Can the Obama Campaign Shape the Agenda?

[KoKo]

Interesting view whether one agrees or disagrees...still interesting.

Can the Obama Campaign Shape the Agenda?
By Theda Skocpol - June 26, 2008, 8:05AM

Although Obama seems to be "up" in current national polls, McCain is actually doing a much better job of shaping the agenda to his advantage. He has used strong symbols (it does not matter if they are "gimmicks") to portray himself as activist on gas prices and the environment and put apparent distance between himself and Bush. And he has managed to paint Obama as an ordinary schemer on campaign finance. Abetted by the media's proclivity for dramatic gestures and horse race analysis, the McCain camp has done what it needs to portray their man as a fighting underdog focused on real-world issues. Meanwhile, Obama's "economic tour" has gone little noticed -- and his campaign seems not to understand how very difficult it will be to get the media to convey the economic stakes in this election to ordinary voters.

Baldly put, the last two weeks leave me wondering if Obama's campaign is prepared for the general election battle. Here are my questions:

* Why did the Obama people roll out his abandonment of the "public" finance system without simultaneously orchestrating many prominent surrogates to attack McCain's abuse of that system in the primaries -- and highlight McCain's stated unwillingness to rein in 527s on his side? They allowed the narrative to become his flip-flop and, perhaps even worse, the expectation that his campaign would amass a huge bankroll.

* Why has the Obama campaign allowed elite big money fundraisers, mock presidential seals and press conferences, and arrogant-sounding Axelrod interviews and Plouffe strategy seminars to dominate media coverage of him at the very moment the press/McCain criticisms of the public finance maneuvers were at their peak? Obama comes across as over-confident, rich, and acting like he is claiming a victory the voters have not given to him. He plays right into the Republican narrative that he is both inexperienced and overweening.

* Why are the Clintons again at the fore of coverage of the campaign and the Democrats? Unity events are fine, but why play into all the stuff about paying off Hillary's vendors, propitiating her donors, and messaging Bill's ego? To be sure, the Clinton camp and media pundits are largely responsible here, but the Democrats and Obama need to get the agenda elsewhere fast. Clearly, the Clinton drama never goes away, but Obama needs to come up with a way to keep it from swallowing him.

* Why isn't Obama getting his economic message across with a few bold symbolic gestures -- eyecatching programs (not necessarily really new) that he uses to feature what he proposes on gas prices, college access, family leave, etc? This whole area needs much more thought. The elite media find it boring and irrelevant to talk about the huge distributional consequences of an election like this -- after all, most of them are rich and spend time talking to other rich folks and insider "analysts" -- yet ordinary voters have to be able to wrap their minds around specific examples of what Obama and Demcorats can do to make life better. It up to Democrats to use eye-catching moves and message discipline (lots of surrogates at once) to get specific messages through on the economy. So far, little effectiveness here, yet this is what Democrats should have going for them in this election!

Overall, it has the feel so far that the Obama camp thinks it can use its primary tactics to shape and win the general election. This is misplaced hubris and poor thinking. It will not work, though the media will cooperate every step of the way: crowning him prematurely, mocking his overconfidence, reporting on Hollywood events and magazine covers, and focusing on side-debates and foreign policy, with taxes as the only economic issue getting any visibility. The message-control dangers for any reform Democrat are actually just as great in this election as they have been for the past two decades. Obama can easily lose.

Creative thinking about better agenda-control needs to happen now, in his campaign, in the DNC, and in the Congressional leadership. Too much attention is focused on fighting the last war, preparing to avoid the Swift-boating-type attacks Kerry lost in August 2004, rather than on shaping this war, which is a new one on different but equally tough terrain! This election is an agenda-shaping war to focus on real-life economic concerns and convince ordinary voters that Obama and the Democrats CAN make a difference for them. If they don't believe that, voters, especially older ones, will take the safe course and install McCain for a while.

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/06/26/can_the_obama_campaign_shape_t/

[blondeatlast]

1. The m$m is shaping the agenda and the Obama campaign is handling it very well. nt

[KoKo]

2. It's still an interesting read...maybe some will read it....n/t

[dkf]

3. I very much agree. Frankly, it is making me feel a little dismayed.

And the Clinton sideshow is turning into another circus...ala Bitter Bill and his desire to have his butt kissed.

All of that makes Obama look smaller. I can see that his desire to spend McCain into the ground is beginning to become a little too much of a priority in my eyes.

I also don't see why he didn't learn the lesson that spending an arm and a leg won't win elections.

Lastly, it looks to me like he is focusing on unity with Hillary as his best pathway to funds, instead of making his supporters happy and enthused about donations by being strong on FISA.

[KoKo]

4. I don't know how it will all come out...but he's at a crucial point...

where he needs to make a "transition." Sadly the transition his campaign has decided to make was to throw many of his supporters "under the bus." We have to hope that he has others in his campaign that might mediate this message.

I thought it was an interesting article in that it's cautionary but not "strident." :shrug:

Obama is threading through a needle. He needs to reign his campaign in on trashing his left as "Lunatics Left" (as RW Rag POLTICO, calls us) while still working to get the "Indies" he needs to get elected. His "Campaign Ops" might be more agressive in trashing the "Left of Rightwing" than he is...but he's not "stepping up to the plate" to moderate that message. He needs to work on this to get back some flagging support on his Center/Left Flank.

[dkf]

5. Yes, but look at Bob Barr...FISA is not a left or right issue or it shouldn't be.

I'm beginning to see that the telecom issue is just part of the problem. Barr quoted Ayn Rand who said something along the lines of...without privacy from government there is no freedom.

That was pretty heavy.