Thus, the real danger to the country is that voters, having bought into Obama's critique of the economy, will be ready to try something different -- whatever it is that Obama is calling for -- and Republicans will find it difficult to explain why a rational recovery policy must include part of Bush's economic policy (the tax cut part). The two-paragraph rational refutation of the Obama economic policy is not likely to be heard or be persuasive in a mass national audience -- in the absence of a massive advertising campaign to educate the public. In its bare-bones, unadvertised version, it will fall victim to the Democratic trope that Republicans are just for big business.

The fact is that in a free market, nonsocialist economy, the prosperity of the employees requires the prosperity of the employers.

But Obama's populist argument (for instance, his claim to ABC News that raising capital gains taxes is necessary in order to be "fair," even if it means less total revenues to the government) may be the appealing handmaiden of his other argument that the economy stinks and the policies that caused the stink need to be changed.

Thus, the second trap the Republicans have to avoid (in the absence of that massive advertising campaign to educate the public) is using an ineffective slogan to rebut Obama's effective slogan. The obvious GOP slogan is the old standby that the Democratic candidate will tax and tax, spend and spend. It is true, of course. But will it ring true? With President Bush having been seen to spend and spend himself, will the slogans sound hypocritical?

If McCain and the Republicans cannot either educate the public through a massive advertising campaign or come up with a truly compelling slogan, they could lose the November election on that issue alone.