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Obama Needs to Get More Surgical Precision

August 21st, 2008

One problem with the Obama campaign is that they’re not cutting enough. That’s McCain’s strength–he’s become as vicious and unconscionable as Bush was to him in 2000, even more so in fact. Obama doesn’t need to become more nasty–in fact, he should do his best not to appear negative at all–but he does need to become far more effective on the attack. He probably got along in the primaries rolling on his organization and his rock-star image and Clinton’s lack of same. But with McCain, he’s going to need to take on a new tactic if his Kumbaya unity message and popular appeal won’t do the trick.

Take for example his statement about it being time for McCain to acknowledge that Obama’s patriotism is not in question. Had the roles been reversed, the Democrat would have withered under that attack (which is why they bend over backwards lauding McCain as a “hero” and not questioning his patriotism), in large part because Democrats would take the criticism seriously, the media would glom onto it and portray Obama as an underhanded liar, and pretty much everyone involved would say, “yeah, that’s below the belt.”

But with the roles being the way they are now, the attack doesn’t work–because McCain knows he can get away with such nasty attacks and nobody will question him on it. So instead of McCain withering under the admonition, he instead twisted it into an attack, jabbing at Obama by saying “I don’t question his patriotism, I question his judgment”–when in clear point of fact, McCain was absolutely questioning Obama’s patriotism. And as I just pointed out, he is getting away with it and nobody, especially in the media, is questioning him on it.

What Obama needs to do is formulate a strategy that will make McCain wither. But he has to do in a light fashion, one that will send McCain running without seeming nasty. And to me, the best way seems obvious: use McCain’s own words against him. One way to do that is to take McCain at his word; McCain is saying so much stuff which he doesn’t mean, the pickings should be easy.

Take, for example, a recent town hall where a woman said we need to bring back the draft, and McCain said he “didn’t disagree.” (A story, by the way, that the media completely ignored–and again, had it been Obama, the reverse would have been true.) Obama should run with stuff like that: make announcements that McCain is going to institute the draft, using that very clip. McCain won’t be able to say Obama is twisting his position, because McCain is on video agreeing with the idea; instead, he’ll have to waste time denying he’s for the draft, which will bring up a lot of other questions in its wake. If the media, predictably, makes McCain’s case for him, pointing out that McCain didn’t really mean that, the counter would be easy: he said it, and if he didn’t really mean it, was he confused or was he being untruthful? [Edit: here’s another one: McCain loudly proclaimed on CNN that he had a secret plan that would catch bin Laden–no way he could equivocate his assuredness that he has a plan and it will, by god, work. What Blitzer didn’t ask was, “why haven’t you given the plan to Bush so we can catch bin Laden now?” Obama should play McCain saying he has a secret plan, then smack him for not thinking it’s important enough to get bin Laden now.]

Along those lines, Obama should present a series of “McCain vs. McCain” ads, because there is so much video and audio of McCain saying stuff he now has turned 180 degrees on. He should begin with McCain vs. McCain on Energy, showing McCain now saying drilling is immediately vital, then showing McCain a few months ago saying it would not help, followed by definitive expert statements on how drilling is ineffective. These ads would show up McCain’s two-faced flip-flops, and at best could put McCain on the defensive.

This would also lead into making his own another Republican strength: ridicule. Going from the “McCain vs. McCain” ads, Obama could then lead into a series of ads based upon Apple’s “I’m a Mac” ads, where you have two guys introducing themselves, first a cool, hip, young guy saying, “I’m an Obama supporter,” and an uptight, older business guy saying “And I’m a McCain supporter.” They could mirror the Apple ads almost entirely (would they have to get Apple’s OK on that? As parody, maybe not), and run with that angle. No, it’s not original, but it could be just as effective as Apple’s ads are against Windows, and could be entertaining as well as deeply cutting.

These campaigns could run side by side with positive ads which did an even better job of laying out Obama’s policies and ideas.

Not that I think Obama will do this. It’s just that i think it’d be his best shot: go negative, but n a light-hearted fashion. Because, as Tim has pointed out, whatever it is Obama thinks he’s doing now, it’s not working.

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  1. Tim Kane
    August 22nd, 2008 at 01:12 | #1

    Those were all great points. I’m not sure the difference between “going negative” and “going on the attack” – but I believe Obama has a fundamental duty to point out McCain’s negatives. If he doesn’t nobody will and the voters should have them aired.

    I also thinks its a brilliant idea to use McCain’s own words against him to highlight his negatives. I would fold into the draft meme, the bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb Iran (Barbara Ann circa the Beach Boys) into an “All War, All the Time” meme, using again McCain’s own words. Because as potent as the draft meme might be, it’s infinitely more so if you tie it to bellicosity: not only will McCain draft your son or daughter, but they could be fighting for the liberation of Georgia or Uzbekistan.

    (the big thing about this is that none of this would have happened had our domestic and foreign policies not hobbled us – a recent read of Italian unity in the 1850s was facilitated when the local superpower, Austria, was diplomatically isolated and weakened: Piedmont-Sardinia & France (on behalf of Italian unity) went on the attack. Russia is not affraid to go on the attack because we are hobbled, all that makes the use of our armed forces more likely – if you have a son or daughter, this should be important to you).

    I also love your idea of parodying the Mac Ads, and I think there’s wiggle room there to get away with it. I think its extremely important to use humor to mock the opposition. Roosevelt, practically on his death bed destroyed the opposition with his “My dog Falla does mind” comment. It’s funny even today, and how can you not vote for someone with that kind of humor. People would rather vote for the hip, joyful, smart and funny Dems then the geriatric sour puss Republicans).

    Finally, I think it might be constructive to tie McCain’s belicosity to Yosemite Sam: “I’m the routinness, tootiness man in the west” that kind of thing. Most of the voters remember how Bugs Bunny made a fool out of such bellicosity.

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