Dems nervous as McCain finds his voice

Democrats are increasingly worried Barack Obama is not hitting back hard enough against rival John McCain and missing opportunities to tie the Republican candidate to the Bush administration.

The Arizona senator garnered his best reviews in some time last week after weeks of being drowned out by the intense media spotlight surrounding Obama.

McCain seemed to find his voice with the launch of two campaign ads, which received mixed reviews but helped him break through the media clutter and target the Illinois senator on the issue of offshore drilling.

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, who first endorsed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) for the party’s nomination, said there are a lot of nervous Democrats around, and he is one of them.

“That element exists — there’s no question,” Rendell told The Hill. “Even I called some Obama people and said, ‘Hey, let’s get on the air and hammer this guy (McCain) for being the biggest hypocrite there is.”

Rendell said he lamented the Obama campaign’s response to the McCain offensive on offshore drilling, noting that the Arizonan was until recently opposed to the energy policy.

“We let them nail us on that stuff, and we haven’t come back as aggressively as we should,” Rendell said.

The governor cautioned that the race is still in its early stages, and only “rank-and-file” Democrats are nervous and there is an “element of unnecessary restlessness.”

“I’d like to see it step up,” Rendell said of Obama’s hit-back operation. “But … I think it’s too early to get restless.”

But that restlessness exists due to a combination of McCain’s strong week and consistently close polls in a year when Republicans are worried about losing seats in the House and the Senate. That combination has left many rank-and-file Democrats complaining that Obama has not been aggressive enough in responding to McCain’s attacks, an argument the Illinois Democrat heard last year before he vanquished Clinton.

“I think there’s definitely some trepidation,” one Democratic strategist said. “The Obama people definitely need to worry about McCain setting the terms of the debate. There’s no reason any week should go by without hearing why McCain is an extension of the Bush administration, and that’s what happened last week.”

The same strategist said the concerns he’s hearing from multiple Democratic strategists include Obama’s pledge to compete in all 50 states, a strategy many say is a waste of resources, and what some observers view as a flip-flop on offshore drilling.

But Democratic officials and strategists warn that it is early in the race, and though they argue that the Obama campaign has been effective in its rapid response, they acknowledge that the Democratic candidate has to be careful about how and when he tags McCain for fear of diminishing his brand of “new politics.”

Tommy Vietor, an Obama spokesman, said, “Anytime somebody distorts Sen. Obama’s record we push back quickly and forcefully with the truth.

“At the same time, we’re not going to let the daily tit-for-tat distract us from our fundamental message of change.”

Chris Lehane, a Democratic strategist and former press secretary to ex-Vice President Al Gore, said that while it might be tempting to try and win the news cycle, the Obama campaign has been wise to resist the immediate, scorch-the-Earth strike that could damage Obama’s brand as a new kind of politician.

“I think they realize, like they did in the primary, at the end of the day the brand or image of Obama or the character of Obama is what comes through,” Lehane said. “I think there’s a way to hit back and to hit back in a way that’s consistent with your brand.”

But Lehane acknowledged that he is hearing the concerns of some Democrats and agrees McCain did have a good week, though he says it was McCain’s “first good week in about three months.”

“I do think it’s critical that Obama stays on the offensive, and I think for the most part he has been on the offensive,” Lehane said.

Several Democrats noted that when Obama was trailing Clinton in the polls, nervous supporters implored him to go on the attack. Obama, however, bided his time before launching his ultimately successful offensive on his terms.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D), a former candidate who’s now a top surrogate for the Obama campaign, dismissed the talk as the sour grapes of inside-the-Beltway strategists who have been excluded from Obama’s outsider campaign.

“One of the advantages of Obama is he doesn’t listen to the Beltway mentality,” Richardson told The Hill.

Richardson dismissed any complaints the chattering class might have, noting that in his role as a campaign surrogate, he is repeatedly asked to respond on Obama’s behalf, particularly as the debate is more and more centered on energy.

He said the campaign is quick to provide talking points, and that it set him up on “Larry King Live” Monday night and three morning shows Tuesday.

“They lined up the interviews,” Richardson said. “My sense is that Obama does hit back rapidly, effectively. I think they hit back hard, and they’re very effective with surrogates.”

Richardson said that while it is a closely contested race, it is still summer and the campaign “hasn’t reached the vicious stage.”

“I think right now it’s warming up,” he said.

“It’s typical of Democrats, who are very anxious to win back the White House,” Lehane said. “I think it’s understandable that Democrats are kind of on a hair-trigger.”

Or as one strategist put it: “That chatter is definitely out there, but then again Democrats are nervous Nellies.”