Taking the party to Main Street

The cultural attack against Obama is sensitive. Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton was accused of exploiting race during the primary by directing to white voters a message criticizing the country's potential first black president. And Obama has had to respond to false rumors that he is a Muslim -- he is not -- making him perhaps more vulnerable to such arguments than white politicians.

Obama aides said Thursday that they doubted culture attacks would work, particularly when voters want to hear about the economy, healthcare and other pocketbook issues. An anti-elites campaign run in 1988 against Democrat Michael Dukakis succeeded; four years later, as the economy foundered, its reprise did not work against Bill Clinton.

"For a long time this is an argument they've wanted to set up," said Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs. "People understand that we have far bigger problems that we have to get to."

Obama will combat the attacks by visiting economically depressed areas, Gibbs said, and will dispatch running mate Joe Biden, a native of working-class Scranton, Pa., to reach out to blue-collar families.

The back-to-back conventions that ended Thursday night with McCain's speech underscored the terrain on which the final 60 days of the campaign will be fought.

Both sides are fighting over values, with the Republicans on the offensive and Democrats playing defense. But on the economy, the battle lines are different, with Democrats on offense and Republicans looking to cut their losses.

Strategists in both parties believe that about 12% to 15% of the electorate remains up for grabs. Many of those voters are open to hearing about cultural and economic arguments alike, and the election may well be decided by which message is most compelling.

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peter.wallsten@latimes.com

doyle.mcmanus@latimes.com

Times staff writer James Hohmann contributed to this report.