Obama must redefine McCain

I am not a Barack Obama communication adviser. But if I were, here's what I would recommend that he do, in three simple words: Redefine John McCain! 

Right now the American people believe that they know John McCain. If most Americans were asked to describe McCain in one or two words, they would likely say "war hero" or "maverick."  This is very dangerous conventional wisdom and anathema for Obama's presidential bid.

The Obama campaign must launch a full-throated, double-barreled media assault, shooting down the venerable, "honorable" McCain facade.  In its place, the Obama machine must brutally establish who McCain really is: a blustering, hot-headed, hard-line, stumbling, far-right, out-of-touch, elitist, war-like, forgetful, comical cowboy.  And the facts bear this out.

Sure, Obama needs to have issue advertisements, but they're not sexy, and thus are largely ignored by the media.  Basically, he and his campaign must use a two-tiered approach.  On the one hand, their "grown-up" ads should focus on the economy, fuel policy, foreign affairs, national security, Social Security, education, health care and other issues on the minds of the American public. These messages should run day-in and day-out, both nationally and locally.

On the other front, they must match the Republican attack machine--blow-for-blow.  Moreover, they must one-up McCain by going on the offensive, forcing the Republican to respond and defend--and taking him off message, as they have done to Obama for weeks now.

The Republicans have, so far, succeeded in making this election a referendum on Obama, the only winning strategy for them.  They have systematically set out to define Obama as an arrogant, snobbish, vacuous, pretty, and dumb-blond "celebrity" (ala the Paris Hilton/Britney Spears ad).  And if the polls are any indication, it is working.  Never mind that he is a brilliant Harvard-trained lawyer, indeed former president of the Harvard Law Review (no less) and former constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago, who spent 7-8 years in the Illinois State Senate before becoming a U.S. Senator.  To distract from his impressive resume, the Republicans have pretty much succeeded in making Obama a "Pretty Rickey" caricature.  This is a dangerous course for the Obama team. 

To right the Obama ship, his stewards must beat the Republicans at their own game.  Never mind Obama's desire to transform the system and usher in a "new" politics.  He must first win.  Then he can change the game.  When the press questions the negative turn in his campaign, he should follow McCain's lead:  Smile, and say how proud he is of his ads.  Tell everybody to get a sense of humor.  Didn't they get the memo?  What's a little jokey-joke between friends.

Having said that, here are the tactics I would put into place, yesterday: 

1. No more Mr. Nice Guy. Hit McCain. Hard. Don't be afraid to use the plentiful, priceless footage of McCain forgetting and confusing important details.  Remember when Joe Lieberman had to publicly lean over and whisper in McCain's ear to correct him when he erroneously claimed that Al Qaeda was training insurgents in Iraq?  Or when he confused the Sunni and the Shia?  Better still, when he publicly confused the bordering states of Iraq, or was it Afghanistan?  Whatever the case, this is powerful, RELEVANT stuff and Obama must use this ammunition relentlessly, from now until November.  In fact, I would have one of these devastating bombs ready to release within minutes of the announcement of McCain's running mate, which is tentatively slated to coincide with McCain's 72nd birthday--and timed to step on any Obama convention bounce.  This would effectively steal McCain's thunder.  In short, Obama must to learn to step on McCain before he can step on him.

2. Take McCain's advice: Get a sense of humor. If the Republicans want jokes, then Obama should oblige them.  The Obama campaign needs to launch its own "Celebrity" series.  They need look no further than the "Saturday Night Live" vault or to the movie "Wedding Crasher." They have very un-Presidential footage of McCain dressed in silly get-ups, performing in risqué, buffoonish skits.  Dan Abrams recently did several segments with footage of McCain "the celebrity" on his old "Verdict" show on MSNBC, and Brad Blakeman, the Republican pundit du jour, was so embarrassed, he could barely mutter a response.  They should release a new one of these "fun" ads at least once a week, keeping one in the can, ready to release at a moment's notice.  They should make the case that McCain is the "funniest man in politics."  The Obama team should follow the lead of that wise, learned politician Paris Hilton.  Hit back, hard and fast. Perhaps they could even consult with the team who produced her hilarious and devastating response to the original "celebrity" advertisement.

3. Roll out an army of tough, unapologetic, take-no-prisoners, smiling surrogates to do the real dirty work, keeping Obama mostly on the high road. For the past two election cycles, the Democrats have had media operatives who are nice and knowledgeable enough, but they are invariably mowed down, or shouted down, by the Republican army of smiling assassins.  And both Gore and Kerry lost.  Now, I know that many will argue that those elections were stolen; however, they should have never even been close. George W. Bush won two terms because the Republicans are the reigning champions of the political messaging game. They know that negative attacks work. Exclamation point. Obama must usher in a new generation of toothy Democratic operatives who can get the last word in any media tat-for-tat. He needs people like the scrappy, Harvard-trained theologian and former Ed Rendell staffer, Flavia Colgan who, during the primaries, would routinely talk-down Lanny Davis, the FIERCE Clinton lawyer and surrogate. It was something to watch! I could see her, or someone like her, as his lead spokesperson.

4. Make McCain's intemperance a focal point. I envision an ad asking if the American people really want a hot-headed, blustering tool of the neo-cons answering that 3 a.m. phone call. Is his really the finger we want on the proverbial button/trigger?  That is the profound question Obama must put front and center.  And footage abounds with which to make the case. 

In the final analysis, this is what modern presidential politics has come down to. Obama might like to travel exclusively on the high road, but that thoroughfare is a lonely, dead-end street, littered with the wreckage of past Democratic presidential campaigns.  I think you get my point:  Sadly, the path to the White House is the low road.  Barry must take it--in all his elegance.  Otherwise, Malia will never get to redecorate that new bedroom she fancies at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.  And this country will continue on the downward spiral that began with the inauguration of George W. Bush.  Perish the thought.