation is nowhere near as grim as the pundits suggest.

"I don''t think the national media is in touch with what''s going on out there," McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said.






Uh huh. The next time I''m filling my tank, or spending $4 for a gallon of milk, I''ll be sure to blame the media.

[skyk-2009]

Looking Presidential???? Any idiot can do that.
Giving speeches with a lot of substance, now that is another thing altogether.

I am afraid that Obama''''s speeches are just a lot of hot air. Obama is a fraud.

Posted by johnbush2 at 12:05 PM : Jul 25, 2008

How can that be? When you go open a History Book and read the Pages you understand TWO distinct things. ALL the Greatest Leaders have been able to INSPIRE the people AND the nation is Governed by the People. You can NOT lead people where they will not go, just ask George W. Bush! If a Leader does not dream, does not have a vision as to where he wants to take the country and the world then we end up stuck in the mud. That''s were we have been now for 8 long years. It''s time to change course and it''s great we have someone who can bring us all together to accomplish that goal.

[johnbush2-2009]

During the primary campaign, Hillary Clinton complained that Obama%u2019s candidacy was built on %u201Cjust words%u201D and ignored the reality of politics. That theme is picked up again today by New York Times columnist David Brooks, who writes of Obama%u2019s style: %u201CHe has grown accustomed to putting on this sort of saccharine show for the rock concert masses, and in Berlin his act jumped the shark. %u2026 Obama has benefited from a week of good images. But substantively, optimism without reality isn%u2019t eloquence. It%u2019s just Disney.%u201D

(courtesy of CBS News)

[Stratmaster7]

obama is too busy trying to please europeans..hummm

Posted by libsluv2spit at 11:55 AM

So many of the comments on here show that the poster has no idea what is really happening. Obama basically told the Germans that if he is POTUS he expercts them to take responsibility along with us for fighting terrorism, and said he would expect their help with feet on the ground in Afghanistan and assistance cleaning up Iraq.

does that sound like he is "trying to please Europeans"?

The difference is he inspires them to want to partner with us and help. A very refreshing change from them burning our current POTUS in effigy.

[xmanborg]

Look at the picture above:

Its Doctor EVIL in the super market in a Black Suit and Tie & he is pointing at something.

Honestly when was the last time McCain was in a grocery store shopping for food? Probably in the 1970s. The picture above is completely out of touch wiht reality. Look how he is dressed and he is in a Grocery Store. hahahahahahaha.

[skyk-2009]

Muslims like yourself will be sorely disappointed if you think this nation is going to elect a muslim to the White House.

Posted by johnbush2 at 12:07 PM : Jul 25, 2008

It''s amazing how out of touch some people are. There is NO Muslim in the race to begin with. But even if there was we, according to our constitution, are not supposed to do what you just did! How in the world do we say to Moderate Muslim''s, whom we so desperately need in this fight, we respect you when bigots like you are posting this stuff. You people are so sad... so very sad!

[rltw175b]

All brown & Muslim people look the same to Neoconservatives

[johnbush2-2009]

Posted by skyk at 12:10 PM : Jul 25, 2008

Obama has benefited from a week of good images. But substantively, optimism without reality isn%u2019t eloquence. It%u2019s just Disney.%u201D

(courtesy of CBS News)

Try and comprehend that.

[truthspeake2]

The caption with this photo should have read:

"So this is what food looks like BEFORE our servants cook it"...

[Stratmaster7]

Look at the picture above:

Its Doctor EVIL in the super market in a Black Suit and Tie & he is pointing at something.

Honestly when was the last time McCain was in a grocery store shopping for food? Probably in the 1970s. The picture above is completely out of touch wiht reality. Look how he is dressed and he is in a Grocery Store. hahahahahahaha.

Posted by XmanBorg at 12:12 PM

This is evidenced when you watch the video. He is so out of place and uncomfortable he even knocks jars of apple sauce off the shelves and they spill all over the floor. One of his entourage frantically run into the camera view trying to scoop them up. It is hilarious.

[displeased]

Muslims like yourself will be sorely disappointed if you think this nation is going to elect a muslim to the White House.
Posted by johnbush2

Don''t worry, a muslim won''t be elected. Obama will be.

[johnbush2-2009]

How in the world do we say to Moderate Muslim''''s, whom we so desperately need in this fight, we respect you when bigots like you are posting this stuff. You people are so sad... so very sad!

Posted by skyk at 12:13 PM : Jul 25, 2008

There is no such thing as moderate muslims. Wake up!!