The Real Swift Boat.

What is the definition of insanity? To do something over and over again and expect a different result, right?

How about to respond gently and dismissive to a media machine that knows how to create sound bytes, alter the story and shift the focus? That would be insane, right? Given that it would be the third time in a row that a democrat made that his response.

Isn’t that what we were hoping Barack Obama would NOT do? Isn’t he supposed to be savvy and smart and “get it”? Then why is he fumfering through answers on Olbermann and O’Reilly? Why isn’t he reclaiming his Change mantra?

It isn’t enough to laugh at their tactics to a crowd of fellow-thinkers. Obama needs to call the liars on the carpet when they don’t tell the truth. Not act as though he (and, subsequently, we) are above the fray.

We are. We are better than that.

The trouble is, the focused targets of the message, the disenfranchised evangelicals and sockey moms, are not. They like being in power. They like being right. And the new McCain message plays right to that.

It will stick. If we let it.

We can’t sit around waiting for Swift Boat ads. You know why?

Because Sarah Palin IS the swift boat.

The conversation isn’t about health care. It isn’t about the economy. It isn’t about issues. But, most importantly, it isn’t about MCCAIN.

Not anymore.

“They didn’t want to run against Muskie. Look who they’re running against….”
Have we learned nothing in 30+ years? Why don’t you dig out that old VHS copy of All The President’s Men and bone up on how these people work? Because nothing has changed.

The Republicans, in a masterstroke, have changed the conversation. They have used advertising, doublespeak, lies, theatrics, and made it happen.
All we are talking about is this kooky governor. This would be fine if:
A) She were running for president. She’s not, so she’s not the story.
B) We were talking about her in regards to the poor, desperate decision making of a would be president.
But we’re not. We’re in love with the narrative. And we need to stop because we are going to lose. And I think that this election is dangerously important. Obama represents everything that the other side does not: hope, intelligence, charisma, world-view, unity. If he loses then what chance do we really have?
How can the third lowest ranking Annapolis grad beat out the first African American on the Harvard Law Review? What has happened to our country?

I have a message for Barack.

Yo, Barry. I WANT to volunteer. I did phone banking just the other day. I want to go in there and fight for you. But you gotta fight for me. For us. You gotta find a way to shut this down. You said you know how to throw a jab or two when it’s needed.
Do it.

In the end they will be talking about how Sarah Palin changed the conversation, the democrats never got traction because they didn’t respond in time or in kind and, years from now, your position as Law Professor at some Ivy League school will trump your status as the man who almost changed the world.

Damn it, man. Make me want to canvas. Make me WANT to fight for you! I’m so tired of losing to this. If we lost to the better person, great, I demur. But we are losing to Mad Men. We are losing to better branding. They are turning us into New Coke when it is clear that they are the old Coke in a different can.

My head is spinning. I saw a comment on some blog the other day imploring the same thing and adding, “Don’t make Jon Stewart do all the heavy lifting.”

He’s right. But you can take something from Jon. Take that side by side comparison of the acceptance speech last week and Bush’s ’00 speech. The one where the two of them were saying THE EXACT SAME THINGS. That will hammer your message home. That will shut down the “McCain as change” argument. Because how can you argue with it?

It’s their own words.

Use them. Do it now. Before it’s too late.