Seven Things Barack Obama Should Do to Keep from Blowing It
ASPEN - I took part in an interesting panel last night at the Aspen Ideas Festival, discussing the ins and outs of Barack Obama and John McCain with David Brooks, Stuart Rothenberg, Jim Wallis, Jonathan Capehart, Amy Goodman, and Jonathan Alter moderating.
I was particularly interested in the takes of Brooks and Rothenberg. They were smart, knowledgeable, eloquent... and utterly wrong.
Brooks was even-handed with both candidates. He suggested that McCain's biggest failing was his weakness as a manager (I said I was far more concerned with the disastrous direction in which he wants to lead the country). And he criticized Obama for lacking the "Senatorial skills" of either McCain or Hillary Clinton. (In an unrelated riff, Brooks let the audience know that, based on an off-the-record conversation with President Bush, he could categorically assure us that we would not be bombing Iran.)
Towards the end of the panel we were all asked whom the nominees should pick as their VP. One of Brooks' recommendations for Obama was Tom Daschle because the former-Senator understands how to get things done. In Brooks World, the presidency is all about keeping the machinery greased and the cogs of government running smoothly. It's leadership as McDonald's management: keep serving up the tried and true, with maximum efficiency.
Rothenberg -- astute, detailed, and supremely confident -- dipped into his political analyst's bag and pulled out a steaming chunk of conventional wisdom, echoing his recent declaration that "This whole election is about swing voters. Whoever wins them, will win the election." Where have we heard that before? Oh, yeah, that's right -- from countless inside-the-Beltway pundits and Democratic strategists in every election the Democrats have lost, going back a generation.
But, as we've seen, Barack Obama is not immune to the seductive call of the Conventional Wisdom sirens. And it's a call that's only going to get louder. He'll hear it from the chorus of pundits standing outside his window -- folks like The New Republic's Noam Scheiber, who today counseled Obama that being labeled a "typical politician" is a very good thing for him because it will assure wary voters that he won't do anything rash.
He'll hear it from some of the advisors inside his campaign. Folks like the aforementioned Daschle, for whom caution is part of his political DNA. Don't forget, as Senate Majority Leader, Daschle had gone along with the president's desire to hold the vote authorizing war with Iraq before the 2002 elections because he and many other Democrats believed an early vote could help shift the focus off the war and onto the economy, which they felt was their strong suit. And we saw how well that strategy turned out. Daschle was also the poster child for Democratic spinelessness on the war, going from supporting the use of force to questioning it to ultimately supporting it with his vote because he felt it was crucial for America "to speak with one voice at this critical time." And we know how well that turned out, too.
Obama will also hear the siren call from inside his own head. According to Brooks, Obama's overriding personal characteristic is caution.
So, to counter the conventional wisdom pundits, the cautious campaign advisers, and his own inner cautiousness, I'm offering Obama the following suggestions for staying true to the vision and message that took him from longshot "unlikely candidate" to presidential frontrunner -- and for avoiding the fate of the many before him who fell prey to the misguided belief that the path to the White House runs down the middle of the road.
1) Load up your Kindle with passages from leaders who were looking to fundamentally change the country and following an inner compass, not the latest focus-group results. Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King would be a good place to start.
"Some men see things as they are and ask, 'Why?' I dream of things that never were and ask, 'Why not?'" (RFK)
"There comes a time when one must take the position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must do it because conscience tells him it is right." (King)
2) Load up your iPod with passages from your own speeches. They've inspired others; now let them re-ignite the inspirational leader in you.
"This campaign can't only be about me. It must be about us - it must be about what we can do together. This campaign must be the occasion, the vehicle, of your hopes, and your dreams. It will take your time, your energy, and your advice - to push us forward when we're doing right, and to let us know when we're not. This campaign has to be about reclaiming the meaning of citizenship, restoring our sense of common purpose, and realizing that few obstacles can withstand the power of millions of voices calling for change.... That's why I'm in this race. Not just to hold an office, but to gather with you to transform a nation."
3) Get your campaign to give you a printout of the names of the over 1.5 million people who have donated to your campaign (at an average of $197 each). Give that list a read every day; feel the heft. And remember -- sorry, Stu Rothenberg -- that the tried-and-untrue swing voter strategy is what has led to the Democratic Party's prolonged identity crisis. Forget the fence sitters. Instead, continue to speak to those who have turned their backs on the electoral process -- those who are struggling without health care, without decent schools, without jobs, without hope.
4) Tape to your mirror the poll results from July 2004, where Kerry was up by six, and June of 1988, where Dukakis was up by 15... and don't get complacent.
5) Go to YouTube and watch the concession speeches of Kerry, Gore, and Hillary Clinton, each of whom decided to run to the middle in an attempt to attract undecided swing voters.
6) Don't let the daily petty squabbles of the campaign distract you from the core message that this campaign is not a referendum on John McCain's war record or the level of your patriotism -- but rather on the future of America. Are we a nation driven by hope and promise or a nation driven by fear?
When Bobby Kennedy was agonizing over whether or not to run in 1968, he told one of his advisors: "People are selfish. But they can also be compassionate and generous, and they care about the country. But not when they feel threatened. That's why this is such a crucial time. We can go in either direction. But if we don't make a choice soon, it will be too late to turn things around. I think people are willing to make the right choice. But they need leadership. They're hungry for leadership." Forty years later, we are starving for it. Real leadership, not a poll-driven facsimile. Not swing-state, swing-voter leadership. Leadership defined by an ability to capture our imagination and a willingness to challenge us. Leadership geared to transforming the country through the audacity of hope instead of keeping it mired in the politics of fear and division.
7) Heed the old Texas advice of Dandy Don Meredith and Molly Ivins: "You got to dance with them what brung you."
Voters longing for hope, inspiration, a new kind of politics, and fundamental change are "them that brung you" to the big dance. Don't let the pundits, the advisors, and the cowards convince you to let someone else cut in.
Follow Arianna Huffington on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ariannahuff
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Obama is beginning to worry me. I've always been concerned with his ambiguity on certain issues but now I really am starting to speculate that every candidate who will be legitimized by media coverage will inevitably commit to indefinite war in the middle east.
Why do the voters even bother to listen to the left leaning media any more? Main Stream Media chose Bush Jr. and Obama - both bad choices in my humble opinion...
Not surprisingly, eh? The Seven Sisters (big oil, for you youngsters) need the US military and carloads of middle class tax dollars to protect their current and future investments in a "liberated" Iraq. Consider it another form of oil depletion allowance (ie corporate welfare.)
Maybe that's why Obama is having so much trouble being "legitimized" by the corporate media while, in their eyes, McSame can do little wrong.
Hey, "swing voters," had enough yet?
I wish you hard lefties would take a breath. Speaking as an independent (which he must bring in to win) he needed to move off of some of his positions to broaden his appeal. Even though the left is feeling let down, that’s a smart move as far as I’m concerned. Do I agree with all of his positions even now? Are we all going to get everything we want? No, and we'd be foolish to think we should. That’s not the way it works. I have donated the maximums to his primary and general campaign because I believe he is the best candidate. Don’t threaten to withhold contributions. That’s childish.
Whose the 'WE' that your are talking about.
Obama's job isnt' to move to the right to broaden his appeal. It's to sell leftist policies to people in the center and the right who recognize that the current rightist policies have produced a train wreck.
In other words, he should broaden his appeal by making people appeal to his leftist policies. That should be too hard. We're not talking Marx and Lenin, were talking Roosevelt and Truman.
The people for their part, deserve a choice: left or right. If a collapsing nation appeals to you, then you can vote for rightist policies.
Obama should be able to point to 30 years of liberal policies following WWII when the ecnomy double, or the 50% growth during the Clinton Adminstration, compared to the abysmal economies left by Bush, Bush, Nixon, even Reagan was worse then the Carter years. The number of Jobs produced by Bush in 8 years is less than the annual average of the Clinton years.
He can also point to the fact that Bin Laden is still at large and the Taliban are making a come back and we can't get to them because of Iraq.
I'm not sure how Obama can make himself more appealing by moving to the right. He can make himself more appealing, by doing decent salesmen ship of the left. Reagan didn't get into office by saying he could do Welfare better then the democrats. He sold people on ending it .
You should realize that the biggest issue now with Obama is the lack of trust he created by moving over.....
The number one thing that has lost Democrats the last two elections is not policies, strategies or images, but the voting process. Obama could blow McCain away in votes cast but if the voting machines or the Supreme Court say something else, it's four more years of illegitimate rule.
Exit polls in 2004 indicated Kerry would win by several million million votes. The tallies showed Bush won by more than two million votes. The discrepancy between exit polls and voting records was concentrated in a few swing states, where there were also about 1,200 reports of voting anomalies. The MSM largely ignored the indisputable facts.
In 2008 there is a ready-made argument for why people might say they are voting for Obama but pull the lever for McCain. It's known as the "Bradley effect."
Two things in Obama's favor here: first, the conservative puppeteers don't like McCain and realize the economy wouldn't survive his presidency, Second, Obama and Axelrod are from Chicago where voting irregularities are not unknown.
7 things ?....Its should be 8 Things !
