Progressive Movement

Everyone has pontificated on Obama’s speech, so here is mine. A pulled some of my favorite lines and analyzed them. There were two standout themes to Obama’s speech. Attacking McCain and redefining progressive values for mainstream America.

Attack

Listen up all you young ‘uns. That is how you attack Republicans and John McCain! Finally Obama has put aside the platitudes and high-minded speech long enough the charge McCain head on and show some Democratic backbone. Some highlights:

“What does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush has been right more than ninety percent of the time? I don’t know about you, but I’m not ready to take a ten percent chance on change.”

Obama adroitly ties McCain to Bush here, and then undercuts McCain’s claim on independence with a phenomenal joke. Very few politicians can make good jokes, and almost none of them can do it while also making a very serious point. Humor sticks with people longer, so the point Obama tries to make here – that McCain is no maverick or independent thinker – will stick for longer.

“Now, I don’t believe that Senator McCain doesn’t care what’s going on in the lives of Americans. I just think he doesn’t know. Why else would he define middle-class as someone making under five million dollars a year?”

Ouch. Not knowing what normal people experience is death to a politician. George Bush Sr. got crushed because he did not know how much a gallon of milk cost. Obama skewers McCain on this same point while praising him in the same breath. Awesome. It makes Obama seem kind and non-partisan, so it neutralizes the defense mechanism people have to mistrust those who seem too angry or extreme.

But what really seals the deal is referencing McCain’s claim that wealth is making more than five mil a year. Now that is out of touch. Everyone in America will agree with Obama on this. McCain does not know what everyday Americans go through.

And after some more examples of McCain not having a clue, Obama clinches.

“It’s not because John McCain doesn’t care. It’s because John McCain doesn’t get it.”

Dang, that hurts. And this time it is not the more innocuous “doesn’t know”, but the far more damaging (more…)

Messaging, Elections, McCain, Democrats, Morals/Morality Frame, Obama, Republicans, Analysis, responsibility frame, Narratives, American ideals frame, weak on defense label, welfare, Foreign Policy | No Comments »

OMG!

See, this is what Obama should have done. Minus the swimsuit obviously. I was going to write a post on how Obama is sinking in the polls because of his refusal to fight back on character assassination or, more to the point, going after McCain. Not in an angry way, but in a way similar to Paris. Maybe he should hire her as a campaign consultant.

You cannot win on the defensive. Even his latest ad on energy attacking McCain falls flat, as the narrative now is that Obama flip-flopped on offshore oil drilling. Obama needs to learn what John Kerry did too late. As soon as some swift-boating occurs, attack it no holds barred. Turn it right back on your opponent and pounce on their every misdeed. McCain has made countless blunders the last two weeks and has shown he has no clue. That should be the narrative, not ‘oh my God, a black man is going to steal our blonde white women!”

I think McCain’s celebrity ad was brilliant, as it underscored every narrative they have built up against Obama, especially the unexperienced theme. It completely eviscerated his overseas trip that showed he was a better foreign policy leader than McCain in a mere 30 seconds.

The Paris video above, however, may end up making McCain regret that ad. It is certainly getting a lot of buzz. All Obama has to do is learn a little something about messaging and politics from Ms. Hilton.

Elections, McCain, Obama, Narratives, ads | No Comments »