The road to the White House is heading for a nasty turn.
Sarah Palin, in her first trip to the Bay Area as the Republican's vice presidential nominee, charged Sunday that Americans don't know "the real Barack Obama," a signal that John McCain's campaign will sharpen its attacks on the Democratic nominee's character and judgment in the final month of the race.
Attending a private Burlingame fundraiser, the Alaska governor stuck by her claim that Obama is someone who "would pal around with, and work with, a former domestic terrorist." She was referring to Bill Ayers, founder of the Vietnam-era Weather Underground, blamed for bombings and the death of a San Francisco police officer when Obama was still a child. She initially made the charge Saturday at a fundraiser and public Southern California rally.
Obama, who says he knows but does not have a close relationship with Ayers, on Sunday called the McCain campaign's
"launching of swiftboat-style attacks on me," a tactic to divert attention from the failing economy. Since the nation's financial crisis took the election-year center stage two weeks ago, Obama has overtaken McCain in nationwide polls and, more crucially, in several key swing states.
Most of the sparring between the camps has been on issues, but now it appears each is ready to ratchet up the character attacks. Obama on Sunday released a new television ad, deriding McCain for being "erratic" and "out of touch" on the Advertisementeconomy, as backers sought to remind voters of McCain's links to Charles Keating.
The Arizona S&L financier, a McCain friend and campaign contributor, was convicted of securities fraud and became the face of the S&L crisis in the late 1980s. McCain met with banking regulators on behalf of Keating twice and was cited by a Senate ethics committee for "poor judgment."
Though McCain advisers telegraphed the new focus late last week, Palin at Sunday's fundraiser suggested she was also hearing advice from McCain supporters she met on her two-day California swing: "Enough of you have whispered in my ear "... 'John, take the gloves off. Americans have to start hearing about the real Barack Obama.'" She received rapturous applause from the 1,500 supporters at the sold-out event, which raised $2.5 million for state and national GOP operations and prompted several at the brunch to compare the excitement to that once reserved for Ronald Reagan.
Palin's Bay Area appearance also brought out the crowds. Outside the hotel, about 300 protesters, organized by local Democratic Party officials, lined the street, many holding signs and occasionally engaging in competitive chants with a smaller crowd of about 100 McCain-Palin supporters.
"I haven't protested in the streets since 1973," said Lynn Roberts of San Mateo, a Democrat who said fear of a McCain-Palin victory brought her out Sunday.
"I'm scared about this election," she said.
Inside, Palin said that Obama has been "less than truthful" about his relationship with Ayers. Obama has denounced Ayers' radical activities several times during the election season. Since 1995, Ayres, now an education professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Obama have met several times and raised funds for Chicago charities. Ayers hosted a small gathering at his house for Obama in 1995 when Obama was kicking off his political career, a point made by Palin.
Media reports have concluded the two men do not have a close relationship.
Cognizant of how the presidential race has changed on a dime several times, few national politicians were holding back Sunday. California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, appearing Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation," contended that because Obama is leading in the polls, including most of the battleground states, "the Republican position is to try to assassinate Barack Obama's character and try to place him in a position where the trust that he has built dissipates." At Burlingame's Hyatt Regency, Palin was the hit. She spoke for about 30 minutes, impressing the partisan audience with her humor and ability to connect with the crowd, even if she delivered mostly a stump speech. Siebel Systems founder Tom Siebel introduced her.
"Sarah Palin carries the flag of outrage "... for each of us who cries out, 'We're mad as hell, and we're not going to take it anymore,'" Siebel said.
Palin did make one blunder.
People are "wondering what the heck we're doing in California anyway — especially here in Marin County." (Burlingame is in San Mateo County, though arguably the politics of both places is comparable.)
Noting she was in California, she vowed, "This is still Reagan Country, and we are here to take it back." Palin pledged to do a better job making a pitch to working-class Americans. The campaign, she acknowledged, "needs to do a better job explaining" how the high cost of energy is affecting average Americans. "The costs of groceries are going up and the value of your paycheck is going down, and that's all because of energy costs," she said.
Palin was spotted boarding her airplane to leave the Bay Area with a bag of In-N-Out burgers.
She got her biggest laugh when she poked fun at herself for her roundly criticized interviews with CBS anchor Katie Couric. Repeatedly asked why she did "so lousy," Palin deadpanned: "What I should have said was, 'It's just job security for Tina Fey.'" Fey impersonates Palin on NBC's "Saturday Night Live."
"(Palin has) moxie," said Joyce Stoer Cordi, a San Jose Republican who spoke briefly with Palin at the Burlingame event. "It's not the so-called talking points. It's the presentation, delivery and commitment." Reflecting concerns articulated by some Republicans inside the hotel and Democrats protesting Palin's appearance outside, Cordi said it was unfortunate that both campaigns appeared to be heading down a negative path.
"I fear that the name calling and negative sloganeering is taking away from the issues," said Cordi, who is running a longshot bid to unseat Rep. Mike Honda, D-Campbell. "People I talk to want answers about the economy. They don't know how worried they should be." But Greg Yoder, a San Jose Republican who also attended the fundraiser, said he agrees with Palin's call to "take the gloves off."
"Speak the hard and negative truths about Obama," he said.
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