Reply #47: My Thoughts... [View All]

Though I reject the premise that Obama is unloved (he did win the nomination after all), the comparison to the beloved athletes does illustrate to a large extent what the average Joe looks for in a President.

Seems to me that most Americans want a President who embodies many of the attributes that can be found in primarily the first three athletes selected (Brown, Ali, Jordan). Toughness, aggressiveness, fearlessness, an unwillingness to back down from a fight, a refusal to lose, someone who is "all in", will do whatever is required for victory, and doesn't give a hoot about what the competition has to say about it - these guys were the mentally and physically toughest "winners" on the block. Many of us find athletes easy to identify with, as we grew up in a culture where athletics is valued above almost all else, and we revel in their fights and victories vicariously.

Intelligence is our culture is valued much less than athletics, and is often looked at with suspicion. This is no different than in high school, where the "jocks" were always on the top rung, and the "eggheads" resided much lower on the social ladder. Not much changes after graduation. Obama is currently playing the roll of "egghead" and is being defined as such by an effective, but predictable, Republican smear campaign.

From my perspective, this is why last week was so difficult to watch. Yet again, we have a candidate with a clearly superior intellect stymied by the aggressiveness of an opponent who will obviously do and say anything, true or not, to win. If I knew Obama could hit back, and hit back hard in a decisive way that, say, a Jim Brown, Michael Jordan, or Ali would, Obama's tepid response to McCain's crap wouldn't be an issue. But he hasn't yet shown a willingness or ability to do so, and continued inaction, regardless of how much money it brings in from the choir, will harm him in the weeks to follow. What makes it all the more difficult is that Obama is not only the "egghead" candidate, but he is also the "jock" candidate as well.

Obama has shown the capability of being a counter-puncher, but counter-puncher is not the way one would describe Jordan, or Brown, or Ali (Rumble in the Jungle notwithstanding), and this road leads to defeat (see Kerry, John). There is no reason at all that Obama can't seize the offensive, not with slime or false garbage, but with the TRUTH. Save the compromising (off-shore drilling) for when you're in office - right now, it shows weakness. How about doing the following:

1. Via commercial, ask the country if it's had enough of leadership that can't be counted on to tell the truth. Call McCain a liar using the myriad examples he provides on an almost daily basis. Nothing will make him lose his temper quicker than having his integrity questioned - and it should be after the last week of crap.
2. Via commercial, ask the country if it's had enough of leadership that revels in war. Play the Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Iran clip over and over again. Show Americans what they can expect in a McCain administration, and ask whether we can afford another war.
3. Via commercial, ask the country if it's had enough of leadership that doesn't know its head from its ass. Sunni vs. Shiite. Czech Republic vs. Czechoslovakia. When the surge started. etc. etc. etc.
4. Ask the country if it's had enough of leadership that governs by dogma instead of FACTS (condoms & AIDS)
5. Via commercial, ask the country if it's had enough of leadership that can be counted on to operate unethically (Keating 5, oil contributions for off-shore drilling, etc.)
6. Have daily press conferences from the basketball court where the latest crap from McCain is mocked. Taunt McCain as a lightweight in an athletic setting. Express relief that McCain wasn't seriously hurt in the applesauce attack. Let people see Obama banging in the lane with a representative cross-section of American men and women and stars of yesterday and today (Jordan, Magic, Bird, contributors, campaign workers, factory workers, local college & high schoolers, etc.). Show physical toughness. Let people relate.
7. Crash a McCain rally and challenge him to a town hall meeting right then and there, for as long as there are people to ask questions. Tell McCain to put down his index cards and put him on the spot. Make him match Obama's stamina. I think it was a mistake for Obama to turn these down - our ideas are better, and so is our candidate. Let's get 'em out there, stop cowering, stop apologizing (I don't think the McCain camp is racist), stop compromising, and stop playing not to lose.
8. Ask the country if McCain has the temperament to be President. Use examples and drive 'em home.
9. Via commercial, ask the country how a man who dumped his first wife and married into millions can possibly share their values. Define McCain as the one out of touch.
10. Highlight flip flops. So many to choose from.

Obama should aggressively define McCain by using the TRUTH, not false attack ads. Introduce America to the real McCain. Americans don't want a wimpy, "egghead" President. They want the "jock". They don't care if their President can spell their own name so long as they project toughness (See Bush, George W). Right now, McCain does and Obama doesn't. I believe in Obama and his advisers, and it's not yet time to panic, but Obama better soon GO ON THE OFFENSIVE AND STOP PLAYING NOT TO LOSE!!!!!