Obama rattled as media coverage slips away

Times:

Barack Obama tried to present a picture of perfect poise yesterday in the face of evidence that Sarah Palin is transforming the presidential race, insisting that he was less concerned about polls and newspaper headlines than “what I can do for the country”.

With Democrats asking if the familiar sight of a Republican resurgence is a trend or merely a post-convention bounce, Mr Obama’s mask of calm has, at times, slipped to reveal him as uncertain — even disorientated — about how to tackle the unexpected phenomenon of Mrs Palin.

Although he made two weighty policy speeches in Ohio about Iraq and education policy, he now spices campaign appearances with spluttered outrage at how Mrs Palin and Mr McCain are portraying themselves as agents of change — or fulmination over the failure of the media to ask them tough questions.

“This is a party that’s been in charge for eight years and now they’re trying to run against themselves,” he told one rally. “These folks are shameless.”

While acknowledging that Mrs Palin had a compelling personal story to rival his own — “mother, governor, moose-shooter, I mean, I think that’s cool, that’s cool, that’s cool stuff” — he said that the convention last week “didn’t talk about the issues”.

Mr Obama’s campaign is running television advertisements accusing his Republican rivals of lying about their records, including the belated opposition of Mrs Palin to the so-called Bridge to Nowhere.

If Bill Clinton once accused the media of sanitising coverage of Mr Obama, the boot is now firmly on the other foot. The Democratic nominee complained that the Republicans were “working the refs” in the press and, consequently, getting “little scrutiny” for their claims. Asked if he was getting angrier, Mr Obama said: “With two months to go, I think everybody needs to feel a sense of urgency.”

The extent to which he has been overshadowed was underlined by a report from the Pew Research Centre showing Mrs Palin was a significant factor in 60 per cent of campaign stories last week and Mr McCain in 52 per cent, compared with 22 per cent for Mr Obama and only 2 per cent for his running-mate, Joe Biden.

Mr Obama is beginning to experience his first financial worries, with reports suggesting that, having turned down public subsidies, he may not meet an ambitious summer fundraising target of $300 million (£170 million) for the campaign and a further $150 million for the party.

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Obama is trying to recapture the media attention by making remarks about pigs and lipstick. It is an old expression but it is pretty clear who the target was and I think it will backfire as even more women move away from him.

He has been the media darling for so long he probably feels abandoned as Palin coverage goes into overdrive. She is pulling in big crowds for the McCain campaign and generating the excitement that will only drive more coverage.