Campaign Shenanigans

As this election trudges forward both campaigns are trying tactics to subconsciously move the American electorate. The mark of a good campaign is employing these tactics as a part of larger strategies (and just to be clear Obama, tactics and strategies are different things). Be prepared to be inundated as we move ever closer to November, here is what the campaigns are going to try.

“Look If He’s Driving The Car, Get Off The Sidewalk”- This is what Obama’s communication guy, Robert Gibbs, said this morning about John McCain on Morning Joe. Do you think this phrase was picked by accident? The Obama campaign is doing their best to paint John McCain as a crazy old geezer who is going to recklessly destroy the country, until of course he dies after a few months in office and then were left with “the lipstick on a pig” Sarah Palin.

The Obama campaign is using Chicago thug tactics to paint McCain as unfit, and its not going to work. People know John McCain is old, but by talking about it and turning it into a blatant campaign partisan issue you are only hurting your own campaign. What you are doing is transparent and therefore silly. If it is this easy to see through your campaign tactics then you are not running a very good campaign.

Deliberately Downplaying Sarah Palin- I’m beginning to have a theory about Sarah Palin and why she has been doing a bit poorly in interviews, I think its by design. Look the reason the pundits thought Obama “won” the debate (which I think is nonsense) is because McCain “didn’t win it large enough”. I believe Joe Biden is going to have this very same problem.

Joe Biden is expected to wipe the floor with her in the debate, but I think the pundits will be in for a bit of a surprise. When McCain first unveiled Palin and she gave that great introductory speech followed by the terrific convention speech, she clearly wasn’t in a “underdog” position. If Sarah Palin delivers another convention style performance at the debate, Obama is toast, but in order to retain the maximum effect her expectations must be low. I think what has looked like a poor strategy on the outside, may in fact turn out to be genius by Friday. But this all depends on Governor Palin.


Final Thoughts- What is interesting me most right now are the undertones of the campaign, these stories are not talked about widely but have significant subconscious impact. While most bloggers and American’s are tuned into the bailout crisis, what I am most interested in is the political impact of events and it is too soon to judge who this bailout benefits. Expect a story from me on the impact of the bailout after the hype has died down. So now I leave it to you readers, I illustrated the subconscious tactics and strategies I’m seeing, what are you noticing? Until next time…