<P> Polls taken in the last few months of the presidential campaign and exit polls conducted on Election Day showed the economy as the top concern for voters . In the fall of 2008, many news sources were reporting that the economy was suffering its most serious downturn since the Great Depression . During this period, John McCain's election prospects fell with several politically costly comments about the economy . </P> <P> On August 20, John McCain said in an interview with Politico that he was uncertain how many houses he and his wife, Cindy, owned; "I think--I'll have my staff get to you," he told the media outlet . Both on the stump and in Obama's political ad, "Seven", the gaffe was used to portray McCain as somebody unable to relate to the concerns of ordinary Americans . This out - of - touch image was further cultivated when, on September 15, the day of the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy, at a morning rally in Jacksonville, Florida, McCain declared that "the fundamentals of our economy are strong," despite what he described as "tremendous turmoil in our financial markets and Wall Street ." With the perception among voters to the contrary, the comment appeared to cost McCain politically . </P> <P> On September 24, 2008, after the onset of the 2008 global financial crisis, McCain announced that he was suspending his campaign to return to Washington so he could help craft a $700 billion bailout package for the troubled financial industry, and he stated that he would not debate Obama until Congress passed the bailout bill . Despite this decision, McCain was portrayed as somebody not playing a significant role in the negotiations for the first version of the bill, which fell short of passage in the House . He eventually decided to attend the first presidential debate on September 26, despite Congress' lack of immediate action on the bill . His ineffectiveness in the negotiations and his reversal in decision to attend the debates were seized upon to portray McCain as erratic in his response to the economy . Days later, a second version of the original bailout bill was passed by both the House and Senate, with Obama, his vice presidential running mate Joe Biden, and McCain all voting for the measure (Hillary Clinton would as well). </P> <P> All the aforementioned remarks and campaign issues hurt McCain's standing with voters . All these also occurred after the economic crisis and after McCain's poll numbers had started to fall . Although sound bites of all of these "missteps" were played repeatedly on national television, many pundits and analysts say that the actual financial crisis and economic conditions caused McCain's large drop in support in mid-September and severely damaged his campaign . </P>

Which of the following is not a true statement about the election of 2008