A Different View Of The Obama Campaign

We heard a lot of vitriol, and invective floating around last week about Barak Obama, and the never ending conservative vs. liberal shouting match. And, it seems we’re headed for more of the same this week.  But, I’d like to offer a calmer, somewhat more analytical view than we have seen, of Barak Obama’s campaign, why I think it’s succeeding.

First, a little history.  About 28 years ago right now, the country was just about ready to end its disastrous relationship with President Jimmy Carter.  Carter himself had talked about the country being afflicted with a “national malaise”.  We all really were pretty depressed.  But, the Republican candidate was running a sort of “nation’s cheerleader” campaign.  Suddenly we were hearing speeches about a shining city on the hill.  Ronnie’s campaign provided hope to a pretty sullen nation.  And, it worked.  He won.

So, here we are today locked in the gloom and doom of the last days of a very unpopular Bush administration, waiting desperately for it to end.  And, along comes Dr. Feelgood Obama, offering a little ray of sunshine amidst the gloom.  He’s providing hope to a pretty sullen nation.  And, it seems to be working.  It looks like he will be the Democrat’s nominee.

Now, I suppose Jeffrey could accuse Obama of plagiarizing the whole campaign.  But, I don’t think it works that way.  Campaign strategies have been quite successfully borrowed in the past.  It happens.  This strategy is a powerful one.  But, it requires the right timing.  Bush, like Carter before him, has provided the right environment for this type of campaign.

We Republicans now have our own presumptive nominee.  And, he’s actually got some personality.  But, there’s no way McCain can match the vigor, and charisma of Obama.  Republicans can’t just spit into the wind, and hope some of it blows back, and sticks on Obama (that’s been the tenor of our blog for the past week).  We really need to highlight legitimate differences.  It is said that a good general respects his enemy.  There’s a name for those who disregard, and disrespect their enemies – it’s “loser”.  We’ve seen a lot of disregard, and disrespect this past week.  Let’s concentrate on something real.

The “fluff” issue probably won’t work.  Certainly, the Obama campaign has been short on specifics.  But, there were a lot of “no substance” complaints leveled at Reagan in 1980.  There weren’t huge volumes of position statements coming out of the Reagan camp back then.  They didn’t need them.  A lot of voters were going to gravitate to the Dr. Feelgood approach, and not worry whether there was any “there” there.  So Ronnie continued the cheerleader campaign, and made grand speeches about the virtues of the conservative philosophy, and how it could change the nation.

We now have a speaker extolling the virtues of a liberal philosophy, instead of conservatism.  But, otherwise the tune is pretty familiar.

Obama’s lack of experience is an issue that hasn’t yet worked for Hillary. And it may be a bogus issue anyway.  As George Will noted in his column last week, experience isn’t much of predictor of quality.  Abraham Lincoln served several terms in the Illinois legislature, and just one term in the U.S. House, before becoming president.  And, he is regarded as one of the best.  On the other hand James Buchanan spent some 20 years in Congress, was an ambassador twice, and was Secretary of State, before reaching the presidency.  And many consider him the worst president.

I recently read that Susan Eisenhower, Ike’s granddaughter, is forming a “Republicans for Obama” group.  This may be more out of Republican fatigue than a real desire for a Democrat.  But, it still shows just how far behind the Republican candidate is going to start out.  And, it’s a pretty good indicator of the extent to which the Bushies have damaged the Republican party.

So, we Republicans need to stop slinging mud (or slime) at Obama, and think about how he can be defeated.  This is still a country that prefers individualism, and self reliance over the more socialized approaches that the Democrats are now proposing.  We need solid Republican plans to solve the same problems the Democrats are trying to solve.  I have no doubt foreign policy will be an issue again before November.  That’s a big Obama weakness.  We need to emphasize it.

Whatever we do, it’s time to stop worrying about where Obama got the material for his last speech, or whether he had, as we boomers like to say, “a pharmaceutically challenged past”.  Where he grew up, the name of his school, or his father’s particulars are not issues that will decide the election.  Nor will what clothes he was wearing the last time he visited Somalia.   So, maybe we can elevate the conversation to something worthwhile.

Comments

[parrot]

That was well thought out and well said Jerry....but you will not have to think of the issues or what to focus on. or even what or how to say it. Your think tanks will put the words in your mouth as they always do.

[MSUGeek]

Jerry - Your post actually made me feel good about looking forward to a race of issues.

Parrot - My sources at the Mackinac Center, Heritage Foundation, Manhattan Institute, Townhall.com, and the National Review say you are full of it.

[Jerry Scarborough]

Geek,

Well Said!

I hope we don't turn this blog into a local version of the Drudge Report. But we know both sides will be subjected to "Swift Boating" before it's all over.

I think we may have two candidates who are pretty straight talkers. But the party spin machines will eventually get involved. And things will go negative. Too bad.

[Dave Woods]

That was a great blog! I don't know if it was enough to make me feel hopeful about America, but it did make me hopeful about the People's Politics site once again.

[libertarianman]

Yikes.

Wait until those two appear on the same stage together; it'll be another Nixon/Kennedy dichotomy.

When style goes against substance in America, the outcome is a foregone conclusion.

[Dave Woods]

By the way, Buchanan called from Hell and claims he has officially been upgraded to second worst president.

[libertarianman]

"This is still a country that prefers individualism, and self reliance over the more socialized approaches that the Democrats (and Republicans--libertarianman) are now proposing."

Don't I wish!

In the interragatory of that great Republican, A. Lincoln, "How many legs does a dog have if you call a tail a leg?"

[parrot]

so many people talk about the carter administration like it was his fault the interest rates were sky high....do they think the federal reserve is part of our government?