Republican presidential candidate John McCain is dismissing the notion that he can't win the presidency if the top issue is the flagging economy.

In an interview aired Tuesday on "The Early Show" on CBS, McCain waves off a statement by a campaign official a few weeks ago that talking about the economy is a loser for Republicans.

McCain says voters should listen to him, and he says his campaign is about the American economy.

Polls show that voters have more confidence in Democratic candidate Barack Obama when it comes to economic issues.

Pointing to his humorous remarks at a fundraising dinner last week, McCain calls himself a pretty good standup comic. But he says times are too serious for comedy on the campaign trail.