Groovy, Baby

My Senator is getting his mojo back. His speech yesterday was an excellent effort. He defended his positions on grounds both pragmatic and principled. He attacked John McCain for his immigration flipflops, hitting policy and character in the process. He delivered the speech exceptionally well. He also managed one of the better defenses of diversity I've seen in a while. This is the Obama I've come to expect.

One small note. If I had Obama's ear, I'd urge him to start linking McCain to his party. The Republican brand, as many Republicans admit, is badly damaged at the moment. The Republican president is deeply unpopular and Republican policies have been disastrous. Obama always links McCain to Bush but, for many Americans, Bush is already in the past. They're worried about the future.

So, how do you make this argument relevant to them? Through party. And don't even use the word Republican. Just party, because people dislike parties anyway (even though they vote for them and identify with them all of the time). So, the argument might go something like this:

Now, I admire Senator McCain. He's spent much of his career defying his own party--that does say something about his party, but never mind that. Yet now, now he wants to be president of the United States. I understand that--I've got the taste in my mouth a little as Abraham Lincoln once said. I understand it. We both want the job because we want to make this country better. But the John McCain I knew--the John McCain all of you knew for all those years--well, now he's about to be the nominee of his party. That party wants him to make some changes. He once defied his party on immigration, but now he toes the party line. He once defied his party on tax cuts for the wealthy in this country, but now he toes the party line. He once defied his party on offshore drilling, but now he toes the party line. And he's always toed the party line by denying to women the right to choose, denying to all of us the kind of Supreme Court Justices we need, and denying to all of us the great gift that Franklin Roosevelt gave this country, the gift of Social Security. The other day, he called our Social Security system, the covenant we make between young and old in America, a "disgrace" [yep, he said it]. A disgrace! No wonder he wanted George Bush to privatize Social Security. Now, now, his plan suggests he'll balance the budget through "reform" [scornful voice], "reform" of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. We know what that means. Now, don't get me wrong--we need to make these programs better, we need to change them so that all Americans can be confident they'll get their benefits, we need to keep this covenant. But when that party talks about "reform"? We've seen that movie. And we know sequels are always worse than originals. If you can imagine that.  

John McCain is now a party man--and for the last eight years, that party has been wrong for America and wrong for the world. We can do better. We can all do better, Democrat and Republican and Independent, white,  black and brown, old and young, rich and poor, we can all do better. And when we all do better, America does better. That's why I'm running for President of the United States.

Tie McCain to his party. Every poll shows that Democrats hold a huge advantage on most issues. People agree with the Democrats. So, wrap McCain in that party banner. Make sure that everyone understands that, if you elect McCain, you elect that party's policies. He's no maverick. Not now. 

Comments

[dhawhee]

omg, he so needs to hire you.