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MOVING AMERICA - WHAT MCCAIN NEEDS TO DO FOR THE COUNTRY

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MONDAY OCTOBER 13, 2008
 

MOVING AMERICA --
WHAT JOHN MCCAIN NEEDS TO DO FOR THE COUNTRY NOW

John McCain’s patriotism and his love for this country are beyond dispute. 

One might otherwise conclude from his campaign and debate performances to date that the candidate-in-chief has begun to lose heart.  This would be out of character for John McCain – or for any patriot who appreciates the serious risks attendant an Obama presidency.

[Emphasis here is on “risk”.  The Junior Senator from Illinois is a promising orator with questionable associations and chameleon rhetoric over time. Many democrats of my acquaintance – at least those over 45 – would prefer somebody like Hillary or a hypothetical 50 year old Obama with a longer record.]  

No, the Arizona Senator has not lost his love of country, his character or his senses.  I suspect that he’s just tired to the bone from the long campaign. I think that in his state of fatigue he is losing the patience, clarity and focus that the battle situation now demands of him. Too bad for the country… if true.

We will know by Thursday morning whether John McCain, the tough, battle tested warrior, is still in the game.  Nothing less than that original model John McCain will do at this critical juncture. The country deserves no less than John McCain’s best.

PART ONE -- THE HANDICAP

Obama’s slide in the polls was driven by exposure and Obama adoration fatigue.  The slide has been reversed. The economic panic has driven public opinion towards the Obama candidacy by a large margin. But the panic will subside – as all panics do.  If the panic subsides in time, a new factor will surface, one now obscured by the fog of fear.  This is a factor that will favor John McCain; it was exposed in the post-debate poll finding by the respected Scott Rasmussen organization.

“Thursday, October 09, 2008


“Voters say Barack Obama beat John McCain in Tuesday night’s presidential debate 45% to 28%, but they also think McCain is better prepared to be president than Obama by an 11-point margin.


“Sixty-one percent (61%) say McCain is prepared to be president, while 50% feel that way about Obama.”
 

Here’s the link: http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/voters_say_obama_won_debate_mccain_more_prepared_to_be_president  
If I am right, John McCain is only temporarily tainted by association with the Bush administration on economic issues. It is by default that Obama is doing so well, because the Illinois senator is seen as “good enough.”  
 

I believe that the picture of McCain as “erratic” will be forgotten if McCain delivers a strong, steady debate performance on Wednesday, October 15th.
 

And the picture of Obama as “good enough” will change in McCain’s favor as the crisis-smoke clears…


PART TWO -- THE OPENING


Wednesday’s debate will be the staging ground for McCain’s recovery, or the pre-burial funeral for his campaign.
These are the three main variables that will affect the debate:
 

[A] A credible economic recovery plan: 


Since McCain is more plausibly prepared for the presidency than the junior senator from Illinois, he can gain the upper ground by crisply outlining a path to recovery, one that contains in sufficient detail some key differences with Obama’s approach.
Even if the two candidates’ plans have many similar elements, McCain can present as more competent and presidential in their implementation because he is already more prepared to be president in the minds of 61% of the voters.
 

But any McCain plan needs to be bought together in a single, crisp paragraph, stated with confidence, specificity and clarity. Part Four below, is a hypothetical sample of “The Speech”. My intent was to illustrate a style and approach – not necessarily the content – of a speech that should work very well for McCain.
 

BUT NOTE: the debate is the last possible moment for something new like this to be trotted out…


[B] Economic stabilization:


This is partly outside McCain’s control. As a candidate, he really needs the economic situation to move from a crisis to the familiar pattern of a traditional, if severe, downturn -- because everyone knows that such a downturn is always followed by a recovery.  If this shift takes place in time (i.e., before Halloween), there will be enough psychological room for voters to focus on all of the problematic elements in the Obama biography before voting. In the meantime, a credible McCain plan will help.


[C] A vital, reassuring debate performance:


All other things equal, undecided voters who watch the debate can be persuaded by the right chemistry. Assuming that I’ve read message hidden in the polls correctly – and I believe that I have – if John McCain can demonstrate the clarity, focus and the simultaneous command of detail and big picture that Americans expect of a leader in tough times he can win this debate and the presidency. 


