Obama and the Economy

Paul Krugman gets it right, as usual, in his column today.  The Obama campaign could be destroying McCain on the economy, but just doesn’t seem to be doing so:

Why isn’t the Obama campaign getting more traction on economic issues?

It’s not the Republican offensive on offshore drilling. It’s true that many Americans have apparently been misled by bogus claims about gas price relief. But as I’ve already pointed out, Democrats in general retain a large edge on economic issues.

Nor is there any valid basis for the complaints, highlighted in Sunday’s Times, that Mr. Obama isn’t offering enough policy specifics. Delve into the Obama campaign Web site and you’ll find plenty of policy detail. And the campaign’s ads reel off lots of specific policy proposals — too many, if you ask me.

No, the problem isn’t lack of specifics — it’s lack of passion. When it comes to the economy, Mr. Obama’s campaign seems oddly lethargic.

Maybe Obama just doesn’t have the passion for economic issues.  That’s fine, everyone has certain issues that are most important to them.  But the economy is where Democrats win.  As much as the American people are against the war, McCain will never lose big on that issue (or other national security issues).  The way to beat him is to focus on the reasons for our failing economy (8 years of Bush-McCain economic policies).