2008 Primaries, Branding Politix, Leadership, Messaging, Speeches • September 3rd, 2008

RNC: Day 1.5

by Chris Lato

It was an odd, and oddly compelling night of political theater in the Twin Cities.

Last night, I chose to watch PBS for the run-up to the prime time coverage, then tuned in to CBS and Katie Couric. Last week, NBC was my network of choice for the DNC.

Perhaps I should have watched the same network to conduct a fairer assessment of tone, but I was amazed as the persistence with which Couric pursued attack lines of questioning about VP nominee Sarah Palin. The DNC did not receive the same level of tough questioning from NBC in the coverage I saw. That is not an apples-to-apples comparison but it is now abundantly clear that certain segments of the press are really out to get Palin. The idea of Palin potentially being the next vice president is really riling some people up. We shall see whether she rises to the challenge as the top speaker tonight.

That said, the speeches Tuesday night were relatively low-key. President Bush delivered his address via satellite and focused on McCain, instead of trying to polish up his own record. Laura Bush, by all accounts a charming First Lady, offered a somewhat halting speech.

Then came Fred Thompson, which led me to wonder again why he flamed out in the primaries. I hadn’t made up my mind about who to vote for but was leaning toward Thompson, and his eloquent support of McCain was well done.

And then there was Joe Lieberman. I questioned the wisdom of putting Lieberman on in prime time, and I definitely think McCain dodged a bullet by not picking Lieberman as his running mate.

Initially, the crowd seemed understandably reluctant to embrace Lieberman. After all, this guy was (is?) a Democrat, the VP nominee in 2000 alongside Al Gore. He now calls himself independent, but also referred to himself as a Dem during the speech.

But what a speech. No one would accuse Lieberman of being a ball of fire on the stump, but his wholehearted embrace of McCain and repudiation of Obama’s candidacy had to have at least a few top Democrats reaching for the Pepto-Bismol. At the very least, Lieberman’s very direct appeals to the viewers at home had to touch a few fence-sitters out there. Democrats supporting Republicans…dogs and cats living together…mass hysteria!

All told, the RNC didn’t offer the same intensity level as the DNC in terms of rhetorical flourish, but the drama is there and there will be plenty more where that came from.

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2008 Primaries, Branding Politix, Views on News • August 21st, 2008

The hazards of a ‘unity ticket’

by Chris Lato

Gulp.

I would like to think this talk is all a smokescreen, and that John McCain would never actually pick Joe Lieberman as a running mate. I still believe that is the case, and that McCain will make a different choice. I can think of at least five others off the top of my head that would be better selections.

I have written a lot about McCain’s independence, and that is one reason why he has a legitimate shot at winning.

But McCain/Lieberman (A.K.A. the Grumpy Old White Guys ticket – Democrats, help yourselves to that one) would just anger a lot of people. It would really be a sharp stick in the eye at a time when McCain’s connections to the conservative base in particular are tenuous.

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2008 Primaries, Views on News • May 23rd, 2008

The summer of Dem discontent approaches

by Chris Lato

To everyone who wrote off Hillary Clinton (me included) – this story will give you pause and then make you wonder how the Dems will get out of this fine mess they’ve gotten themselves into.

Can some of the same folks who argued in 2000 that Al Gore should have been president because he won the popular vote turn around eight years later and argue that the popular vote doesn’t matter? Will Florida be disenfranchised yet again?The mind reels.

First, Hillary has to deliver as the article suggests she can. Also, the goofiness of the Florida and Michigan votes will have to play a role.

But really, this just muddies the waters even more. And with Barack Obama flailing around, trying to find his way on foreign policy and showing off his relative inexperience, this promises to be a long, hot summer for the Democratic Party.

The Obama story, in particular, illustrates the dangers of sounding off without thinking first, without having the facts in front of you, without noting that your answer is a work in progress, something to indicate your concern but that a more complete answer will be forthcoming. The snowball just keeps rolling downhill, getting bigger and bigger till it rolls right over you.

But in an age where admitting a mistake is tantamount to political suicide, and a soundbite can sink a campaign, what other choice does Obama have?

Actually, it can be done but it requires strict message discipline and a willingness to step up and admit, at the very least, that Obama didn’t fully form his initial answer(s). Acknowledge the issue is more complex than a simple yes-or-no answer, past statements may have been misconstrued, and that American interests would of course be protected when meeting with foreign leaders who have the potential or interest in doing America any sort of harm. The end goal is always peace and prosperity for all, but the concerns of America and its allies will always come first.

Or something like that.

That won’t get away from the questions that continue to linger, including Obama’s support of the ridiculous notion of unconditional meetings with unfriendly foreign leaders, but at least it starts pointing Obama in the right direction. It gives him room to keep developing his answer and gain some ground.

Obama intended to pander to the members of the Bush-bashing left who view the president as a dim-bulb cowboy - but Obama overreached and will now have to pay the price for that short-sightedness and naivete.

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2008 Primaries, Leadership, Views on News • April 3rd, 2008

Filling the silly season void

by Chris Lato

Some random musings, as there’s a big lull in national political coverage right now, with everyone waiting to see what the next round of primaries will bring.

With that lull comes the usual silly-season stuff: who will John McCain pick as a running mate? (At this point, who knows? Certainly not John McCain.) Will Al Gore sneak into the 2008 Presidential contest and save the Democratic Party (and by extension, The World As We Know It)?

And this story, while not surprising, offers more insight into the, shall we say, insistent behavior of Sen. Hillary Clinton and the former president.

Meanwhile, the Dems are worried, with good reason, about the image being conveyed by all this bitter in-fighting. As the thinking goes, if the party can’t unite and show decisive leadership, how can they lead the nation? Howard Dean gets a lot of credit for turning around the financial situation of his party, but if the presidential nomination thing crashes and burns in front of a national audience, he will have to take the hit.

And, for the truly geeky among us, check out this article that presents a scenario in which Clinton could win the popular vote in the primary. Some people truly have too much time on their hands.

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