TYLER, Texas — As goofs go, John McCain’s slip at a town hall forum Friday was a small one. Contrasting himself with his likely Democratic opponent, he said, “I’m a proud, conservative, liberal Repub —” And then he caught himself, as the audience started laughing.
“Hello! Easy there. Let me say this,” he tried again. “I am a proud, conservative Republican.”
The slip of the tongue prompted Internet headlines all day, given the trouble the presumptive Republican nominee has had in convincing conservatives that he is not a liberal. But for McCain, the moment summed up how he plans to campaign this year: by using his knack for charm, bluntness and humor in one town hall after another all across America.
From the back of a 1980s-era bus, he will travel to and from college campuses, company break rooms and town squares. In between, he will hold court with small groups of reporters on the bus’ faux-leather couch. And once a day or so, he will push himself to hold a rally.
When he is done, he will get on a plane and take the show to another state. It’s a quaint and inefficient way to sell a candidate, especially if McCain faces Barack Obama, whose rock-star persona can fill a stadium. And Democrats are preparing a campaign to undermine the image of openness that McCain’s campaign hopes to foster.
But McCain and his top advisers think he has no choice: It’s simply who he is.
“We’ll try to just do the same thing we have been doing, only with a wider audience,” McCain told reporters on the Straight Talk Express in Ohio last week. “I admit that it’s difficult. But I think we can do it. You’ve got to maintain the same flavor of the campaign that we have throughout.”
On Wednesday, McCain fielded questions from a few of the 400 voters who showed up in Tyler and then hopped a short flight to San Antonio for a town hall event. On Thursday, he answered questions from students at Rice University in Houston, and it was at a town hall meeting Friday in Richardson, Texas, that he dropped the L-word.
They are all part of the senator’s plan to craft an image as the Republican nominee.
“What they are . . . trying to do is re-create the access and reinforce the image that he has that he speaks the truth and is authentic and not overly handled,” said Terry Nelson, a veteran GOP strategist. “If the campaign steps away from who he is, they’ll be in trouble.”
