Writing on the Progressive Democrats of America website (10/6/08), media critic and FAIR associate Norman Solomon is wary of the fact that “poll numbers so far in October, combined with ample media hype, have fostered the belief that the economic crisis is close to dooming the McCain campaign.” Solomon warns that “any crystal ball that offers assurance of an Obama victory is a piece of junk” hawked by myopic campaign journalists:
Twenty years ago, presidential nominee Michael Dukakis emerged from the Democratic National Convention with a 17-point lead in a Gallup Poll. One of the main reasons that the lead disappeared was a scurrilous TV ad, linking Gov. Dukakis to a prisoner who committed a rape during a weekend furlough. The commercial included an ominous photo of the African-American convict, Willie Horton.
Now, a “Willie Ayers” ad is getting plenty of media attention, and Sarah Palin is accusing Obama of “palling around with terrorists.” The McCain campaign is eager to implement desperate measures for its desperate times–making preposterous claims to link Obama with terrorism–scraping toward the bottom of the barrel and heaving larger quantities of mud. Any confidence that such tactics will have scant effect on the electorate is misplaced.
