Obama Until November: Just Keep it Short, Simple and Sharpen Distinctions

We are down to the wire, and droves of people, perhaps amazingly to those of us who have been embroiled in this for 2 years, are starting to pay attention to the candidates. For those people, and for those who may be at the end of their patience, for Obama to bring this home, he ought to keep it simple and make the distinctions sharp.

Like this:

1. John McCain's tax cuts provide most of the money to the wealthy. Mine go to the middle class.
2. John McCain opposes equal pay for equal work for women. I'm for it.
3. John McCain wants part of your social security in this stock market. I will not allow it.
4. John McCain does not believe healthcare is a right of every American. I do.
5. John McCain will keep an openended commitment to the Iraq War, including your sons and daughers and your $10B per month. I shall end the war within 16 months.
6. John McCain opposes any minimum wage, in principle. I believe in a minimum wage.
7. John McCain wrote just a month ago that he wants to do for the healthcare system what they did to the financial system. I will give every American healthcare.
8. John McCain wanted to abolish the Department of Education. I want your children to have a world-class education.

It may even be that 8 points of sharp distinction are too many, and it should be no more than 5. That is what Karl Rove would advise.

OK, Karl, thanks for the advice. We can go with the first 5.

Just add, "and we will not confuse the American people by lurching from one position to another".

Just keep repeating it from now until election day.

In the spirit of keeping it simple, short and sharp, that is all.

Comments

[robbie44]

We democrats are in the final stage of a well executed presidential campaign ...........if we keep it on the ground we should be alright .

[Bitsko]

This was pretty good, and a nice change from all the whining a few weeks back about the Senator not being aggressive enough. I'm starting to think he's the most intelligent American politician since Franklin Roosevelt.

[Adam11]

Republicans are chalenging every Vote Registration in Swing States, such as NC,VA,CO and OH.

OBAMA WILL LOSE. NOV 4.

[histrepeats]

There was a Senator in the 1950;s who used the smear of "associations"
His intials were also J.M.

Jo Mc Jo Mc
John McCain Joeseph McCarthy

Obamas answers to J.M. , short and sweet. "Senator, have you no decency sir?" "Have you no shame?"

[gadfly55]

Reverse the line, as in I will lower your taxes for anyone under $250,000, McCain is for the super-rich. I will make health care available to everyone as a right, McCain will make you pay more, etc. Begin with the positive, rather than defining your position by emphasising McCain.

[Paul Abrams - Huffpost Blogger]

You are correct! Good point.

[gadfly55]

Great blog, we can learn the lines like a prayer, because redemption is at hand, and we can all begin to move the country into the 21st century where multi-lateralism and cooperation will help stabilize basic living conditions for humanity rather than making a few people super rich, arrogant and dangerous for the rest of us.

[jeg]

My personal opinion is that the pundits need to shut up, sit down, and start taking notes. Sen. Obama has rarely done what he "has to do to win", and yet seems to be winning quite handily.

The Obama campaign has been a model of discipline and methodical behavior, and it's paying off for them.

[nomobull]

amen

[Johnjlws]

20 days to "Yes We DID!!!"

I thoroughly agree with your post. And to Obama supporters everywhere: Quit blogging, quit talking and GET OUT THE VOTE! My team in a red state is 4 hours on the phone to battleground states every night (we start a 4 p.m. CST to Florida, an hour later move to Ohio, two hours later to Colorado for an hour). We need hundreds of thousands of these callers, folks. Go to www.barackobama.com, Neighbor to Neighbor. Let's wear out the phone lines. Let's bring it home to Yes We Did!!!

[gadfly55]

Keep the money pot boiling and the vapours will concentrate the fear of almost everyone. Keep the ingredients ready : health, education, peace, jobs, and energy security. Keep stirring and raise the heat steadily with ad campaign building the suspense. Add the secret seasoning, hope for a united country moving forward together. The opportunity to participate in this historic transformation of American politics is now in the hands of each individual voter. Encourage each person to make their mark in favor of change we can believe in.

[TN60]

I'm interested in only one thing, JOBS, BABY, JOBS !!!

I'm interested in those JOBS being GREEN JOBS!!

I'm interested in those JOBS, being jobs that cannot be exported to other countries.

I'm interested in those JOBS, being part of a larger economy, of which these JOBS produce salable products to other countries to promote a greener environment and being a driving force of American Made financial security and military security and country security. No more HOUSE OF SAUD economy.

I'm MORE than interested in President Obama and VP Biden, and YES you damn betcha, WE CAN!

[jeanrenoir]

You know, the same working-class, Rust-Belt whites Obama is now courting so successfully used to HATE Hillary Clinton. But in just a month or two of focusing on their issues and values and "fighting for YOU!" she had them eating out of her hand. Now it's Obama's turn. These people are the last bastion of sexism in our culture as well as racism. Yet they did a 180 on HIllary the woman, and now they're doing an even more historic and hopeful 180 on Barack the black guy. Like Hillary in the last month of HER campaign, Obama's become a MUCH better vote-getter among swing state, working-class whites than he used to be. Like her, he's become a fighter for "us," and thus "one of us." No wonder he's going to win this election in a Reagan-LBJ-like landslide of historic proportions.

[JWord]

Number one issue everyone is missing - Do you want to have a government completely controlled by one party that cannot in any way be checked? Bad idea in a democracy.

[LisaLisa1234]

As an independent voter, this does concern me. There are issues that I do not agree with in the Democratic party. However, the thought of McCain "at the tiller" (no steady hand there) or even worse, Palin replacing an incapacitated McCain are far more concerning.

I pray for wisdom in our next round of leaders...and if the run of the Democrats puts us worse off, vote 'em out!

[jollyelle]

You have nothing to be concerned about, the checks and balances are built into the constitution no matter what party is in charge of each branch of government. That's the beauty of the document, our founding fathers already worked it out. The constitutional abuse by Cheney, Addington and Bush should've had you more worried than voting in Democrats whose purpose is to have every citizen fairly represented. The checks and balances still exist regardless of which party is in charge.

[zizi]

Did you the same thing when the GOP controlled government from 2000 until 2006?

[TN60]

Does everyone catch this "we can't have one party rule" meme slipping into the Republican talking points ?????????????? Yup! Ya betcha!!! Gosh Darn it!

You damn right WE CAN, if we want to get this country back on the right course and the rights given back to the middle class, again !!

[jeg]

No, I want an administration that can't get anything accomplished because congress, rather than do what's in the best interests of the country, automatically votes against anything the administration proposes, just to score political points (Beware heavy sarcasm).

At this point, I do not trust the Republicans to represent the country's best interests. I don't really trust the Democrats either, but fewer of their objections seem based on an inflexible moral ideology.

[gadfly55]

In Europe effective government depends either on a majority government, or an agreed coalition. The unified government under Democrats will advance and implement policy to make an effective change to address the substantial problems confronting American society. The people will have spoken for change and the neo-cons will be thrown into the dustbin of history.

[grendl]

Not simple enough.

It's the economy stupid. A tried and true slogan, which can be recycled, just like paper and plastic.

The only color America cares about right now, environmentalists as well, is green.