McCain's Leadership Strength is Questioned, Future is Unclear

Primary season is slowly but surely starting to wrap up. While things are still up in the air for the Democrats, McCain is spending his time bolstering support within the Republican party. Issues with recent rumors have diminished and McCain has done a relatively good job of restoring the GOP's faith in himself. He has removed himself from the public eye, allowing the country to wait with bated breath to see who the Democratic candidate will be. Because he's a shoo-in, McCain is using this time to recover while also reminding Republican voters why he needs their support come November.

Some Republicans have started voting for Clinton. This isn't because they've had a change of heart; rather, it's an effort to prevent Obama from earning the Democratic nomination. Many Republicans think that Obama is a stronger candidate than Clinton and they would rather see McCain square off against the weaker opposition. Because some Republicans don't think McCain can defeat Obama, voters are strategically voting in support of Clinton to knock him off the ballot.

If that was the plan for the Pennsylvania election last night (April 22), then it worked. Clinton won decisively over Obama and it's possible that her victory was in part thanks to Republican voters conspiring against the Democratic party. Political analysts say that though Clinton won, many of her supporters doubt her ability to surpass Obama in the long run, which is bad news for the GOP. On the Democratic side, then, the battle continues.

The common conception is that the Democratic battle will help McCain's campaign. However, that may not necessarily be true. Though the Democrats are engaged in a tiresome battle, the nation's attention is focused on them and not McCain. Come November, voters may know more about the Democratic candidate simply because he or she spent more time duking it out in the primaries. Conversely, McCain has had the chance to catch his breath and re-strategize, but that might not be the most efficient use of his time.

Gallup's tracking polls indicate the same sentiment: McCain's reputation is not being bolstered because of the Democrats' battle. The polls show that in a vote between the undecided Democratic candidate and McCain, only 45 percent of constituents would cast their ballot for the Republican candidate. CBS.com writer Kevin Drum calls McCain's situation the "McCain Bubble," writing that "his media image is a bubble, sustained by a sort of childlike faith, and I suspect that once that faith starts to wobble--something that may have already started--the bubble is likely to pop."

There is still hope for McCain, of course. Most of the negative press about McCain or doubts about his leadership abilities are countered with positive feedback. Even Obama acknowledged that McCain would have done a better job in the White House during the past eight years than President Bush has done. Granted, Obama proceeded to say that either Democratic candidate is better presidential candidate than McCain but a quip like that was to be expected. The fact that Obama acknowledged McCain's leadership potential is important in it of itself.

McCain delivered a speech on April 11 regarding Iraq that was well-received. He effectively skirted around the issue of the alleged affair. He locked in the Republican nomination. He is preparing for a huge campaign to earn him a place in the White House in November. For now, things are proceeding along pretty smoothly for McCain. But is he strong enough to accomplish his goals? Or, because of the American public's frustration with the GOP for the past eight years, will the Democrats take over our nation's capital? Though the primary season is coming to an end, much is left to be determined.

Seeing that this is my last post on this blog, I'd like to give one last shout-out to the man who started it all: Mitt Romney. I still think it's too bad that he didn't last longer in the primary season but I respect his willingness to admit defeat. He was a strong leader and a good candidate but he didn't have enough support to edge out McCain. I enjoyed writing about him while he was still in the race and it was a pleasure to move on to cover McCain after Romney dropped out. I hope you've enjoyed reading my blog as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Over and out.