Who says you can’t have too much of a good thing?

It looks like the constant media coverage of Barack Obama may be backfiring and actually having a negative affect on his campaign.  A new Pew Research Center poll found that:

Barack Obama may be the fresh face in this year’s presidential election, but nearly half say they’re already tired of hearing about him, a poll says.

With Election Day still three months away, 48 percent said they’re hearing too much about the Democratic candidate, according to a poll released Wednesday by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center. Just 26 percent said the same about his Republican rival, John McCain.

…ask Obama routine questions about his past voting record.

 Once again, Barack Obama has proven unwilling to face any tough questions from the press.  A reporter recently asked the Senator to explain a contradiction between an Obama attack ad and his own voting history.  Obama’s first reaction was to hedge, and when the reporter pressed the issue, he got downright hostile.

REPORTER: I guess what the American people want to know though Senator, is what is the real difference between you and John McCain. You are running this ad tying him to the industry saying that he has taken all of these contributions, but as you well know there is a story out today about how you supported the Dick Cheney bill and he opposed it. That bill gave subsidies to the oil and gas companies, John McCain opposed the bill saying those are tax breaks for those companies, Barack Obama favored it.

 

SEN. OBAMA: Hold on a second Jon, I thought I was talking to you instead of debating John McCain…

Energy policy is proving to be a weak spot for Obama.  An overwhelming majority of Americans support drilling as one method to reduce energy costs, so much so that he recently amended his opinion on the issue to appear closer to the mainstream.  This weakness is clearly a touchy subject for Obama.  When the McCain campaign handed reporters metal tire gauges inscribed with the words “Obama’s Energy Plan,” Obama snapped:

“It’s like these guys take pride in being ignorant. They think it’s funny that they’re making fun of something that is actually true.”

Meanwhile, the McCain campaign responded to the insult by saying:

“Instead of calling on his party’s leadership to return to Congress and carve out an ‘all of the above’ approach to America’s energy crisis, Barack Obama would rather tell commuters to inflate their car tires.”

This morning I attended a breakfast event that was part of the GOPAC State and Local Summit going on this week.  The keynote speaker was Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, and he had some really interesting things to say.

One of the primary themes of his speech was how Republicans need should communicate our party’s message to the voters.  He spoke of people he called “Sam’s Club Republicans.”  They are working class individuals like his brothers and sisters who agree with Republicans on key issues like taxes, immigration, and personal responsibility.  Yet, often times they are loathe to vote for Republicans because of the myth that our party “doesn’t care about the working class.”  Countering that myth and communicating that Republican policies are actually more beneficial to the working class is crucial for us to win elections.

Finally, after the event I spent a few minutes catching up with GOPAC Chairman, former Maryland Lt. Governor, and all around awesome guy Michael Steele.  It’s always a pleasure speaking with him.  He has proven himself to be a shining star in the Republican Party, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for him.