This description of a McCain rally is why:
“The people of Ohio are the most productive in the world!” yelled John McCain at a rally outside of Youngstown on Tuesday. Present company perhaps excluded, since the crowd was made up entirely of people who were at liberty in the middle of a workday.
Folks were wildly enthusiastic as the event began. That was partly because Sarah Palin was also on the bill. (With Todd!) And when McCain took the center stage, they were itching to cheer the war hero and boo all references to pork-barrel spenders.
Nobody had warned them that he had just morphed into a new persona — a raging populist demanding more regulation of the nation’s financial system. And since McCain’s willingness to make speeches that have nothing to do with his actual beliefs is not matched by an ability to give them, he wound up sounding like Bob Dole impersonating Huey Long.
Really, if McCain is going to keep changing into new people, the campaign should send out notices. (Come to a rally for the next president of the United States. Today he’s a vegetarian!)
Like Collins, I tend to see the McCain campaign as an endlessly hilarious series of gaffes and recreations of his former self.
Sometimes, I almost feel sorry for the guy.
Blog de Ford 
I”m a bit reluctant to throw this out there as I’ve not thought it all the way through, but the McCain camp in some ways appears to be following the strategy of the Clinton camp from late spring.
How so, GB?
For Clinton, it was too late for the “appealing to the lowest common denominator” strategy to work, but there still might be enough time for McCain to pull it off.
I see it particularly in the appeal to the lowest common denominator, as you point out. But also in his war against the press which he seemed to be waging with vigor before suspending his campaign (cough, cough….) last week. Both were Clinton tactics (I better make sure I use the word correctly, or Senator McCain will be at my front door yelling at me….) from the spring.
Good point. Clinton against the sexist media and McCain vs. the liberal media.
And yes, I think you know the difference between tactics and strategy .