The question was asked earlier: "What is Obama doing wrong?"

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

There's a number of factors that have kept things tied and leaning toward McDouche (or at least given that perception whether accurate or not). The sock puppet airheads in the media, race you name it. But I think in 200 the repigs managed to do one thing that in my opinion helped them big time. They managed to make the election about Bill Clinton's cock. "Restore honor and dignity to the White House" or some such bullshit was the one liner of the day. Obama needs to make this election about that maggot in the White House (no disrespect to actual maggots. I know he's tried this but it doesn't seem to be sticking. I'm not sure how you do that other than endless repetition and "clever" one liners. At least that is one thing where I think there's room for improvement.

[KittyWampus]

1. I disagree at this point. It has to be about McCain.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

3. I think it has to be about both. In 2000 it was "Bill Clintons Johnson and Gore is a liar".

It seems like that was an effective tactic.

[TwilightGardener]

2. No--Obama is NOT running against Bush. That is a central assumption, but

it's proving to be a huge mistake. People don't see McCain as Bush, they don't see all Republicans as Bush. Obama needs to TAKE MCCAIN OUT at a personal, gut level. He needs to make JOHN MCCAIN personally repugnant to voters, not just tie him to Bush. He needs to expose McCain as a confused old hair-trigger principle-less sell-out liar.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

4. They have to attack the repubelican party as a whole.

What better symbol of incompetence and corruption than the boy king himself? The problem is Bush wasn't literally running against Clinton either.

[TwilightGardener]

5. He's BEEN doing that--he says "failed Republican policies", "Cheney foreign policy", "Brownie

competence" at every appearance. Obama has pummeled the GOP and Bush. But elections come down to TWO human beings, always, no matter what issues or party politics are going on. Obama has to defeat McCain as a human being, on a gut/personal level. We lost with Kerry, because people did not like him at a gut level. They preferred the dipshit. It always comes down to personal qualities--always.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

8. I guess the question is how does one get "personal" (which can include a range of things)

and not making it seem like: "Oh look they're shitting on the poor ol' POW, how unpatriotic".

Hopefully not too many people noticed but saying that John McDick would somehow be an improvement over the Moron in Chief undercuts that argument. I gues what I'm saying is that they need to do what you're saying but a tthe same time make the 2 of them conjoined twins.

[TwilightGardener]

13. I think making McShame as an old, befuddled loose cannon who would

be WORSE than Bush would work well, without attacking service or patriotism, which is never going to work for us anyway.

[Virginia Dare]

16. And it's not a difficult picture to paint..

when I saw his appearance yesterday at that drill rig. I mean, it was just awful and pathetic. He was mumbling words that he was reading off a sheet. No emotion, no connection whatsoever. It's like he's phoning it in. Cindy never looks comfortable. She always has that "I'd rather be at Saks" look.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

20. Well sure I'm not saying attack those elements because it will not work.

What I'm saying is that it's a fine line that they have to walk. I don't think that they would ever attack his military record but it seems that any attack on him gets spun around into an attack on his military career. I’m not disagreeing with your statements but I think they have to throw everything at him. I don’t think you can convince people that he will be worse than Bush. Bush’s persona is going to be forever tied to his stupidity. McCain might be dumb as shit but people will not buy it. But if you make their policies one and the same and create that perception it sure as hell can’t hurt.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

21. It definitely has to be death by a thousand cuts (BTW that's a metaphor Agent Mike). n/t

[GihrenZabi]

7. He ignored "the fringe"

Calling us liberals and progressives "the fringe" cracks me up EVERY time I hear it, because Liberals are supposed to be in the MIDDLE of the Democratic Party spectrum.

The moderates in the Democratic Party are fucking this election for Obama. We liberals and progressives have been calling it since Obama buckled on FISA - he's abandoning his base, and he can't win without us.

The excitement around his campaign came from US. He defeated Hillary because WE donated to his campaign. The Centrists didn't back him, they backed the other gal.

If Obama really is this Centrist politician like some on here have been saying..."Read his books, you shouldn't be surprised by what he's doing"...then I have to reverse my earlier statements about his winning in a landslide, or how McCain can't win.

If Obama's campaign is this inept, if he's going to bank on tying McCain to Bush instead of boldly going forth with new, liberal policies for America, if he's not going to speak truth to power about things like how fucked up our foreign policy is at its core, how fucked up our economic system is because it favors the rich and doesn't support production of goods...then he loses.

Obama has the chance to address some of these basic problems which EVERYONE knows are there but no politician is willing to bank on the potential intelligence of the American people and truly offer the hope of change.

If Obama keeps playing this as "Republican lite," or "the other party" instead of making a clear ideological distinction, he may very well lose this.

If so...it just goes to show how inept the Democratic Party has become. They're ideologically bankrupt, and the Left needs to abandon them and begin their slow death, to be replaced by a true opposition party in America.

Better a small Liberal party which sticks to its ideological guns and marches in lock step than this behemoth of a Centrist party with no direction, no goals, and no ideas.

Right now, they deserve to lose this one. What a wasted opportunity so far.

[AlinPA]

6. The media controls everything. Everything. We need to win it on the ground.

[GihrenZabi]

9. Getting tired of that excuse

A good politician controls the media, not the other way around.

They want a scoop, so give them one. Our foreign policy is fucked. We can't maintain an Empire, and shouldn't.

Our energy policy is fucked. We have the scientific know-how and the finances to get off oil, and we're not attending to the project as a nation.

Our economy is fucked. We don't produce enough goods and we depend on foreign labor.

Speak truth to power. You'll command the headlines.

That takes courage, though. And true, liberal ideology.

I'm beginning to wonder if Obama has either. Squeaking out a win gives him no mandate to do anything, and right now squeaking out a win is looking like the best-case scenario.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

10. On that end I have no criticisms. They seem to have a good solid foundation in individual states. n/

[cliffordu]

12. Yep. Best post so far. On another thread McCain is supposed to be ahead by 5.

This is about the manufactured perception of a horse race, instead of the blowout it SHOULD be if people in this country were actually informed. It's about 5 corporations controlling all media and the selling of two men like they are dog food.


I expect they'll start crapping on McCain if he stays ahead for a day or two.

[Virginia Dare]

15. Agree, you've got to work around the media message...

we need a "macaca" moment in the worst way. I'm quite sure McCain will give it to us at some point, we just have to be ready for it.

[dkf]

11. Looking weak.

A person cannot let himself be attacked and not respond.

Obama's "high road" campaign won't work.

[Virginia Dare]

14. Agree, it's ultimately what sank Kerry..

they figured they could run on issues, but the Bush campaign was constantly controlling the message and the perception. They're trying it again, and there is no way we can have the same response this time out. Time to bring out the flame throwers.

[TwilightGardener]

17. Yeah, I've noticed that the "backfire" theory never materializes in poll numbers--

the theory (and I've subscribed to it, myself) is that going negative, going out of the bounds of taste and propriety, will always backfire. It didn't with Hillary. It won't with McCain--time to stop relying on that and start risking the backfire ourselves with some real body blows.

[dkf]

18. And where are his surrogates? He is no leader if he can't get his people

to come out fighting.

Which was why I asked "where's Hillary"? But everyone criticized that. She needs to be on the talking head shows 24/7. That is what will convince her people. Otherwise, I think she is full of it.

[Virginia Dare]

19. Couldn't agree more, she needs to be out there in support of Obama..

and she needs to tell her supporters to STFU and help save this country instead of pissing and moaning.

[applegrove]

22. Obama needs to be more susinct. Like the pundits said on TV last

night re the Rick Warren "debate": John McCain say alot with few words, Obama says very little using lots of words.