Lost Campaign

Once upon a time, the GOP was better at running these campaigns than their foes. In 2004, the George Bush campaign orchestrated one of the most improbable presidential wins in recent memory. President Bush was an unpopular president, marred in an unpopular war, stuck in the throws of a weak economy, and commonly thought of as thickheaded and stupid. But by the first Tuesday in November, all the voters knew was that he had good moral values and that his opponent was a wavering, elitist girly-man. That was a fluid and well run campaign. A systematic, media-backed destruction of his opponent’s character, while simultaneously riling up his own party’s votes.

Enter 2008. John McCain faced roughly the same problems as his predecessor- an unpopular war, an unpopular Republican president, and an economy on the brink of recession. A clever and well run campaign could have easily secured success. In fact, he had a lot going for him that President Bush never had. McCain was widely regarded as a smart bi-partisan politician. A war hero and a hard working Senator who knew how to cross party lines when the time was right. His opponent was an inexperienced, wavering elitist, with no military experience, and a scary voting record. This campaign should have been easy. All McCain had to do was act like he was already the president and people would have trusted him. But instead, through a series of missteps and failed political gimmicks, Senator McCain has played four quarters of defense, and has all but lost the election.

Where once he was a war hero, now he is painted as a senile and irrational old man. And the worst part is, he has played right into the image. Choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate, suspending his campaign, acting like an angry old man in the debates- he has had no control over himself or his campaign. Instead of focusing on his strengths and his opponent’s weaknesses, he has spent the last month defending his weaknesses and attacking his opponent’s strengths. And when he has gone on the offensive he has not attacked Obama’s lack of experience or poor voting record, instead he has attacked Obama’s acquaintances.

Obama should be an easy man to attack. Every time he stands up and says he will cut taxes for 95% of Americans, John McCain should stand up and call him a liar, since multiple independent sources have proved that Obama’s tax plan will do no such thing. And any time Obama says that the Bush administration is responsible for the current financial meltdown, John McCain should stand up and blame Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and the end of the Clinton administration. Instead John McCain has gotten stuck using words like “maverick”, and talking at length about some bracelet a marine’s mother gave him.

So here is some advice for John McCain. Stop telling stories about Joe the Plumber and mothers of marines. No one cares anymore. Stop saying one thing in person, and another thing in your ads- people notice that stuff. And stop pretending you are anyone other than who you are. You can not win this election by pretended to be a pro-regulation guy, and you can not win it by pretended to be a universal health care supporter. Drop the negative ads, and take the campaign on the offensive the last three weeks. Otherwise the election is lost, and it has been your campaign that lost it.