It's Time for Obama to Get Tough

[depakid]

How is it that despite adulatory media coverage, long lines of volunteers at his campaign offices, and Americans deeply unhappy about the direction of the country, Barack Obama is rapidly losing support -- and control of the agenda -- to John McCain?

It's because Obama has reverted to the whiny, wimpy style that nearly allowed Hillary Clinton to wipe him out in September, 2007 -- until he found his backbone and actually started to stand up for himself.

This self-righteous simpering might make Obama supporters feel like he's "changing the tone" of politics, but it's not doing anything to stop his slide, shape the debate, or answer the legitimate question the McCain campaign keeps asking: Is Obama actually ready to lead?

So far, Obama's response is to give McCain's advisers exactly what they want: McCain attacks, Obama complains about the attacks...

Newsflash, Obama: To most voters, campaigns are not an egghead mental Olympics between two walking policy platforms. They're primal battles that test how candidates respond under fire. And for the last several weeks, Obama has been failing that test: crying about McCain's attacks and then surrendering. To most voters, this sends a simple message: if Obama can't stand up to a babbling incompetent like John McCain, how is he ever going to stand up to the oil executives, the health care lobby, or, for that matter, Osama bin Laden?

...So what's Obama to do? First, he has to untie his hand from around his back and start dedicating a lot more resources to defining McCain (for some reason, the Obama campaign seems to have bought into the McCain campaign's plan to make this election purely about Obama, under the crazy miscalculation that people have unshakeable opinions about McCain, despite the wild swings in his policies, his poll numbers, and the relative paucity of media coverage he gets).

Second, Obama needs a running mate with the toughness to go on the offense, not some blander version of Obama's confrontation-wary self. That means someone like Wesley Clark, John Edwards, Jack Reed, Brian Schweitzer, or even Hillary Clinton, not some lily-livered, lobbyist-friendly, uninspiring non-entity like Tim Kaine.

Finally, Obama can't afford to repeat the Democrats' 2004 mistake of trying to run a positive convention, of which the Democrats were very proud, but which produced only a two percent bump in the polls, about 1/5th the minimum bump parties usually get. The Republicans responded to the Democrats' smiley hug-fest with their usual political napalm (remember Zell Miller?). And they got what no pundit thought possible -- a 10 point jump in the polls (a triumph bested only by the Democrats' own 1992 convention in which speaker after speaker (including then Democrat Zell Miller) lustily trashed George Bush Sr.'s myriad failures.

Even more in 2008 than 2004, people in America are angry. They want and need a president who can at least occasionally channel their frustration, not someone so besotted by his own Platonic ideal of politics that he lacks the gumption to fight hard for himself or the American people.

Obama has proven in the past that he has the ability to get his head out of the clouds and down onto the ground where elections are actually decided -- and show he has the capacity to be the strong leader Americans want -- but we need him there fast, before Team Bush/McCain's savvy and his own diffidence cause another surrender -- and another Democratic defeat.

More: http://www.alternet.org/election08/93739/it%27s_time_for_obama_to_get_tough/?page=2

[cyclezealot]

1. McCain's "The One," ad goes to the juglar

So far Obama reminds me way to much of Kerry. We must get Wesley Clark if we want to not have a repeat of the Kerry campaign. .

[ajh60]

2. Is Obama Just another Dem?

For much of the last year we have come to believe that perhaps, just perhaps, Barack Obama was not just another politician. He was, despite few years of experience, someone different. He looked, spoke and acted differently. He was the right man at the right time for the right reasons. He was going to be the next President. He ran a masterful campaign against one of the most talented, well funded primary candidate's to come down the road in a long time. He defeated a Clinton. He was destined to be President. Then again, Hillary Clinton was destined to be the Democratic nominee and we know how well that turned out.

If Obama is going to win he must strike back. Sen John McCain has decided that the way to beat Obama is to have America become afraid of Obama and portray him as an empty suit. Dear Senator Obama, it is working. If the plan of the Democrats is to portray McCain as nothing but a third term of George Bush then they must treat McCain as a quasi incumbent. Obama must go after him at every opportunity. If McCain wants ten town hall meetings, suggest twenty. The site of Obama on stage with McCain is a win for Obama. Do not believe the polls, run as if you are ten points down.

By saying no to the town hall meetings you fall into the trap of appearing weak, a candidate who is afraid of the heavy lifting a campaign requires. McCain does not want you at the town hall meetings. He wants you to say no. This is to his advantage. Just as your declining, no matter how savvy the reason is again, advantage McCain. Bill Clinton survived his campaign and eight years in office by hitting back at his opponents, hard and often.

You must hit back and challenge McCain at each and every opportunity. Suggest a bus tour together if you must, but follow him and go after him. If not, you will be just another Democrat running for President. We all know how those elections usually turn out.

[Skittles]

7. I agree

the high road is ineffective with lying bastards - KICK THEIR ASSES

[ChazII]

8. Sad but true

and they say History repeats itself.

[Loudmxr]

3. I agree. Untie the 527s

I was just hoping that the Demos were keeping their powder dry until the Repugs officially nominate McCain. But I think they are too invested now to turn to Jeb who they could really unite around.

Hillary could have won cause she would fight dirty. Barak will make a great president. But its up to us to make him win. We have to stick a knife in the Repugs campaign and make it squirm and die. Quickly. :evilgrin:

[cyclezealot]

4. Negativity wins

CNN just posted a poll. McCain up a couple points and the race is dead even.

[depakid]

5. How is it "negative" to simply tell the truth about your opponent in a forceful way

and make him defend his far right positions and he and his crony's appalling statements.

Those sorts of ads would be easy enough for a high school kid to make....

[Imagevision]

6. Obama I believe has plenty of time, he danced around Hillary until the timing was just right and

he'll set Johnny up the same way, 2 months, if Obama makes slick moves it gives repukes time to counter attack, got to limit that bullshit.

[AdHocSolver]

9. It is still kind of early to counterattack, as Americans have short memory spans.

However, at some point, and hopefully the Obama campaign won't screw up on the timing, Obama has to portray himself as the "alpha" dog. That is, Obama has to show some aggressiveness toward McCain. (The "alpha" dog is not the smartest or the strongest, but usually the most aggressive.) McCain is trying to portray himself as the alpha dog. However, he comes up short with all of his fumbles and gaffes.

However, I think Obama should go after McCain as being "bad" BECAUSE McCain is a Republican, not just because he is McCain. In other words, the meme should be that Republicans supported the Bush policies that people are now unhappy with and McCain is another Republican who supports those policies. In this way, whomever McCain picks as VP will be "tarred" the same way.

Another good reason for Obama "keeping his powder dry" is that the Republicans could pull a switch in candidates at the convention. That is, they could see losing Congress with McCain as their standard bearer and decide he is too risky and replace him. That is why I think Obama should go after generic Republicans, not specifically McCain.

Not McCain says this or promotes that policy. Rather, he should say the Republican candidate says this, or the Republican candidate proposes that failed policy.

If "Republican" can be made (should be made) to have the same connotation that was given to the term "liberal" by the right wing, many of this country's problems could readily be solved for years to come.

Obama should only "reach across the aisle" after the Republican party is purged of its worst right wing elements.