When I sat down to review the official websites of Barack Obama and John McCain, it was with the specific goal of neutrality—keeping my own politics removed from a critical view of each site.
Turns out that’s impossible. Divorcing my own leanings from the review wasn’t too tough, but it was difficult to avoid outrage at the political hackery I found. The website of the candidate I’m not supporting annoyed me in precisely the same ways his overall campaign annoys me—which, I guess, is the point. It’s all about striking the proper tone and delivering a consistent message.
This is a skill at which Republicans have been masterful in recent years, and McCain’s campaign site is no exception. One sees his “Country first” theme at virtually every bend, along with regular swipes at Obama—less for his governmental proposals than for who he is. It’s a clear attempt to alter public perception absent the use of facts.
Political scientists have said that Democrats vote with their heads (“let’s talk issues”) while Republicans vote with their guts (“my instincts are pointing me in this direction”), and that’s precisely the voter that McCain’s website is trying to reach. While the Republican candidate spells out many of his own ideas and policies, were his campaign manager forced to excise one portion of the site—either the pro-McCain side or the anti-Obama side—I have no idea which one he would choose.
And that, I suppose, is the genius of it all. —Jason Turbow, managing editor
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