Dear Barack: Obummer

Dear Barack,

Obummer!

I guess I was a tad premature in counting out Hillary. In my own defense, I'd just come from Texas, and everyone seemed totally juiced for you. But the other side went negative, and managed to guilt trip the press in the bargain. Bottom line: a much longer fight for the nomination.

My advice is this: stop going negative. Hillary gets enough abuse from the misogynists who pass as pundits. Kill her with kindness. In the short term, you'll take some hits. That's the way of the modern media whore: whoever says the meanest thing, gets the biggest font. But if you (or your proxies) continue to hit back, you're consenting to make the thing a brawl, a spectacle. And you're sacrificing what makes you distinct from most politicians -- that refusal to turn politics into a brutal zero sum game.

With your indulgence, let me offer an alternative. The next time Hillary levels a broadside, whip this sucker out:

"The folks with the cameras and microphones would love for me to lash back at Senator Clinton. A fight does wonders for their ratings. But I'm not going to lash out at Senator Clinton. And neither should my supporters.

Let me remind you why I'm in this race: to stop the Bush/McCain political machine. A machine that has driven this nation into a foolish war, a misguided occupation, and a recession. A machine that seeks to retain its power not by seeking to solve our common problems but by appealing to our fear and greed.

As many of you know, last week Senator McCain drove his Straight Talk Express to the White House to receive the endorsement of George W. Bush.

Just a few days earlier, a panel of economic experts converged on the capitol to deliver the kind of Straight Talk that John McCain doesn't want you to hear.

The panel told a congressional committee that the war and occupation of Iraq could wind up costing American taxpayers three trillion dollars. Three trillion dollars. This is the same war and occupation we were told was going to pay for itself. The same war and occupation that has been funded by a massive federal deficit. The same war and occupation that John McCain is ready to prolong, he assures us, for 'a hundred years' if necessary.

Here's some more Straight Talk John McCain doesn't want you to hear. It's more like Straight Math, really. With the taxpayer money we spend each day on this occupation, we could do enroll 58,000 children in Head Start for a year, or pay for a year of college for 160,000 low-income students, or pay the annual salaries of 14,000 more police officers. And that's just one day, people. The $3 trillion we'll eventually spend in Iraq would have been enough, according to these experts, to stabilize Social Security for decades.

The most astonishing aspect of all this is the fact that the Bush administration and its congressional enablers cut taxes on the wealthiest Americans with our troops on the ground. John McCain showed the integrity to oppose those cuts initially. He now supports making the Bush tax cuts permanent. That's how it works in George Bush and John McCain's America: the citizens forced to sacrifice are those who can least afford to -- the working poor, the young, the sick, and especially those who serve in our military.

So if you folks in the press corps want a real fight, that's the one I'll be waging for the next six months. It has nothing to do with political scare tactics and fake scandals. It's a fight for our children's future, for a reclamation of our decency as a people, for the very soul of this nation."

Let your rage be precise and righteous.

Your (still) unpaid advisor,

Steve Almond

Comments

[Donnat]

You can be a spirited and competent fighter and not roll in the manure. Obama's been doing it up until now and I hope he continues because one of the things I like about him is his maturity. If he starts acting like Hillary, it's going to pull him down.

And if Hillary doesn't have him as a running mate she will NOT beat McCain, so she'd better put a cork in it.

[the964kid]

i agree. If two people are standing there and one of them is punching the other in the face - is the person getting hit supposed to stand there and keep taking the punishment? At some point you have to hit back!

[vbond]

On Tuesday, in Ohio and Texas, we saw the forces of hope and change pushed back by the forces of division and destruction, and it must stop.

We saw the rise of a brand of politics that may be "fun" to The Clintons, but which threatens to tear our party apart and hand an undeserved victory to John McCain in November.

We saw the choice, born of desperation, to sow the seeds of racial division, religious bigotry, and conscious, intentional character assault.

The harvest of this sad cultivation can yield only the bitter fruit of intra-party strife, ammunition for our collective adversaries, and distraction from our true combatant in the Fall, which is the drive to continue the bankrupt policies and practices of the past for another eight years under the banner of John McCain.

We will not allow this to happen.

Our brother and sister adversaries in the Democratic Party are just that... brothers and sisters. Our common father is our history of defense of the common good, against all enemies. Our common mother is the body of our beliefs, in equality of opportunity, and the right to live and prosper in a safer, healthier world.

Our Democratic families can fight for the right to battle the Republican wolf at our door... but we must fight fair, lest the wolf devour us all.

So, to our brothers and sisters in the Clinton campaign, I say to you: "Stop it. Stop it now."

We can fight the good fight for this nomination without fighting the low fight. We can make our cases to the American people without destroying our connection to those same people.

But, if we fight the low fight, we will drive a wedge between us and our own people so wide that John McCain and the forces of the past can drive right through it to The White House.

