So Where Do the Republicans Stand Right Now?

Election day is thirty days away. There have been a few conservative commentators who have been expressing their very serious doubts about the Republican party's current standing. One is David Frum and another is Kathleen Parker. Both write for the National Review. While Parker despairs about Sarah Palin (note: the article was written before the VP debate so one can only imagine how much deeper in despair she must be now), Frum despairs about McCain's (and other Republicans') inability to assimilate the warning signs about the economy and to instead, hunt for villains.

According to yesterday's Meet the Press, the Republican strategy already in play, as we speak, is to now make it all about who the unknowable Barack Obama is and to question whether he is a trustworthy character, and to suggest that we have no idea what kind of presidency we will get with him. Remember all the stuff that was dredged up by Hillary Clinton, like Obama's past association with William Ayers? I remember wondering during the primaries what the Republicans' October Surprise might be for Obama, given that Hillary was already airing everything that could possibly be aired. Well, October Surprise is apparently the same as that thing your mom called Turkey Surprise: poorly disguised leftovers. Here's a blog about Sarah Palin's recent accusations. It includes some very interesting and revealing background information too.

I'm hoping that Obama will stay focused on the economy. Sure, he could fight back and bring up John McCain's dubious dealings with Charles Keating, but what constructive purpose would that serve? I think Obama should in fact start naming his economic advisers and leave no room for doubt as to what his presidency is going to look like. 

[P.S. I spoke too soon... moments after I initially posted this, I got this link via email from the Obama campaign. Looks like they're doing the Keating thing after all. But a 13-minute documentary? Was this something they had in their arsenal all along, to be pulled out on a rainy day?]

As to where the Republicans (hypothetically) stand in terms of electoral votes and swing states, watch this quick analysis from Meet the Press: