Obama's Speech, and the Strategy Behind It

Republicans should be scared.

Not because Obama just delivered a great speech, but because it pretty clearly demonstrated what Obama has been up to for the last month.

As you may recall, the mainline press has spent the last few weeks pontificating ad nauseam about the ascendence of the McCain camp and the relative reticence of Obama's campaign.

Not long after Karl Rove's former deputy, Steve Schmidt, took over McCain's campaign, the Obama team essentially stepped back and handed McCain the initiative.

To most operatives, particularly those who worked with the Gore and Kerry campaigns, that seemed to spell a death wish on Obama's part.

After all, if there was anything the Democrats learned over the last two elections, it's the need to control the daily news cycle, to take the initiative and keep it -- not by reacting to GOP attacks, but by attacking the other candidate, hour by hour, day in and day out, until the electorate at large unconsciously thinks of the other side as being weak.

For the last month or so, the Obama camp appeared to recoil in the face of that challenge. It all but handed the initiative to the McCain campaign.

And now we know why. This wasn't a case of fatigue, as some suggested; nor was it a case of Democratic timidity rearing its head yet again.

Rather, it appears to have been a calculated decision on Obama's part.

As Mark Blumenthal and Marc Ambinder have reported, the Obama camp has some very positive numbers in the 18 swing states they're targeting.

As a result, they clearly felt they had the luxury of being able to ignore the national polling for a while. So long as their internal numbers -- for voter registration, voter turnout, etc -- stayed strong, it didn't matter to them if McCain pulled even nationally.

In fact, the more confident McCain became, the more it played right into their hands.

Read or watch the speech the again, and you should see what I mean -- tiime and again, Obama takes a GOP attack line against him and turns it on its head.

For example, look at how well he redefined the personal attack against his patriotism:

But what I will not do is suggest that the Senator takes his positions for political purposes. Because one of the things that we have to change in our politics is the idea that people cannot disagree without challenging each other's character and patriotism.

The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook. So let us agree that patriotism has no party. I love this country, and so do you, and so does John McCain. The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America -- they have served the United States of America.

So I've got news for you, John McCain. We all put our country first.

Put it all in context and Obama's recent strategy seems clear enough. It's a variant of the "rope-a-dope" strategy in boxing, where you let the opponent throw his best punches, exhaust himself on the offensive, and then unleash a barrage of your own.

Or as Andrew Sullivan put it, Obama "let them over-reach, and let them punch him again and again ... and then he turned around and destroyed them. If the Rove Republicans thought they were playing with a patsy, they just got a reality check."

That's obviously a risky strategy, one that takes a higher degree of confidence than a polarized electorate typically allows for. But Obama is a unique candidate with a unique constituency, a politician whose appeal extends across enough demographic groups that he felt he could bear that risk responsibly.

And last night he delivered. It was the first great speech of my generation, and it sent the GOP headed towards 2012.

Comments

[bigfated]

Lot's of great lines.....but my favorite? "Regardless of what the naysayers say, it's never been about me. It's been about YOU!" I am prepared to believe this man!

[ApolloSpeaks]

UP IN FLAMES

It's Saturday afternoon and since hurricane Palin roared into Dayton it seems that Obama's brilliant speech was made long ago and far away. Obama picking Biden over Hillary created a vacuum, a gender vacuum, that McCain was quick to fill. Whether it will work for him with swing voters I'm too shell shocked to say. If McCain had picked Lieberman the Dems would be lauding him for his audacity while laughing behind his back at such a stupid choice. However, Dems aren't laughing over Palin; on the contrary, they're trying their darndest to diminish and destroy her sending Obama's $40 million extravaganza up in flames.

[castlerider]

My folks are from Latin America. my grandfather moved his family here after WWII. My grandfather was a senator in his country. He carried a serious level of dignity, integrity, and a work ethic that I saw my dad grow with and prosper as a good and proud American.
We as a family in a way, have always looked at this nation as from afar, since my dad travelled often to South America with his business and carried the pulse of those countries, Latino to the core, with him.

I love what Obama has done for our party and America in front of the eyes of the world. Believe me- it has been a fascinating thing to watch in that context, for anyone who realizes the worldwide implications, and truly one of the best things one can say about this convention and Obama's speech is that it truly was greatly historical.
My dad passed away in 06- he liked Obama a lot in 04, and I know he'd be really proud of him now. I sure am.

[LondonTownNY]

Great post. I think we will all look back on this year in 2009 and the pundits, media pro's etc will talk about how Obama handled the best that the Neocon's could throw at him and then some. I trust the Obama Team knows what it is doing. But I will all say never underestimate the hunger of the Neocon Beast that resides inside the American Political system. If Obama wins, the assault on Obama from the PNAC nut jobs will continue unabated after the election and make the assault on Bill Clinton look like a children's Birthday Party. Also, keep in mind that McCain/Palin is as much a Neocon experiment to see what the American political landscape is willing to tolerate. Whether or not it works, they will take lessons about what will sell in different pockets of this country for local and national elections in the future. Americans are going to have to continue for a while to fight back the hydra like serpent which has a grip on our political system.