So I say to you, brother and sister Democrats, take not the low road... it is the road to our political damnation.

In November of last year, when our campaign was far behind in the national polls, with less than sixty days before the crucial first votes, we were counseled by friends and contributors to attack the frontrunner, who was at that time, of course, Senator Clinton.

We had spent millions of the people's money and, so the polls seemed to say, had precious little to show for it. And time was running out. Virtually every campaign in the history of Presidential elections, in circumstances like those, had attacked the frontrunner, in the effort to build themselves up, and cut their opponents down to size.

With the resources at our disposal and the targets that were - and still are - available to us, we easily could have done the same.

But we did not.

Because that's not the kind of campaign I wanted to run and because that's not who we are. I think that was a pretty good decision..­. don't you?

Because here we are now... we're the frontrunner, with an insurmountable delegate lead, and more important, our pride is in place. We knew who we were then... and we know who we are now. And what we have gained because we stood our moral ground in the face of adversity is a self-worth and respect for others that is the true power of our campaign.

We have never been afraid to fight... and we are not afraid to fight now. We want to fight the good fight... and with John McCain now released from party competition, we want to fight the right fight.

But - if we have to - we will come down off the hill and fight in the hollow... yes we will. Because the stakes are too great to let the low-roaders win. If our adversaries will not forsake the darkness to come up and fight in the light... we'll get down with them, because sometimes you have to go down into the darkness to protect the light.

But we don't want to... and believe me... they don't want us to.

So... as we enter the Spring of this year of national renewal, I call out to our worthy adversarie­s... forsake the politics of darkness.

Do not sow the seeds of wrath, for you will surely reap the wrath of fair-minded people if you do.

Come fight us on the high road.

And we will win together in November.

Yes... we... can.

[whsmith]

some people sure are living in a fantasy land this election year. first they say Obama is weak and can't take being attacked. then they say he is "going negative" when he defends himself and counter punches. what the hell do you people want? get a grip, seriously. i have yet to see a single misleading, or particularly negative, statement come out of the Obama camp towards Hillary. He has pointed out his differences and what he perceives as her weaknesses, and has defended himself when attacked - that is the very least any politician that is in a competitive contest has to do. Hillary's camp on the other hand has been extremely underhanded, starting with all the "accidental" remarks about teenage drug use and on and on. Steve, I hope no one in Washington is actually paying you for advice, it would be a bigger waste than $20k worth of pizzas and donuts

[brueso]

I understand your point, Steve, but while the public doesn't like a negative campaign, they also don't respect anyone who they perceive backs down from a fight. There were some who decried how negative the debate was when Obama said "I was organizing while you were sitting on the board of Wal-mart" to Hillary, but the truth is, it backed Hill off by the time the next debate came around because Obama had demonstrated he could mix it up with her. Obama can make his soaring speeches when he accepts the Democratic nomination, but he's not going to get there if he just keeps trying to dodge Billary's bullets. The words don't always have to come from him, but they need to come from someone in his campaign at the very least.

Everyone knows what's waiting for whoever is the Democratic nominee, and you can't fight the Republican Right Wing Talk Radio mob by trying to stay above it all- if you think I'm wrong, ask President Kerry. And in the past week, Hill has not just thrown doubt towards Obama with her "3 am" ad, she outrightly said that McCain is more experienced than Obama and all Obama is running on is a speech. Sorry- it doesn't get any lower than that.

So I think it's time for the Obama campaign to stop holding back- tell us Hill what you really were doing for those 35 years you brag about, tell us about your shady financial dealings with foreign leaders and campaign contributers, tell us how Bill would participate in the White House since inside articles like the recent WA Post one demonstrate your campaign couldn't control Bill in South Carolina, tell us why you didn't read the Joint Chief's briefing about Iraq when even the Democratic chairman of the Armed Services Committe told you you should, tell us who in your campaign talked the Canadians and told them to take everything YOU would say about Nafta with a grain of salt, tell us why you can't get an accountant to print out a simple tax return though your campaign criticized your rival in 2000 for dragging his feet on producing his.

People were inspired by John F. Kennedy- but he demonstrated he wouldn't hesitate to mix it up if someone wanted to. I know Obama's got the stones to do it- he needs to keep doing it. He can't rest on his 100 delegate buffer- he has to keep selling himself to the electorate cause the truth is, alot of voters don't pay attention to what happens before the primary in their own state.

[busybeez]

Hillary took this campaign to a contact sport, and Barack needs to bring it back on her. As someone who donates to his campaign, I expect him to fight hard. He is running against the most powerful people in the democratic party, not some unknown light weight. Come on, Steve Almond, get real!
She said she has been vetted, I think the party has the right to know what the republicans will be throwing at her during the general if she becomes the nominee.

[slow2]

It may be that the campaign will change radically very shortly; not many Democrats will be real happy with Billary's invocation of Ken Starr. Offense and defense will be irrelevant.

