Now, all we need is love
As a matter of strategy for both Obama and Clinton, it should be love and kisses from here on out, with maximum possible emphasis on the positive. The press will do its utmost to manufacture conflict, but they should try their best. Actually building up the other candidate as each maintains the core principle for preference may even be the smartest move. Even as she touts her experience and toughness, Clinton should be openly embracing the excitement and energy Obama has brought to the campaign, Obama should be starting the process of vouching for Clinton’s decency and tearing down so much of the baseless negativity surrounding her that the right wing, with the help of major media stars who couldn’t “get” Bill, has generated over 16 years.
Why? Because now it is completely bipolar, and each has to hold his or her own voters and pull voters from the other candidate. 80% of each candidate’s voters (or more) also like the other, often a lot, just marginally not quite as well for often complex feelings and calculation. From here on out, with close to a dead heat, when either attacks the other, the candidate is, in effect, attacking the 80-90% of Democrats who like both. Making the other's marginals angry is not smart. Doing the same to your own leaners is really stupid.
Campaign battles have their own dynamic that inevitably generates anger against “the other side” at the staff level. This effect may be worst when the candidates are highly in synch with each other, as Obama and Clinton are. Energy must be spent on identifying, refining, vetting and magnifying – manufacturing -- differences. Special efforts will be needed to retrain the staff from rogue attempts to gain advantage. But most of us out here are anticipating the general election. We expect the candidates to be doing it, too, and don’t want them doing part of the job in advance on behalf of the Republicans.
Because most Democrats are having a tough decision and like both candidates, this is clearly a time when negative political advertising and P.R. will not work – in fact, will boomerang. It’s discipline time.
Why? Because now it is completely bipolar, and each has to hold his or her own voters and pull voters from the other candidate. 80% of each candidate’s voters (or more) also like the other, often a lot, just marginally not quite as well for often complex feelings and calculation. From here on out, with close to a dead heat, when either attacks the other, the candidate is, in effect, attacking the 80-90% of Democrats who like both. Making the other's marginals angry is not smart. Doing the same to your own leaners is really stupid.
Campaign battles have their own dynamic that inevitably generates anger against “the other side” at the staff level. This effect may be worst when the candidates are highly in synch with each other, as Obama and Clinton are. Energy must be spent on identifying, refining, vetting and magnifying – manufacturing -- differences. Special efforts will be needed to retrain the staff from rogue attempts to gain advantage. But most of us out here are anticipating the general election. We expect the candidates to be doing it, too, and don’t want them doing part of the job in advance on behalf of the Republicans.
Because most Democrats are having a tough decision and like both candidates, this is clearly a time when negative political advertising and P.R. will not work – in fact, will boomerang. It’s discipline time.
posted by KISSWeb | 12:09 PM
2 Comments:
AB-so-effing-LUTELY!!
As I wrote last night:
There's so much to like -- and so much to raise caution flags about -- in both candidates. I walked into the booth undecided, and ended up voting for Clinton (I'm not going to buy into the patronizing familiarity so many wittingly and unwittingly demean her with), but in many ways I think Obama may be a stronger candidate. I'm not convinced he'll be a stronger President, but it's impossible to know -- and I hope the issue will not be decided by convention time, and that there'll be all kinds of sleazy behind-the-scenes maneuvering and quid-pro-quos, and finally one of those wonderful roll calls of the states with the count undecided and every viewer in the country on the edge of his or her seat until "Texas, the Lone Star state, the state that to its eternal shame is claimed as the adopted domicile of the man whose name will be carved in infamy as the worst President in United States history, proudly, PROUDLY, casts its 354 votes for..." and the delegates will erupt in pandemonium. And balloons and confetti will rain down. And one or the other will have emerged as the Democratic candidate. And he or she will give an acceptance speech that will move us, and reduce us to tears... and we'll all go out and vote that wonderful candidate into office, and write an end to sexism and racism in America, and welcome a New Dawn... and everything will be hunky-dory: all defaulted mortgages forgiven, humane immigration policies enacted, health insurance extended to everyone, the troops brought home from a mostly docile Iraq, the bases closed, diplomatic relations reestablished with Iran, Israel frog-marched to the negotiating table with the Palestinians, Guantanamo shuttered, the federal agencies cleansed of Bushist Fifth Columnists, balance restored to the Supreme Court, green policies made the law of the land, Michael Savage and Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter, for gender parity, convicted of treason and hanged (before the sunset of the death penalty), our honor restored among nations... well, you get the idea. And in the run-up the two contenders will debate fiercely but respectfully, and in the end the winner will choose the loser as his/her running mate. And Obama will deliver the minority and youth and independent voters while Clinton delivers the female and older voters (who value experience)... and, hey, we'll get THREE for one, because ol' Bill will be right in there offering his immense intelligence, knowledge and charm. The effing Republicans will be gnashing their teeth, tearing their hair and fouling their undergarments. It will be... Camelot! I can hardly wait.
An elegant warning to the two Democratic frontrunners not to shoot themselves or each other in the foot. If they prove disciplined, we can welcome commentator dow's Camelot.
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