Posted on 07/10/2008 7:00:16 AM PDT by Kaslin
Yesterday, I laid out the very favorable environment for any Democrat running for President this year. I noted that the current Obama lead of 4-5% is very modest, given the structural advantages any Democrat would have in this year's race.
But there is another way to look at the race: namely that absent some of the unique structural or environmental advantages that exist for Democrats this year, John McCain should be running away from Barack Obama.
While this may sound irrational to some, I believe the key to a McCain victory is to focus his campaign and the voting public on the two candidates themselves -- their life stories, their experiences and accomplishments, their visions for the country, and their characters. If the election is decided on these factors, McCain should win.
The Obama campaign has a simple message: you hate (or really, really don't like) the job George Bush is doing. John McCain will run things just like George Bush, and I (Obama) offer a very different and exciting change in approach. The corollaries to the Obama message are a not very subtle pitch that the voter can demonstrate his or her decency and lack of bias by voting for the first African American presidential candidate, and by the way, John McCain is too old.
McCain needs to make the case that he is a far "safer" choice to be the next occupant in the White House. This case should be not that difficult to make. In essence, who is the "untested" candidate, and who is the "riskier" choice? These are specific words, as Frank Luntz might say, that matter.
Secondarily, there are particular choices for the Vice Presidential pick who could add some energy and excitement to the McCain campaign. The Obama-McCain contest has not been a fair fight in the charisma derby. Barack Obama is very good at reading a prepared speech from a teleprompter (John McCain is really bad at this), and Obama has been wowing the media and live audiences reading prepared texts. He has frequently stumbled with off the cuff remarks, which is why his campaign pays such attention to details regarding the setting for events, and on prepared remarks.
While it is likely that McCain will be outspent, and out organized, he should have enough money to get a message across, if it is focused and he stays on script. By accepting federal campaign funding, McCain will also not have to fundraise during the fall campaign, while Obama will likely waste days if not weeks doing this. It is also the case that fund raising events tend to be very partisan, requiring a candidate to pander to activists. In a general election campaign, when a candidate is trying to move to the center to appear moderate and acceptable to more than the party's base voters (an approach Obama has clearly undertaken of late), a shriller pitch to the base can lead to problems, as it did for Obama in San Francisco a few months back.
Thanks for posting. This is a very thoughtful and thought-provoking editorial.
Hope it also is thoroughly contemplated by the McCain people.
Ref: My tagline.
I Googled her and apparently she is a Realtor in Minnesota.
True, but not if he takes the Jimmy Carter approach adopted by Obama where conservation is the answer. Learning to live with less, and punishing those who use more than they should.
McCain's plan needs to be about opening up the thousands of capped wells. Exploring for new sources of oil, opening up the closed areas to drilling and reducing the number of homes still using heating oil by expanding nuclear energy.
She has a name, and it's not "Barbie"Cindy McCain inserted herself into the flap over Michelle Obama's supposedly anti-American comments, telling supporters in Wisconsin, "I'm proud of my country, I don't know about you, if you heard those words earlier." Left-wing blog Daily Kos returned fire with a detailed history of Cindy McCain's problems with Percocet.
Since this is the first time Cindy has piped up in this campaign, it's time to askwho is this GOP frontrunner's wife? And how can she be distinguished from her doppelgangers, which include every man's second wife and Jessica Lange's character in "Blue Skies"? 23/6 investigates...
“Come on let your hatred of McCain go. He was not my first, second and even third choice, but he is far better then Obama”.
And McCain supports the troops. That is something Obama never will do.
The reasons conservatives feel marginalized is that they have done it to themselves. Demanding ideologically pure candidates in every little aspect leaves you with no viable candidates.
Exactly
RE “energy, energy, and energy.”
Either McCain loses by being Obama light or by reversing himself on all his long held positions ,to suddenly make believe he is a republican like he is doing now, showing what a complete phony he is. That’s why Obama can change all his positions to phony ones, because McCain is doing it and can’t complain about him now.
We don’t have oil because of McCain. Bush tax cuts expire because of McCain. This fake makes me sick.
You missed :
Well, I guess we’re all pretty relieved we didn’t drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge back in 2002. What a disaster that would have been.
John McCain opposed drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge because he polled soccer moms and found out they were against drilling. They thought it sounded too much like going to the dentist. McCain wanted to ensure that he remained beloved by the two pillars of his base: “centrists” and New York Times reporters.
Even Sen. Chuck Hagel voted for drilling in ANWR. But John McCain, “our” candidate, voted against it.
I guess we’re beginning to see the problem of basing a political platform on the passing fancies of “centrists.” These are people who have no opinions because they know nothing about national issues. They’re the ones who check the “not sure/no opinion” box on polls regarding the legalization of cannibalism.
http://www.anncoulter.org/cgi-local/article.cgi?article=259
But there is something wrong with John Sidney McCain. The words Manchurian Candidate, brainwashed, and senile have been used by some in describing him. He projects a creepy feeling. Every week he does something stupid as if he wants to throw the election, as some have suggested. He does not bring to mind the words intelligent, likable, good self-control, full of energy, inspirational, a born leader.
I didn’t know Cindy McCain is running
Oops I didn’t notice the l in McClain
Yeah.
Vince Foster didn't know 42's wife was running either.
Love it. That’s all he and his supporters have.
Thanks.
You’re right, we can have Dumb or Dumber this year. :(
I printed that off and have it in the back glass of my car.
“Your right of course as he is better than Obama ever will be. But John McCain is trying to play both sides of the fence..”
Unfortunately playing on both sides of the fence in the name of the game. Better playing both sides rather than the leftist, Marxist, appeaser side Obama play on.
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