Recently it seems Obama is always on the defensive- the lipstick/pig non-issue most recently and then many things (some of them, granted, legitimate to the campaign) before that. He has yet to launch a major offensive, and both McCain and Palin have plenty of raw material for one. OTOH, many believe his brand is keeping the honorable course in the campaign.
If you were one of his campaign managers, would you advocate a major offensive of [researched and backed] accusations and negative politicking against McCain/Palin. I am talking issue based and not about his divorce/her kids/other B.S. issues, but on, say, his Keating Five involvement or his flip-flopping in the past 2-3 years or her ethics investigation and per-diem scandal? Or should he continue returning serves?
The signal has been made to allow 527s to do their thing, but it may have come too late to be useful.
Obama is at a disadvantage without the 527s. He has to defend himself against all kinds of nonsense while McCain only has to defend against what Obama throws at him.
Obama does need to attack McCain/Palin but he needs to be smart about it and focus on one or two big themes rather a bunch of scattershot attacks. The biggest line of attack needs to be that their reformist credentials are a sham: the Palin earmarks and the bridge to nowhere issue are excellent ammunition.
He also needs to defend attacks on him forcefully and quickly and then turn them into a counter-attack. The line about Rovian politics is a good one because it reinforces his main theme that McCain/Palin is more of the same.
Overall I don’t think his strategy is wrong but he probably needs better and more forceful execution. In particular he needs to bring Biden in as his main attack dog. What has happened to Biden anyway?
I like this in concept, but Im not sure it’s the best execution. It relies too much on clips from MSNBC and the like. I’d rather see more primary cites for the debunking of McCain ad lies and distortions, but over all, it’s not bad. It’s the kind of thing, tactically, that Obama should do.
Two things he has to do: absolutely avoid going after family, even via 527’s. It would kill him after the forceful statement he made about it, and make sure everything he approves or can be linked to is accurate. At this point, McCain has hande him the ammo to show him as a serial liar. That’s what he should pursue. Hell, he doesn’t need to even mention Palin. She’ll be exposed soon enough by the press and by Biden.
I would hate seeing Obama or his supporters doing anything as vile as “Swift Boating”. However, I think some attacks would be justified. At least there should be an ad showing McCain needing Lieberman to whisper in his ear about why Iran wasn’t likely training Al Quaeda. Showing how he’s turned against his “maverick” positions over the past few years would be fair game too.
I think the target has to be McCain, not Palin. Bush the Elder won with Quayle. McCain can win with Palin. People just don’t care much about the VP’s credentials.
I’d like to see him do a few “big arena” rally events. I think there’s a place for the town hall-style events, but he needs to re-invigorate. The enthusiasm he generates at the larger events will go a long way in getting people back on track with his plan. Let Sarah from Wasilly fend for herself. She can’t hide from the issues forever. I think a LOUDER Obama presence is what we need right now. Get people to focus on the issues. I like that he’s calm and reasoned, but it’ll go further after the election than it does at this point in the campaign.
He can get some of their attention by mounting his wife at his next press conference. If that doesn’'t work, he can try mounting Obama, and finally Palin. Attack dog, indeed.
I don’t watch American TV, so I could be missing a whole lot, but looking over the papers and blogs I follow, I have to ask, “Where are the Clintons, and what are they doing?”
Come on, Hillary. The party needs you. The country needs you. Show them what a real woman politician is, I think they’ve forgotten.
Oh, yes! The more offensive the better! Let’s play the dozens! And