Dear Barack, Three Points You Must Make in The Speech

Dear Barack:

The race is now a dead heat. The Republicans have gone mad dog, the press is a bullhorn, and the policy differences between you and McCain get lost in the process. You now have an opportunity to make those differences plain.

I implore you not to regurgitate your aspirational stump speech bromides in your Big Speech. You've got one chance - with everybody watching - to punch this guy in the gut. Please, for the love of democracy, include some of this:

"Much has been made of my opponent's wealth. There are people out there saying that you shouldn't vote for John McCain because he owns seven homes and because he abandoned his first wife and children for a wealthy heiress. But that's ridiculous. The dangers in voting for John McCain are his policies. To summarize:

1. He wants to provide tax cuts for millionaires

Let me repeat that, so there's no confusion: he wants to provide tax cuts for millionaires. Unless you're a millionaire, or you married one, you should find this distressing. A few years back, John McCain told the American people he couldn't support President Bush's tax cuts for millionaires. He called them irresponsible. But when the election came, he sold working Americans out. He sided with Bush/Cheney.

2. His judgment on Iraq has been wrong - over and over

John McCain supported the surge. How can this come as a surprise? He's supported President Bush every step of the way with Iraq. He is President Bush's biggest cheerleader on the war. He went on TV to assure Americans that the war in Iraq would be over in a few months. He even assured us the war was over, after President Bush staged his Mission Accomplished photo op.

That's the kind of judgment John McCain has shown on Iraq. He can try to play the attack dog now, but he's always been a Bush/Cheney lapdog on the war. The American people are tired of this costly misadventure. They don't want it turned into a Republican pride drama. They want it ended, with honor, so we can bring our troops home and get our economy working again.

3. He's sold his soul to Karl Rove

Ask yourself, right now, how John McCain hopes to govern. What are his policies? About the only thing most Americans know about his policies is that he wants to drill through his own $500 loafers for oil. The rest of his campaign has been about attacking me.

Why does the Original Maverick have so little to say on his own behalf? Because he knows he can't win on the issues, so he's hoping attack ads will be enough to get him elected, just like Bush and Cheney. He's sold his soul to Karl Rove.

If we, as a nation, elect politicians who care only about winning, not governing, who offer smears rather than solutions, then we deserve another four years of Bush. Based on the campaign he's running, John McCain will deliver that. So every time you fall for one of his attack ads, just remember what you're really supporting: four more years of George W. Bush."

Obviously, I hope you'll set out your own policies, and I trust your eloquence to make the case compelling. But if you don't dig deep into your own moral outrage - an outrage shared by 72 percent of the population - it's going to be déjà vu all over again.

Technically begging at this point,

Steve

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Comments

[luvangelHussein330]

I love how people have become instant experts at what Obama needs to do or should be doing. DAH!! ofcourse he isn't going to give his stump speech and instead of sitting on your rear end and pointing the finger why don't you ask yourself what you can do to hlep the cmapaign defete the GOP and win this. You must honestly think he is unqulified if you think have the where with all to even begin to offer up light weight advice or state the obvious

[tjshire]

I agree with Steve Almond. If Obama delegates all the 'attacking' to Biden or surrogates, he runs the risk of appearing weak when Americans want strength.

The smears, the surge, and off-shore drilling all need to be addressed head on. Maybe Barack should wave a copy of his birth certificate, call for a camera close-up of the document, and then discuss the inanity of the personal attacks on him and how they do a disservice to our country and our political process.

Regarding energy, I hope he talks about short-term Republican band-aids and bribes (a $38 gas tax holiday?!) versus long-term solutions that will benefit the country and future generations. Past generations have worked to build our nation and leave it a better place. Won't we do the same?

Finally, repairing and reorganizing government after 8 years of serial abuse by Bush/Cheney must be the organizing principle of Obama's presidency. Fiscal responsibility, and a government that works on behalf of the average joe instead of the set-for-life. And absolutely, let's talk about McCain's tax cuts for millionaires while he asserts that anyone making less than $5 million a year is "middle class," and the nation nears $10 trillion in debt.

[Sporin]

Yeah!!!

[SEQUOIABISON]

Great article Steve.

I wish he could use this speech at the convention I know it is the type of speech I would love to hear but.......

I think it would now be out of character for Barack to start going ballistic on his opponent. It could backfire on him with the perceptive critical media if they detect some hypocrisy in his tone.

He must remain consistent and respectful of the opposition and leave the carving up of McCain to surrogates like Biden and others but our candidate I think should try to remain above the fray and just talk in his inspirational cadence about the America he envisions as possible.

Obama/Biden

[Speakchic]

This is so on point and I JUST said the same thing. You couldn't ask a person on the street what John McCain's platform is on healthcare, the economy, and AMERICA outside of the next place he wants to deploy our troops. Yet everyday I listen to pundits digging into Obama's rhetoric and abandoning his message and adopting something more concrete for the general election. But they yet to ask this of Obama. Yesterday I listened to that empty vessel of a journalist Gloria Borger say that McCain's campaign has been "cleaver" in it's attacks. The media AS ALWAYS is giving McCain a pass b/c he keeps the sound bites out there.

So I agree that Obama needs to dump the stump and dig into McCain's record! And NOW!

[tcagle]

Gut punch? Kick him in the nuts, Barack!! Your time has come to shine.