Obama's Change (in Strategy)

The Democrats are confronted with an immediate need to change strategy. They assumed that they could win this presidential election simply by leveraging dissatisfaction with the war in Iraq and the Bush administration in general, with the star power of the young, dynamic politician from Illinois who trumpeted the visionary hope and change messages.

This might actually have been an effective strategy if Obama had been able to maintain a comfortable lead in the polls right up to election night. The high road is a safe and scenic route, if events allow it to be travelled. With his radiant persona, along with the fawning national media and Hollywood glitterati shamelessly huckstering it, it seemed possible that he could do an unscathed victory tour to the White House.

Unfortunately for the Democrats, the Surge in Iraq and the Palin Phenomenon have swerved the Obama Express off the high road. Recent polls suggest that McCain has overtaken Obama, and media attention has whipsawed over to the Republican side. This means that Obama will have to abandon the visionary high road and wade into the bloody trenches of political warfare, trading blows with McCain/Palin on such tawdry topics as policy and experience, in order to claw his way back to the top of the heap. Obama may be ill-prepared for this dirty work of politics.

Here is a whimsical look at how a Team Obama strategy meeting might sound right about now:

Obama: “USA Today has me down by eight points. We have to change, or all hope is lost! How about if we focus on my legislative accomplishments?”

Staff: “We could play up your highly visible opposition to the Iraq war in the Senate, but….”

Obama: “Yeah, I know. The Surge is working, even though I’ll never admit it publicly. What else have we got?”

Staff: “We could play up your firm resolve as a leader in the Senate, but….”

Obama: “Yeah, I know. I voted ‘present’ more than I voted ‘yeah’ or ‘nay’ on anything. Anything else?”

Staff: “We could play up your aggressive support for the Global Poverty Act to show your compassion for poor, starving people of the world, but….”

Obama: “Yeah, I know. They’ve got pictures of my brother in Africa who makes a dollar per day and who I referred to as a ‘stranger’. Come on, give me something to work with!”

Staff: “We could emphasize your position on live birth abortions, but….”

Obama: “Yeah, I know. I’ve already publicly declared that difficult issues like that are above my pay grade. Okay, how about if we skip the legislative accomplishments and focus on my experience. What have we got there?”

Staff: “Well, you are a junior U.S. Senator, but….”

Obama: “Yeah, I know. We just concluded that my legislative accomplishments are suspect, and I’ve spent most of my time as a Senator campaigning for President instead. What else have we got for experience?”

Staff: “You were a State Senator for a while, but….”

Obama: “Yeah, I know. Even their number two pick has executive experience as a Governor, and I’ve got none. I have to stop these comparisons of my experience with Palin’s. I’m running against McCain! Give me something else.”

Staff: “You were a community organizer for while, but….”

Obama: “Yeah, I know. Every time someone mentions community organizing, some asshole pulls out Saul Alinsky’s book on community organizing tactics and makes me sound like a socialist. And then some other asshole points out that Palin’s experience as a mayor, with budgetary responsibility, hire-and-fire authority, and buck-stops-here responsibility for a community, is far more substantive than me going around knocking on doors with pamphlets. Allah Akbar! Haven’t we got anything?”

Staff: “We could try to resurrect your appeal with women in the electorate, but…”

Obama: “Yeah, I know. I dissed Hillary and her supporters by not picking her as VP, and then I dissed the Palin supporters by suggesting that you can’t put lipstick on a pig. (Sigh). Anything else?”

Staff: “We could play the religious angle, but….”

Obama: “Yeah, I know. My father was a Muslim, my step-dad was a Muslim, I was raised in a Muslim country, my siblings are Muslims, and I publicly declared that there are 57 states in the U.S. And then when people actually focus on my conversion to Christianity, all I get in return are video images of the Reverend Wright saying ‘God damn America!’ with a crowd of black people dancing and cheering in the background. Please, please, please…there must be something else….”

Staff: “We could leverage your speaking skills by going on a town hall tour, but…”

Obama: “Yeah, I know. I sound pretty eloquent when I can read from a teleprompter, but I sound like a dyslexic Ivy League professor with a stuttering problem and a random thought generator for a brain when the teleprompter is turned off. Hey, if you guys don’t come up with something quick, I’m gonna throw pig’s blood on you!”

Staff: “There’s Biden, but….”

Obama: (Hangs head in despair).