[Mayoyo]

And it forced them to pick Sarah Palin....O Lord have mercy.
Great Post!!!!!

[CEKChuck]

I think you meant 2016.

[bluemoose]

I remember reading an article here on HuffPo earlier this year (sorry, I don't have the link) that discussed the campaign styles of Hillary and Obama. In a nutshell, it concluded that Hillary was boxing, while Obama was playing chess. I found myself to be in agreement with the article, as it was an apt metaphor for the forethought and planning I saw in the Obama campaign. For the last few weeks, I have been suspecting (and hoping) that not pressing the initiative was a calculated move on the campaign's part, and that we would see renewed energy and fortitude after the convention. This past week did not disappoint, and when Barack said "Enough!" in his speech last night, I got the distinct impression that the endgame has begun.

PS: My apologies if this is a duplicate. The first attempt appeared to get lost...

[unfiltered]

This campaign has demonstrated the wisdom of Obama. He's jlays out a plan, including ways to monitor progress, and sticks to it regardless of MSM pressure. Whether it's unilaterally voicing his opposition to the war or failing to endorse the "gas tax holiday" like the other democratic contender who followed the anything goes philosophy.
As the MSM was ejaculating with enthusiasm about Bill Clinton's speech invoking 90s style political combat, Obama not only shook it off but also tells all us that there is a better and more authentic way. I loved Clinton's speech, and was surprised at Obama's "as only Bill Clinton can do" comment for lack of enthusiasm, but then as he spoke, I realized that he is simply head and shoulders above Clinton. People may have thought Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were great, but then came Michael Jordan, who blew them both away.
I'm learning to fight that feeling we all get. We see success, we know what path was taken to get there, and we are frightened when we take or we see others take a different path. My grandmother still looks at me differently because I didn't choose her plan of working at a company for 30 years, hoping that the retirement benefits are there to secure my twilight years.
Obama is certainly different. He's doing it a different way. I think soon we'll be looking back and realizing that it was the better way.

[Sheridan1]

The best line:
Change doesn't come FROM Washington...change comes TO Washington.

Can't get enough. Love it love it love it.

[obamagirl1968]

Obama held it down like noone else can. He does what needs to be done. Believe that!


Obama/Biden '08!

[CADeminVA]

Warning: sports analogies ahead!

For six weeks my wife has been in a growing state of alarm as the national polls show McCain "narrowing the gap", as she continues to hear about "divided Democrats". I have been telling her to keep her cool.

Obama is Tiger on the 18th green. Michael with the ball and the clock ticking down.

Last night, he was Larry Holmes in the 11th round of his 1979 title defense against Mike "Hercules" Weaver, with Weaver ceaselessly battering the champ in the corner...until an uppercut out of nowhere landed on Weaver's chin, he went down and Holmes put him away in the 12th. Last night Obama provided the best political counterpunching seen in a generation.

I'm talking about this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEm1XZFPKd8

I warned you about the sports analogies.

[SensibleAmerican]

There was a "strategy" in that speech?!

[jacqmac]

I am sixty years old! I hae recently lost my job and am looking for another. I live a rather modest and single life, but I am PROUD of my life and will do everything I can to keep it . I have lived through the sixties, I was present in the streets in Chicago in 1968. I have voted Democratic all my life. I have voted in every national election since 1972. Sorry but I wasn't 'legal age' in 1968 and Richard Nixon didn't change the voting age to 18 until after he was elected. I was MOVED to TEARS several times during this last convention, but I was absolutely BLUBBERING LIKE A BABY during Obama's speech! So MANY 'commercial moments'. The DNC doesn't have to make any more ads for the rest of the campaign! All they have to do is splice together Hillary-"No way! No how! No McCain!" and Obama-"EIGHT IS ENOUGH!" Even the 'prelude speakers gave them some good tag lines-'It's time to put Barney Smith before Smith Barney!" I haven't been proud of the Dems recently, but this last week-well, they literally blew the Repubs OUT OF THE WATER!! P.S. I will be participating in the campaign as much as my limited income allows-I'm going out to register voters this weekend and BRING US CHANGE!!

[justobserve]

Great Article! Obama won against the most experienced couple in politics, the Clintons. HE IS BETTER THAN THE BEST!

[avalanch112]

he verbaly punched mccain in his jaw, and will continue to do so till nov 4th comes.

[deecee22]

I am blessed to witness such a Leader as Obama. I was happy but sad because, Bernie Mac, Stephine Tubbs -Jones, Issac Hayes, who died recently, was not around last night. And above all Mr. Obama's Mother and Father. Mrs. Obama Father.