No# 8 = Keeping the Promises he made during the Primary...
Arianna, you are a very smart person. The problem, however, with giving advice to Sen. Obama, is that his many recent reversals of position indicate that he is not a highly principled person. (As did his association with Tony Rezko in the past.) It appears that his dramatic MLK style speeches, being inspirational to many and boosted by an Oprah kick off, led him narrowly to win the popular primary vote. But his winning was actually IN SPITE of his not having fleshed out his position, and IN SPITE of his not having a record of significant experience, and NOT BECAUSE of those two things. When I wanted to discuss issues and platform planks with friends backing Obama during the primary campaign, they told me this wasn't about issues: this was a MOVEMENT for change. All of us who backed Hillary said the same thing: we need to see the details. You, and the rest, were transfixed by the mantra of CHANGE. Now, you are stuck with a changeling for a candidate. Good Luck and Good Night.
lol.
REZCO! REZCO! REZCO!
as if Hillary doesn't have a few of those in her pocket as well. It is legitimate for people to criticize Obama for moves to the right, and even for Rezco, but it's just a little bit rich coming from Hillary supporters.
The real hard core Clintonistas never give up. Not now, not ever.
Next you'll tell us you could never vote for Obama under any circumstances, right? You'll be voting for McCain or sitting out, right? At least that will keep you in the proper spirit of the primary campaign. it would be even dumber than some of the disastrous 'kitchen sink' advice Hillary took from her premium priced advisers.
8. Don't listen to Arianna Huffington.
Seems to me that Davids Axelrod and Plouffe have been doing fine so far.
Is that you, Carville?
Ariana said it all, with typical intelligence, insight, clarity and eloquence:
"Voters longing for hope, inspiration, a new kind of politics, and fundamental change are 'them that brung you' to the big dance. Don't let the pundits, the advisors, and the cowards convince you to let someone else cut in."
How many successful presidential candidates have you advised now?
Huffington is eloquent and is of presidential mettle. Obama should pay attention and should not betray his own conscience and conviction the spread of which has been solely responsible for his nomination.
swoosie1 [Posted 03:51 AM on 07/04/2008]
"[I]t is wrong of [Obama] to turn on us. Period. He did not get my vote by being just another Bill Clinton. I don't want that. He has lost my vote."
"[G]et your vote"? Mr. Obama never got your vote. You voted for your dearly departed "North Star."
Great post and advice Arianna! I hope you've sent it to O's people.
You have to "dance" with those who brung you, except your partners in the Dem primaries have to share you with some new partners in the general election. Obama has to work the middle more to win, especially those white male voters that have strayed from the Democratic corral since the Reagan years. Conservatives have a larger self-identified base than liberals. And whites in general have been voting Rep more consistently. Between 1964 and 2004, the percentage of whites voting GOP went from 55 to 58%, as Thomas Edsall points out. And Kerry lost that critical demographic - white voters making between $20,000 and $75,000 - by 22%.
Also, democratic activists are much more liberal than the democratic base - this has been consistently demonstrated in polling information. So Obama needs to draw this crowd back to the party, especially with a well thought out national security policy and economic program. To his credit, he is trying to reach out to white evangelicals. After all, wasn't that his message for the past year, an inclusive politics?
Unfortunately, we have the examples you left out of Bill Clinton doing the DLC triangulation Arkansas-three-step in 92 and 96 and winning (but probably contributing to the Dems losing the crucial '94 Congressional race.), which may keep the stupid conventional wisdom (of triangulating for swing voters) alive, well past its expiration date, as you pointed out, Arianna.
Most people however educated or well-off have intuitively seen through that (Bob Rubin / Tom Friedman style) "free-marketeer" and go-go-globalization b.s. as the bankrupt ideology and economics that benefits only the elite few of the planet by now, so it won't work anymore.
I'm seeing the possibility of a new co-operative progressive system and environmentally sustainable and responsible one replacing the tired giant-corporatism and military industrial lobbyist driven system that has become so obviously corrupt (even more so than pre-Shrub) in the last 8 years, and I hope you see something like that too, Arianna and other readers of this comment, especially a new system that puts us on a higher plane to deal with the extraordinary challenges of NOW - global warming, speaking to multiculturalism with an enlightened voice that transcends all ethnocentricities, leadership without imperialism, fair trade, etc.
Obama, pls. take Arianna's advice.
Obama's been running to the center-right.
Time for the rest of us to run back to Hillary?
http://www
Because she's already there?
Only if you like the sound of "President McCain."
Ms. Huffington, no wonder we love your site!
Bingo! I couldn't agree with you more, Ms. Huffington.
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