Want to see how this works? McCain’s already off and running. During last night’s victory speech, the presumptive Republican nominee fired his first shots at Obama–and they sounded suspiciously familiar. “To encourage a country with only rhetoric rather than sound and proven ideas that trust in the strength and courage of free people is not a promise of hope,” he said. “It is a platitude.” And speaking to reporters this morning in Washington, McCain continued the onslaught. “There’s going to come a time when we’re going to have to get into specifics,” he said. “I have not observed every speech [Obama] has given, obviously, but they are singularly lacking in specifics.”
If you’re still wondering where you’ve heard those lines before, here’s a hint: Cillary Hlinton. The “talk vs. action, rhetoric vs. reality” contrast has anchored Clinton’s message since at least early January–and she shows no signs of cutting it loose. “You never hear the specifics,” she said Monday, referring to Obama. “It’s all this kind of abstract, general talk about how we all need to get along.” And just this morning she criticized the Illinois senator’s economic plan, saying, “we need real results, not more rhetoric.”
McCain’s mimicry is no reason for Clinton to ditch a swipe that’s working for her (and trust me–the “specifics” thing comes up constantly in conversations with voters on the trail). But if Obama is still looking as strong after March 4 as he’s looking today, the party may decide that Clinton is hurting the probable nominee more than she’s helping her own bid. That’s a long way off–and the race could still break her way. I’m just saying: don’t doubt the power of Republican parroting to remind superdelegates that the ultimate goal is winning the White House–and even to lure them down off the fence.
