It’s really irritating to keep hearing so-called expert political strategists (Democratic and Republican) talk about how the economy tanking has caused John McCain to probably lose this election.

"Democrats always benefit when the economy is bad", they say.  When the issue is war and terrorism, Senator John McCain was in the lead.

One month ago, Democratic strategist Paul Maslin, who closely tracks the electoral map, thought that perhaps Democrats would win by a couple of percentage points.
At best, he thought Obama might earn a slight majority as Democrats
earned in 1976, the last time the party’s presidential nominee cracked
the 50 percent barrier.

"Now it’s a whole different world," Maslin said. "The economy is way beyond 1992. In 1980, it was the Iran hostage crisis and the economy. I’ve never seen an issue take this kind of prominence."

Gallup finds that 69 percent of Americans believe the economy is the most important issue facing the nation. The second most cited issue, the war in Iraq, is named by only 11 percent of voters.

Bill Clinton’s former pollster Doug Schoen calls this the "economic tsunami."

And it’s this tsunami that has altered the electoral map in a way that Obama himself could not.

"The Obama campaign did a lot of important foundation work to expand the Democratic map. And I give them credit for that," Maslin said. "But the real expansion of the map is coming from an outside event, namely the economy, and not the tactics of the Obama campaign.

"Obama has not changed the map," Schoen said. The map has changed because, in light of the economic turmoil, "McCain has become an almost unacceptable alternative" to President Bush.

First off, before this request came down from the Bush administration to vote on a bailout bill – Senator Barack Obama was in the lead nationally and in the States he needed to be leading in.  Senator John McCain has led nationally, as far as my research shows me, only two times since the Republican convention.  Obama was leading the day the bailout was announced.

Secondly, yes the economy is bad and people think about their wallets in times like this (which usually has voters asking for tax breaks).  Both Obama and McCain are offering tax cuts for almost everyone.  And yes, they tend to blame the Party in power for the current problems of the nation.  But keep in mind that Democrats are in charge of Congress.  Bush is in charge of the White House.  Both Parties could be blamed for some of this economic turn.

So, exactly what is causing Senator John McCain’s poll numbers to plummet?  Why is Senator Barack Obama’s campaign leaning toward a landslide?  I have three simple reasons for you; the debates, Governor Sarah Palin and Senator John McCain’s own actions for the past 3 weeks.

Voters remember hearing earlier this year John McCain say that government should not be helping people that are losing their homes because of bad judgments.  They remember hearing and seeing McCain say not once but several times, "The fundamentals of the economy are fine."  

Voters saw how Senator McCain reacted to the bailout story.  They saw that it was Senator Obama that approached Senator McCain first, to ask about getting together and agreeing on a few criteria for a possible bailout.  They saw how McCain waited almost six hours before responding to Obama’s phone call, only to go before the press to claim he was suspending his campaign to go back to Washington to help solve the bailout issue.

Voters also saw McCain say that he wanted to delay the first debate before the American people, claiming he wanted to give his undivided attention to the bailout bill.  Voters saw and heard Senator Barack Obama point out that a President should be able to multitask (handle more than one problem at a time), saying the debate will go on even if it ends up being a townhall meeting with just himself answering questions.

Voters then saw McCain reverse course and show up at the debate. – following Obama’s lead.

Voters also saw news stories of John McCain making fun of Obama using the phone to talk to other congressional members in hopes of helping during the bailout issue – only to see proof that McCain himself spent most of his time in Washington in his office – on the phone.  They heard how he didn’t have any input at the White House during that meeting.

Voters have heard John McCain repeat over several years that if he were president he’d veto any bill with pork in them – only to watch him VOTE for the bailout that ended up being the final bill that had pork in it.  McCain then flip flopped and said he hope the president would veto that same bill that he had just voted for.

Voters were impressed with Governor Sarah Palin’s VP debating skills, but the next day she came out swinging and making personal attacks against Senator Barack Obama.  She insinuated that Obama was a terrorist because he worked on the same board as a reformed terrorist when Obama was eight years old.  She stood on the stage allowing members in the audience to call Obama a "terrorist" and for someone to "kill him".  She and McCain allowed supporters to use Obama's middle name to scare voters into not voting for him.  

She and John both ignored the problems of the economy, deciding they would lose if the subject was the economy.

During the past two debates, voters saw that Barack Obama, could indeed, be a Commander-n-Chief.  They saw him take on a Senator of 26 years and a nationally known war hero and former POW – with calm and with facts.  They saw Obama’s vision, his calm way of approaching problems and his demeanor toward Senator McCain. They also know how he came from virtually a nobody to beat then current Democratic Party leaders, Bill and Hillary Clinton.

John McCain on the other hand showed his erratic behavior by saying one moment that we shouldn’t have government involvement and on the other hand saying let government buy up bad housing debt.  Voters saw McCain being a rude man by refusing to even acknowledge that a fellow U.S. Senator was standing on the stage with him by his refusing to even look him in the eye during the first debate, and in the last debate, by calling Senator Obama "that one".  They saw a man on the attack instead of a man with ideas.

The reason Senator John McCain appears to be losing this election is because of John McCain’s own actions – not 'just because' there is a bad economy.  They also have seen a man that is ready to lead - Barack Obama.

John McCain is not the man for today’s problems.