Just when we thought the next big campaign news would break with a text from 62262, out comes the unstoppable gaffe-machine that is John McCain. You know the story: a Politico reporter asked him a simple enough question- how many houses he owns- and McCain stumbly avoided giving an answer and ultimately referred the reporter to his staff. While some are inevitably going to see this as a non-issue and downplay its significance, the reactions of the Obama campaign and the media prove this story is huge and if played right could provide Obama the populist legs he needs to win this election.

Of all the things the opposition can call a candidate, elitist is perhaps the most damaging and hardest to refute. Look at John Kerry; here’s a guy whose domestic policies probably could have saved us from this recession. But none of that mattered because his credibility went down the drain after Americans learned he was a windsurfing, French speaking upper-cruster who ordered Swiss on his cheesesteak. When your opponent levels the elitist charge at you, truth often takes a back seat.

What gives Democrats hope is that Bill Clinton successfully employed this tactic against former prez George Bush back in 1992, when his first experience with a supermarket scanner became fodder attack ads and comedians alike. Combined with the recession at the time, this image of a woefully out of touch leader was more than enough to deny Bush 41 another 4 years in office.

So there you have it, the elitist charge does indeed cut both ways. Until now, it’s been Obama who’s had to face most of the charges, due in part to his calm and nuanced campaigning style and ironic when you consider his family history. That being said, it’s great to see the campaign’s rapid response on this astounding gaffe seems to be working- a powerful new ad is on the air and Democrats including Obama himself are speaking out on the issue continuously. It’s even managed to overshadow the soon to be decided Veepstakes, which goes to show how potentially game changing this gaffe could be. Only time will tell, however, if the houses question will prove to be a watershed moment in this increasingly close and vitriolic campaign.

And by the way, McCain’s got 7 properties. That’s way worse than windsurfing or Swiss cheese.

Tags: McCain, Obama

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