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.
He is a disingenuous liar.
2. Energy independence - John McCain
As long as we don't drill ANWAR (STILL!)...
3. Pro life - John McCain
As long as we let Teddy include abortion in the socialized medicine plan...
4. Budget hawk - John McCain
OK, I'll grant he doesn't do pork...
5. Pro border control - John McCain
You're kidding, right?
6. Low taxes - John McCain
As long as we can let the Bush tax cuts expire...
NOT GUILTY!
Exactly, and those are the same people who handed the majority over to the liberals in 2006. Obviously they want to do the same for the White House
*shrug* I’d settle for putting the poster’s name at the top of the post.
Then I’d know to skip it before I waded through to the end, but I’d still be able to refer back to it should a down thread reply not make sense without the context of that post.
Besides, ignoring an unpleasant truth doesn’t make it go away...
Lots of folks around here call him McQueeg and McCrazy and McInsane.
I prefer to call him Juan McAmnesty.
You all are way too kind. I prefer “backstabbing POS.”
thanks.
let’s just hope, disillusionment aside—we all want more, that we have at least a republican president.
it will reduce the damage a lot.
LOL!
I disagree. McCain should focus on ISSUES.
Even better!
McCain Supporter.. LOL!!! love the poster.
Just think about this for a second.
Barak is the “presumed” nominee.
That is, he didn’t get enough votes to win his primary, but it’s assumed that the “superdelegates” will vote enough for him that they will tip the balance.
If, today, McCain started launching everything he had at Obama, they could still turn around and put in her Hillaryness.
Come convention time, the minute after Obama gets the actual nomination, he becomes fair game.
There’s so much ammo to sink him, why waste it when he could still be replaced?
Paul
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