But a debate performance remembered for its fog-ball generalities and incomplete thoughts just won’t cut it.  If John McCain fails to follow openings and opportunities (like the ones he missed in the last debate) with bright line clarity and fire-in-the-gut passion, he will probably doom his campaign.

 

 

PART THREE -- THE FOCUS


The first fifteen minutes will matter the most.
 

Ideally, John McCain needs to land at least one blow that rocks Obama back on his heels in the early rounds, and then ruthlessly press the advantage for the next hour. 
Knockout punch or not, energy, passion and clarity can win the day – and nothing short of that will be good enough.

 
McCain and his supporters believe that this election is of epochal importance to the nation.  Senator McCain, who loves this country more than any other prominent national politician, must effectively communicate that special sense of mission, occasion and purpose through the force of his performance on Wednesday.  In other words, he must use the final debate on October 15th to demonstrate his energy, passion and clarity. His keen sense of occasion and purpose and situational command must obvious to the viewer -- it won’t be enough just to say it.
 

This means that John McCain, the candidate, must summon all his battle instincts - the clarity, guts, skill and sense of direction of a warrior pilot. 
 

This mission requires all of the laser-like focus, attention, intelligence and skill that Navy jet pilots routinely use to make safe carrier landings in stormy seas in wartime -- and a peacetime leader’s ability to communicate, clarify and motivate. 
 

John McCain has met at least one challenge of this magnitude before. The American people need to know that he can do it once again at 72. 
 

Former Commander McCain understands that no crash on deck is allowed and that, on the 15th, there will “waive off” and no second try.


PART FOUR -- THE KEY MESSAGE – MOVING AMERICA


[To Senator McCain and his advisors: the candidate’s preparation includes REST. You are free to borrow from this piece without attribution.]

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When landing on an aircraft carrier or rebuilding after a disaster, timing is everything.

This is not a time for the audacity of rhetoric. THIS is the time for the audacity of action

THIS is the time for clarity of purpose and heavy lifting, for the bold accomplishments that will astound the world and remind fellow Americans who we really are -- a nation of makers, builders and doers.

Yes we need to stabilize the credit markets and renew confidence in lending institutions.  That is happening already and the flow of money and credit will get steadily better over the coming weeks.

But our problems will not be fixed by moving “financial paper”.  We need to move American steel, brick, copper, aluminum, uranium, petroleum, natural gas, and solar panels. We need to build American power lines and power plants and to rebuild American factories.

We are at the crossroads between high rhetoric and bold action. I choose action.

There is one action we must take first:

In January 2009, we must immediately begin a total energy makeover.

We need to rebuild the electric power grid just as President Eisenhower rebuilt the highway grid in the 1950’s. When we start relying on electric current for our highway transportation needs, the current grid will fail.  The new grid must be capable of carrying unprecedented electric loads and it must be made more secure and stable. We need to start right away.

I have already proposed building 50 new nuclear power plants. That was too modest. We must build 200 as fast as resources permit. And we need to establish a security system worthy of a 21st century nuclear-electric economy.

Grids, power plants, new cars, and new factories:  The pace of construction will be calibrated to drive unemployment down to its lowest practical limits.

And that is to be the measure of our sacrifice. We will sacrifice the easy life and subsidized idleness, a culture of over consumption and under-employment. American talent is a national security asset. We must not, cannot afford to waste it.

We will do this for the America that we love and for our children. And we need to move our children from the easy to the challenging courses of study, and from rote study to knowledge and skill, from knowledge and skill to graduation, and from graduation to productive, full time jobs.

We can and will do all of this -- and more -- because we love America.  And because now is the time.

I ask all Americans of vision and honesty to join me in leading the way. I promise not be deterred or sidetracked by partisan bickering.  Country comes first. I will never, never give up on America.

There is a time for everything in life. The time for lofty speeches is over. It is high time to get America moving again.

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jbg

Posted by U2RGood on October 12, 2008 02:56 PM |


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