Seth and Ray’s Blog

Seth: If you can remember a while back during the Democratic nomination process, Ray and I did a post outlining strategies Barack needed to implement in order to win the nomination. I’m not saying he got the memo, but we all know what happened last night. Now, in my usual non-partisan fashion, I offer the same advice to Senator McCain.

• First, Senator McCain, acknowledge that you won’t win this election with any of the strategies that carried GWB to the White House twice. His base is not your base. Embrace that concept first, otherwise you will have a disastrous campaign.
  The traditional conservative base is not excited about you. Who cares. The last thing you want to do is pander to them anyway. That’s a sure way to lose this election.
• Next, you have to attack Senator Obama’s base. Vigorously. The good thing for both you and Senator Obama is that his base is more than the Democratic Party. For you, that means a large swath of his supporters aren’t Dems and are attracted to him because of their perception on his persona and stance on issues. Move to the center! If you can convince the public that you are closer to them on issues than they think you are, and combine that with other strategies it will help you tremendously.
• Pick Tom Ridge! Tom Ridge has executive experience as a former governor (of a critical state, might I add) and former head of Homeland Security. He’s got significant experience on a wide range of issues and gives your ticket the upper hand on the “war against terror” or whatever is going on these days. Also, his pro-choice stance will attract those middle of the road voters who are leaning towards Obama. It will also send a signal that he is actually running a different kind of campaign instead of giving out empty rhetoric.
  Be Presidential! Remember the Sprite ads: Image is nothing, thirst is everything.” Well in politics, image is everything. You won’t necessarily look more presidential than your opponent, but you can’t afford to look less than he.

You probably don’t read this blog, Senator McCain, however if you include the above steps in your campaign strategy, you will be headed in the direction to victory. Therefore, please do the opposite of everything I said.

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Ray: I would add the following:

• Old Folks: McCain needs to get the senior citizens on his side. That’s one area where can and probably will destroy Barack Obama. Obama is still too new and inexperienced for older voters, who by the way are much more politically active than the MTV generation. Obama is youthful and is better able to relate to the youth. McCain is a senior and needs to ensure that he gets every one of their votes.

• VP Choice: I still think Mitt Romney is the best and most likely choice. Tomorrow, McCain can make me eat my words, but Romney can do things that McCain no other viable candidate can’t. Romney can ease some of the tension surrounding the issue of McCain’s age, although he will susceptible to the same attack strategies being used on Obama. Romney is also widely known for being a talented businessman, which probably won’t matter much in the VP role, but I think people will feel more comfortable knowing that McCain will have a economics guy readily at his disposal.

• Fear Tactics: Keep hammering Obama on national security issues. My grandmother is afraid of everything and she tends to trust people who name more things that she should be afraid of. I don’t understand this phenomenon, but Carl Rover certainly did and it is still a very affective maneuver. Scare people about all of the unknowns that come with an Obama administration. Throw the kitchen sink at him. Ask him how he would respond to those “3AM” scenarios during your upcoming debates. Make the American people lose confidence in his ability to think on his feet and respond quickly. But mention Iran and you’re toast. The people are war weary and you can’t keep pushing that button; literally.

• The Wifey: Michelle Obama is killing your wife in the likability and popularity categories. Your wife obviously has many skeletons that you’re trying to hide but that will only hurt you. Politics has changed and we judge our President based upon the merits of his wife as well. We all know she’s rich and out of touch with Americans but you can’t hide her forever. Make her do something! She needs to be more likable asap.

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