NAFTA and Iraq...NAFTA and Iraq...Repeat and Say It Louder...

A series of new polls shows John McCain closing in on Barack Obama in industrial swing-states like Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, and widening his lead in places like North Carolina. I was on CNN this morning suggesting how Obama can turn those trends around - namely, by talking about John McCain's NAFTA cheerleading and about his support for spending $12 billion a month of taxpayer money in Iraq - positions that are controversial, to say the least, in precisely these swing states:

This goes back to my earlier post and newspaper column about how Obama can counter McCain's odious cultural populism bewailing sex education and screaming "Country First," and I think he can counter it with a strong brand of economic populism - a brand Obama has only fleetingly embraced. Issues like NAFTA and the war are issues McCain can't muddle like he has taxes or health care. Put another way, those two issues are the ones that draw the most clear, easy-to-understand contrast between the two candidates.

I think Obama has to make this kind of contrast, or he could lose the election.

I also think he's entirely capable of doing this - that is, I think he's entirely capable of tuning out the Bob Rubins who he's lately decided to surround himself with, and capable of tuning into what the average American is worried about. I'm actually optimistic that he will start making this transformation (I actually said that to CNN, but you can see it get snipped at the end of the clip).

And here's the kicker: When he does do this, he won't just be connecting with voters on "issues" - he'll be showing a populist fire in the belly that speaks to those deeper qualities like character and courage.

Comments

[LarksTongue]

Obama didn't effectively use the NAFTA issue in the primary either. His failure to provide a clear alternative allowed Clinton to reposition herself as Norma Rae in Pennsylvania and, in my opinion, helped her pick up a substantial portion of the 'working class' vote.

I'm afraid the sad fact is that the Democratic Party just doesn't get it. At its core, the idea that 'low skilled' jobs should be outsourced is racist. Most progressives haven't thought about Free Trade since Clinton-Gore championed it in the 90's. If they had, Marcy Kaptur would be on the ticket instead of Biden; kicking butt, taking names and wiping the lipstick off the McCain Machine.

[LeftRight]

The problem with bringing NAFTA into the argument is that Bill Clinton was ALSO a big supporter of it, and in fact, is the President who SIGNED it....

[dignityandhonor]

Why are we not seeing commercials talking about McCain and the Keating 5? You can't get much further from being a maverick when you accept a little on the side like that. Remind voters that we had to bail out the savings and loans industry while you are at it. Who is running the ad campaign? Don't wait until November 1st to nail this guy.

[Estreet1964]

It's been surprising to me that he hasn't made more of an effort to hang George W. Bush around McCain's neck. He needs to simplify his message to an handful of points linking McCain to Bush and drive that message home over and over. That's the key to victory right there. This election should be a referendum on the direction we've taken over the last eight years. Americans are fed up with it and Barack needs to show them that he is too.