Experts describe the type of campaign they hope to see Barack Obama run against John McCain

[babylonsister]

Lots of good analysis and advice here...

Plotting The Way Forward by Jonathan Chait, Lakshmi Chaudhry, William Galston, and Ed Kilgore

Our experts describe the type of campaign they hope to see Barack Obama run against John McCain.
Post Date Friday, June 07, 2008


With the primary race finally wrapped up, we asked Jonathan Chait, Lakshmi Chaudhry, William Galston, and Ed Kilgore to consider the type of campaign Barack Obama should run against John McCain. Here's what they said.



Jonathan Chait is senior editor of The New Republic.

How should Barack Obama run? Here are some sub-themes I would suggest he emphasize:

1. Embrace class-based affirmative action. This one is a winner all around. First, it's good substantive policy--it's clear that the transmission of poverty or wealth across generations, through school quality and parental values, is a serious problem and one that effects whites as well as blacks.

Second, Obama seems to agree with the concept. (Obama has said, "I think that my daughters should probably be treated by any admissions officer as folks who are pretty advantaged, and I think that there's nothing wrong with us taking that into account as we consider admissions policies at universities. I think that we should take into account white kids who have been disadvantaged and have grown up in poverty and shown themselves to have what it takes to succeed.")

Third, the politics are phenomenal for him. He needs to try to regain his "post-racial image" that took such a beating in the primary. When you read interviews with whites who fear Obama, they often express a fear that Obama is only going to look out for his fellow African-Americans. What better way to show this isn't true?

2. Emphasize his bipartisan compromises. Republicans have been saying for weeks now that Obama has no record of bipartisanship or serious legislation. It's utterly false. The blogger hilzoy documented Obama's record on issues like nuclear non-proliferation, ethics reform, and other small but worthy causes. Oddly enough, Obama's campaign itself has done little to disseminate this record. It should start.

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http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=07815a4b-10cd-4369-81c4-2d4fbcf77c5a