Ric Perlstein: St. Paul/Parting Thoughts (Don't Worry About Obama, people)

[DinahMoeHum]

(cross-posted from ourfuture.org)
http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2008093708/st-paul-parting-thoughts

The editorial summarizes a discussion Ric Perlstein had with Bernie Horn, the author of Framing the Future - How Progressive Values Can Win Elections and Influence People
http://www.amazon.com/Framing-Future-Progressive-Elections-Influence/dp/1576754596/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220880270&sr=1-1

(snip)
Bernie pointed out something interesting. (Sarah Palin's speech)...was an unusual speech to hear at a national convention. At least since 2000 and Bush's feint towards "compassionate conservatism," the (very effective) Republican strategy is to aim their conventions at persuadable swing voters. That's what I expected myself: shot after shot after shot, on the Big Brother video screen, of windmills followed by black children followed by more windmills. Sarah would present herself as the snuggly and safe face of Republican warm-and-fuzziness. Instead, of course, she was out for blood, matching phrase for phrase the nastiest extrusion of Spiro Agnew ca. 1970.

The question is why.

My hypothesis was this: conservatives have been in power so long they've lost the ability to see where there own parochial rhetoric ends, and the vernacular begins. It was unintentional: they no longer know how to speak "ordinary American," much like Democrats allegedly had trouble speaking in the American grain in the bad old days of the 1970s. They only know how to talk to themselves.

Bernie had another idea: that it was entirely intentional.

Either way, things don't look good for the conservatives. Because, as Bernie pointed out, if they still feel like they have to consolidate their base even during the traditional season for reaching out to the center, that means they are badly behind in their strategy. And I pointed out that, if true, this is quite a triumph for Barack Obama's strategy. This year the Democratic presidential campaign has constructed its game plan, for the first time in generations, around the idea of mobilization. The idea that, by flushing out new voters, and contesting traditionally conservative states, they can rejigger the electoral map, instead of counting on squeaking by in a couple of key swing states like Ohio and Florida. This strategy would apparently have the Republicans running scared: they put Sarah Palin up there to put on a conservative get-out-the-vote strategy, trying to get back to square one of where the Republicans usually are by the time they pick their nominee. If they were confident, they'd be making their feints to the center. They're not confident: they agree that the game has changed.

Take heart, those depressed by the latest blips of the day-by-day polls: They're playing on our playing field for once. It's Barack Obama's world. John McCain is just living in it.
(snip)


:kick::kick:

[RoccoR5955]

1. I have been trying to tell people this, but...

...they can't seem to see it. The fifty state strategy is a great idea. By mobilizing as many people in as many small areas as possible, you force the other side to use more of their resources on 'battleground' states. It's all about being a good community organizer, flushing out the new people, and getting them out to vote. Getting the people out to vote is the key, because historically, the bigger the turnout, the more Democrats get elected.

[Demeter]

2. Obama Builds On Dean's Work

Making them both the founders of the New Democratic Party