First off, Democrats need to catch their breath, admit they lost the battle of the PCB (post-convention bounce) and rally now in the remaining eight weeks.
While the Obama campaign has been masterful at stage management, their rapid-response team rates right down there with Dukakis'. That needs to change as of yesterday. As has been reported here several times, the latest anti-McCain ad is tough but ultimately counter-productive since it calls McCain the "M" word five times:
The ad is also not funny (except the crack of the whip, which I love). The ideas in the ad, however, are exactly the ones that need to be put out there and put out there in a sustained way. The Kerry campaign put out a different negative ad every week but never on the same message. The Rove disciples in the McCain camp, on the other hand, have been plastering television with their "he'll raise your taxes" lie for months now.
McCain's folks also do a great job finding awful, or goofy pictures of Obama. That's just Negative-Ad-Campaign 101, a course that so far the Obama camp is failing.
The attack ad Obama needs to run needs a touch of wit. The current ad has no twist to it (except for doing McCain a favor by calling him the "M" word over and over).
If somebody from the Obama camp ever asked me, here's the commercial I'd propose:
"Endangered Species"
FADE IN:
CLOSE UP on a cute little polar bear cub.
ANNOUNCER:
"Polar bears aren't the only endangered species
the Republicans are going after..."
VARIOUS SHOTS of foreclosed homes, record unemployment headline, sky-high gas prices, etc.
ANNOUNCER:
"For eight years their disastrous economic policies
have been trying to kill off the American middle class.
John McCain promises more of the same.
VARIOUS SHOTS of people going back to work, welding, nursing, riding a tractor, etc.
ANNOUNCER:
"Barack Obama's economic plan brings tax relief to 95% of
all Americans. His Green Technology Initiative will grow
new jobs and free us from foreign oil."
A great picture of Obama and Biden.
ANNOUNCER:
"Barack Obama, bringing the middle class back from extinction."