PALIN-OBSESSED PHASE MIGHT BE OVER

WashPost’s Balz writes the Palin-obsessed “phase of the campaign may have ended” as the debate shifts to fundamentals.

Key Passages from WashPost on Candidates’ Response to Economy“Even before the triple-header of bad news — Lehman Brother’s bankruptcy, Merrill Lynch’s sale to Bank of America and the probable restructuring of insurance giant AIG — the economy was the top issue on the minds of the voters. But over the past two weeks, other issues — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin the most obvious — have dominated the political discussion. That phase of the campaign may have ended.”

“The debate now likely will shift to fundamentals. Who will voters trust to lead the country out of this problem and who do they believe has a plausible plan for doing so? What matters now is how McCain and Obama respond to the latest evidence of an economy still struggling to overcome the damage inflicted by the real estate and home mortgage crises. Up to now, neither has truly won the confidence of voters.”

“The challenge for McCain and Obama is to help people understand what has happened. The shocks have come from many directions this year. The home mortgage crisis and the wave of foreclosures hit from one direction. Rising world oil prices — and with them higher prices at the gas pump and for the coming winter’s supply of home heating oil — seemingly came from another.”