According to September polling from Gallup, the percentage of Americans who have “negative” feelings about the economy is now at 81 percent. But Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) campaign admitted this weekend that it is trying to distract the country from focusing on the nation’s economic woes. “We are looking for a very aggressive last 30 days,” said Greg Strimple, one of McCain’s top advisers. “We are looking forward to turning a page on this financial crisis and getting back to discussing Mr. Obama’s aggressively liberal record and how he will be too risky for Americans.” “If we keep talking about the economic crisis, we’re going to lose,” admitted another aide. The issue has for months been the number one area of concern to voters. While McCain hopes to avoid talking about the economy — perhaps because of his poor understanding of economics — the crisis is quickly altering the lifestyles of working and middle-class Americans and is not going away soon. Consumers are pulling back on their spending, for example, “all but guaranteeing that the economic situation will get worse before it gets better,” the New York Times reported yesterday.

From The Progress Report