Most of Hillary's words and phrases will be lost when her references to Starr are front and center, and Senator Obama won't have to exercise his right to hit back. She's already shot herself in both feet.

[CaptainObvious]

He can fight back against a Hillary or a McCain. What he can't do is stoop to their level and lie and distort.

[WintonyMay]

Mr. Almond:

it's an axiom that any American political candidate who exhibits less than a fighting spirit is destined to become no more than a former candidate. Certainly, Obama can fight back without betraying the ideals of his movement. It is a matter of method and degree. But, fight he must and will, with factual support.

Observe that he's been smart enough to build an incomparable campaign, from scratch, in a relatively short period of time. So, with the same intellect and integrity, don't you think that he also is capable of vanquishing Clinton, entirely?

I have observed that your well-intentioned "advice" to him already inculcates much of his stump speech. All he needs to finish the job is enough time in which to do so; and he has it. So, be patient! it will be done.

WintonyMay.

[SamThornton]

Good advice, Steve. However, it's not out of bounds to point out Clinton campaign gaffes, misstatements, and distortions. One needn't get personal to do that.

[personalpolitical]

Obama isn't going to go negative in the sense Hillary is. She is going after him on unsubstantiated bullshit, lies and distortions. He is just going after her on totally legitimate and obvious things, like actually looking at her record and its lack of substance, that isn't an attack, that SHOULD have been the first thing the media did when she rolled out her "experience" and "ready from Day One" campaign.
http://www.thepersonalispolitical.com/post/27451031

But they didn't, so Obama is going to have to make it an issue. And tax returns, that isn't an attack, that is government transparency. Hell, take Hillary's word for it:
http://weblogs.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/politics/blog/2008/03/flashback_hrc_once_thought_tax.html

She is a giant hypocrite.

[trevor01]

I'm afraid Obama's window of opportunity has closed. His speech Tuesday night, whether the result of fatigue, or an unfortunate mixture of stimulants, was hard for everyone to endure. He's back on his feet now but we've seen how good he is at taking a punch. No wonder he doesn't want to mix it up with Hillary!

[Marrob]

Yes Obama, please do what Steve is telling you. John Kerry did and what did it get him?

[ndolomar]

wow -- let's pray he and his advisers frequent huffpo, for this is the best thing yet. the reason i got behind him had to do with his opposition to the war and the fact he consistently has made it a point to remain positive and clear the obstacle between the people and their government. the transparency laws, the finance-reform laws -- these are signs of the type of legislator he's been and the type of leader he'll be. it's plain as day how he treasures the true meaning of the u.s. constitution, and i truly think he wants the american people to unite and take back ownership of their country and their government. that right there, my friends (with apologies to sen. mccain), is what a true leader aspires to provoke. let's get this one right, people.

[izforever]

Why is John McCain attacking Obama--not Hillary--with everything he's got?

Because he knows that if Hillary's the candidate, the 'pubs will turn out in droves. She doesn't deserve it, but it's a fact.

Polls don't mean anything without turnout. And sadly, Senator Clinton will turn out the Republicans. We can't risk that.

The Economist:

"If Democrats were to deprive Mr McCain of the chance of running against Hillary Clinton, that would be the cruellest blow. Mrs Clinton would be a one-woman solution to the Republicans' problems, a guarantee that money will flow into the party's coffers and that true-red voters will troop to the polls."

"If what should be a cakewalk in November turns into a rout, the Democrats will know who to blame."

[Marrob]

Because you ObamaLovers keep calling him the winner. Obama is frontrunner you know?

[CaptainObvious]

We do, and it's an analysis based on an objective reality (namely, his delegate lead). You Hillary supporters would do well to make some of your own analyses based on objective reality.

[DavidK08]

I like your advice. All Clinton can do at this point is ruin her chance at a great position in his administration. Once she goes too negative she will have burned that bridge.

Giving McCain ammunition is a bad Idea. But, Clinton needs to understand that her ability to write a $5,000,000­.00 check isn't because she is one of the everyday people she wants you to believe she is. There are skeletons in her closet that people know about and want kept there.

I would add to your advice for Obama to mention that every state is important, no matter what the "establishment" tells you. That Obama is already set up with a vast network of workers in more key areas then the establishment is.

Further, It is my opinion, that Obama is more likely to get Clinton democrats to vote for him in the general, and, less likely that Clinton would get all of Obama's votes to go her way...I am non-enrolled and voted for Obama. I will never vote for Hillary Clinton.

Her ability to win the big states is not important. Her ability to take Independents in those states is. Obama has already proven that he can grab the Independents.

It says something that Clinton can be loosing when she has one of the most loved Dem presidents on her side and he begs for votes.

Thanks
David K.

[BeeOplentee]

Sorry, but that strategy is as successful as Woodrow Wilson"s being "too proud to fight" was in the American entrance into WWI.

It portrays a wimp.