I had thought a candidate of McCain’s age would struggle more — based on the grueling demands I’ve witnessed while working in presidential politics.*

McCain has handled the road pretty well, however, though new data show that his reliance on joint campaign events is shrinking his political footprint in swing states. Today, a Wall Street Journal article reports a striking disparity in the two presidential campaigns’ schedules:

In the five weeks since the fall campaign officially began, Sen. Obama, his wife, Michelle, and vice-presidential nominee Joe Biden have appeared at a total of 95 separate events in states that both sides are contesting. Sen. John McCain and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, have appeared at 55 events in those areas… according to a Wall Street Journal tally based on schedules provided by the campaigns.

That is a staggering gap.

McCain regularly relies on Palin and his wife, Cindy, to flank him at events, while the Obama campaign favors individual deployments to drive local press coverage and field outreach.  McCain is also doing fewer solo events than Obama:

Sen. Obama himself has been on the stump a bit more than Sen. McCain has, holding four more swing-state events over the five-week span. Over the weekend, for instance, Sen. McCain held one rally, in Iowa on Saturday, while Sen. Obama held four in the Philadelphia area.

The Journal was cautious with its scoop, running the piece under the comically bland headline, “Obama Camp’s Travel Seems a Factor in Recent Leads in Battleground States.”

McCain prefers to campaign in a trio. (Photo credit: Rogue9 Flickr.)

Seems a factor — you don’t say!

This is a huge problem for the GOP. McCain is already getting outspent in local and national advertising. His current strategy is to route around the “media filter” and reach voters “directly,” as his aides say, and that makes local events and mobilization even more crucial.

Instead of deploying the ticket’s brand names as widely as possible, however, McCain is letting Obama literally double up on local impact.  When it comes to reaching swing states, less is definitely not more.

* Skeptical readers may argue that was a backhanded compliment, or a way to raise the age issue, but a candidate’s health and stamina are worth assessing. Congress should also require independent doctors to review all presidential candidates’ medical records, as the New York Times and other publications have editorialized.

The national poll, which does not reflect the Electoral College or prioritize the swing states that actually decide the election, shows Obama besting Sen. John McCain by 52 percent to 43 percent among likely voters. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus three points. (Full data.)

Economic concerns are not only boosting Obama — voters’ views of his economic leadership have improved during the past few weeks:

Independents, key swing voters, now break for Obama, 53 percent to 39 percent, reversing a small lead for McCain after the Republican convention. McCain is the choice of 86 percent of Republicans, while about as many Democrats, 88 percent, back Obama. In the new poll, voters once again gave Obama higher marks than McCain when it comes to dealing with the economy, 53 percent to 39 percent. Two weeks ago, Obama’s edge on the question was a narrow five points, his lowest of the campaign. Among independents, Obama’s advantage on the economy — now 21 points — is greater than at any point in the campaign.

National polls still offer only a rough snapshot of the electorate. Yet this one is striking because it suggests a sharp and unusual turn in the national mood — a kind that never occurred during the last presidential election.

Then, both candidates were locked in such a tight race that neither broke 50 percent in any Post/ABC poll prior to Election Day. Now, as the country faces a major economic crisis and voters look toward the first presidential debate, Obama appears to have consolidated majority support heading into the most crucial phase of the campaign.

In addition, voters are now indicating that they think the race is more important: a record-high 91 percent say they are following it closely, up from 73 percent in July.

Last night, President Bush enthusiastically passed the torch to the man who he wants to carry on his legacy for the next four years – his disastrous economic policies, his foreign policy that hasn’t made us safer and his misguided war in Iraq that’s costing us $10 billion a month. …

What’s most telling from their convention so far is what they’ve left out. Last night we heard no mention of the economy, no mention of how John McCain would jump-start the economy, no mention of how he would fix the housing crisis or create energy independence.

McCain’s campaign manager said yesterday this campaign would not be about the issues, and last night’s speeches showed he was right: the Republicans intend to offer no real change, just more of the same. American families who are struggling deserve better.

It’s a direct rebuke on the economy, Iraq and “more of the same.” Pundits and nervous Democrats have been endlessly speculating on whether Obama is hitting McCain hard enough, but this recent line of attacks seems to be working. After the Democratic National Convention last week, McCain’s unfavorable ratings hit a high for the year of 38 percent in a new USA Today poll. In fact, despite a summer facing harsher, more personal attacks, Obama’s unfavorable rating was at 32 percent. He also had a higher favorable rating, at 61 percent, to McCain’s 54 percent.