Convention: What Obama Must Do To Win

For Barack Obama to become president, the Democrats have to stop acting like bureaucrats and sell their candidate, while tearing down John McCain. The national convention must transform sonorous issues into sellable sound bites and overcome Republican attempts to smear Obama. Here are four things the Democrats need to accomplish at their convention if they hope to retake the White House:

Unite the Party: Hillary and her increasingly irrational supporters need to get a grip and move on. The election was hers to lose and she did so by not planning past Super Tuesday, giving Obama a string of caucus victories that propelled him to victory.

As a result of this monumental strategic blunder, Obama pulled ahead and Clinton fought back, turning this once warm and fuzzy primary into a political brawl. I know feelings were hurt and egos were bruised. There are also many women who are bitterly disappointed because they wanted to see a woman president.

The incessant whining of Clinton supporters, however, is beginning to work the last nerve of Democrats who actually want to win. Obama and Clinton's policies were often so close as to be nearly indistinguishable. It is simply inconceivable that one could support Clinton and then opt for McCain -- unless race plays a pivotal factor in the decision.

That's right, I said race. How else could a Clinton-supporting woman now vote for John McCain, who will put Roe v. Wade in jeopardy? How could such a person who professes to care about women's issues vote for McCain when it is obvious that a barrier breaking black man will do more to help a woman get elected as president in the future? It does not make sense unless there is an ulterior, underlying motive.

I think the party will unite because Hillary has even more to lose than Obama. If she (or Bill) is blamed for a loss, it will be career suicide. People who might be natural supporters of a forthcoming Clinton candidacy will shun her if she is perceived as the jealous villain who put McCain in the Oval Office.

Define Obama: On Monday, Michelle Obama was transformed from a Republican-created cartoon of an angry black woman who disliked America, into a working mother with strong family values. Barack must be as successful as his wife in marketing himself to the American people.

By the end of the convention, voters must feel like he is tough enough to keep them safe, feels their economic pain and has the judgment to overcome reservations about his experience. He must also connect with the burping fools slurping beers on wobbly barstools who want to be reassured that Obama is warm enough to share a cold one.

Fortunately, Obama is a gifted orator who could read graffiti on a bathroom wall and make it sound like the Gettysburg Address. He must flash every bit of his effulgent brilliance -- or his candidacy may be a flash in the pan.

Caricature McCain: How can McCain keep our house in order when he can't even count the ones he has?

This is the type of question that must be ruthlessly raised at the convention. McCain needs to be defined as an out of touch George Bush clone who is past his prime and surrendered his dignity to win the GOP nomination.

I can't tell you how many people I have met who say they, "miss the John McCain" of 2000. The onus is on the Democrats to relentlessly drive home the point that this "maverick" no longer exists and has been replaced by a party hack that is the candidate of the past. McCain should be portrayed as a dangerous, hot tempered curmudgeon who barely understands the Internet, wants to reignite the cold war and is not forward thinking enough to get us out of Iraq, much less propel America towards future economic or military greatness. And, as a Bush enabler, he is as responsible as anyone for the miserable failures of the past eight years.

Finally, McCain is going to the well too often on his POW experience. Democrats should remind voters that the McCain of 2000 was humble about his heroism and did not use it incessantly as a campaign talking point.

Gay Issues: Democratic National Committee Treasurer, Andy Tobias, set the tone when he said at the podium, "As a gay man I yearn for a president who believes in equal rights for all Americans." Ted Kennedy also included GLBT people -- and Obama or Biden should follow his lead. This would mark a sharp contrast with the upcoming GOP convention, where a concerted effort will be made to bring home social conservatives at the expense of GLBT Americans. If the Democrats can shave off enough GLBT people on the fence, they might win Florida or other swing states.

The 2008 Democratic convention must defy convention by combining Obama’s signature brand of hope with hard knocks against McCain. If the Democrats let this strategic moment pass, our nation will be stuck in the past and doomed to repeat history.

Follow Wayne Besen on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Truthwinout

Comments

[sloreader]

Two words for the Obama team... BASH MCBUSH

The connection is so apparent and the legitimate criticisms are so plentiful that now is the time to drag their parade of horribles onto the world stage. After all, why should Democrats shrink from openly criticizing MCBUSH for squandering billions on an unwinnable war? For staunchly opposing veterans benefits? For ignoring the constitution he took an oath to uphold?

If those suggestions are not helpful, perhaps Barack could remind voters that MCBUSH played a pivotal role in driving the economy to a grinding halt by condoning banking practices which directly led to the mortgage meltdown. The list goes on and on. Time to shed some daylight on MCBUSH and all he has stood for over the last 8 years.

[Wayne Besen - Huffpost Blogger]

Great speech by Clinton tonight. It will help unify the party.

[GaiusLucilius]

The McCain supporters *want* to give you pause. When Roe v Wade is abolished, the Supreme Court is stacked with conservative judges who will outlive us all, and the national debt is 4000 gazillion, and we've all been put into indentured servitude by China to pay it off, I am sure we will take comfort in the fact that some state senator's comment was reproved by the Hillary for McCain folks.

[jmichaeli]

Here's part of the problem:

"Hillary and her increasingly irrational supporters need to get a grip and move on. " The Obama supporters have actually been the ones pushing the buttons to get the "irrationality" going.

As an example, check out the story about Illinois State Senate President, Emil Jones, calling one of Hillary's former top advisors, Delmarie Cobb, an Uncle Tom for not supporting Barack. Of course, he denied saying it, but three politicians heard him say it, and he gave her a "non-apology" today after Obama disavowed and distanced himself from Jones. You can read it in Today's Chicago Sun-Times - "Obama disavows comment; Jones issues quasi-apology."

I've been putting up with it myself from Obama supporters telling me I was wrong to support Hillary and that I should get "over it." You see there was nothing to get over. I've bitten my tongue, and though I will support and vote for Obama, it all has given me pause to think.

In other words, it's time to "share" the blame, not point the finger...

[GaiusLucilius]

You're going to let some state senator whose statement was not approved by Obama cast doubt on the whole difference of Hillary vs Obama?
Have you seen the clips of the Hillary protestors? Or hearkened to the fact that only 50 of the 300 "Hillraiser" fund-raisers have helped Obama raise money (New York Times article today)?