Chat away...

Chat away...

This week alone, the Dow Jones dropped nearly 1,100 points, and while Senator Barack Obama has issued statements on the matter reiterating many points about what he would do as president, John McCain is rather mum on the issue.

As countless thousands, perhaps millions, of Americans are losing their retirement savings, the McCain campaign is operating on radio silence. Must be part of McCain's "if we keep talking about the economy, we lose" so let's "turn the page on the financial crisis" strategy.

And the hits just keep coming as Republicans are frustrated with John McCain's campaign (or lack thereof) in an uncharacteristically competitive Indiana:

Even if McCain does visit, there?s also this problem for his campaign: It hasn?t come close to matching other aspects of the Obama effort, such as TV ads, campaign offices, staff and energy, in Indiana.

It?s too late to catch up when it comes to organizing, so a campaign appearance is likely the best step McCain could take. Although such an appearance isn?t likely to decide this race, it would send a message to the GOP volunteers and die-hards the campaign needs to energize.

If you are in Indiana, or anywhere else for that matter, get involved. Only three and a half weeks to go.

Things aren't going so well for John McCain in Nevada. Local Republican activists fear the GOP nominee "lacks the ground operation and commitment to win Nevada" and one GOP operative called their campaign "a joke."

Conservative activists, operatives and officeholders are anxious about John McCain?s Nevada campaign, fearing the Arizona senator lacks the ground operation and commitment to win Nevada.

Concern grew last week after McCain canceled a Nevada visit. A new Reno Gazette-Journal poll showed McCain trailing by 7 percentage points, with Democratic challenger Sen. Barack Obama competing in traditional Republican strongholds here.

?People I talk to wonder where the campaign is,? said Chuck Muth, a conservative activist who regularly speaks to dozens of other conservatives ? north and south ? through his newsletter. [...]

A few Republican operatives, who declined to be named, offered blunt criticism.

The McCain campaign is ?a joke,? one said. ?There?s not a campaign in Nevada. A couple of guys, running around, being incompetent. Or even worse, arrogantly incompetent.?

The consultant said there was no discernible McCain ground game, which is political jargon for the massive effort needed to find likely supporters and get them to the polls.

Don't they wish they had a 50-State Strategy right about now?