Frank Rich on What Obama Needs To Do Before It's Too Late

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Frank Rich's column was sobering and very inspiring to me today. He made these excellent points at the end:

...Obama’s most important tactic is still the one he has the most trouble executing. He must convey a roll-up-your-sleeves Bobby Kennedy passion for the economic crises that are at the heart of the fears that Palin is trying to exploit. The Republican ticket offers no answers to those anxieties. Drilling isn’t going to lower gas prices or speed energy independence. An increase in corporate tax breaks isn’t going to end income inequality, provide health care or save American jobs in a Palin presidency any more than they did in a Bush presidency.

This election is still about the fierce urgency of change before it’s too late. But in framing this debate, it isn’t enough for Obama to keep presenting McCain as simply a third Bush term. Any invocation of the despised president — like Iraq — invites voters to stop listening. Meanwhile, before our eyes, McCain is turning over the keys to his administration to ideologues and a running mate to Bush’s right.

As Republicans know best, fear does work. If Obama is to convey just what’s at stake, he must slice through the campaign’s lipstick jungle and show Americans the real perils that lie around the bend.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/opinion/14rich.html?_r=2&pagewanted=print

If I had Rich's eloquence, I'd be a columnist myself, but I offer these thoughts anyway:

The GOP are masters at stirring up primal fears within their base, if not the public, on a daily basis and especially during Presidential campaigns. Even more than usual, they're pulling out all the stops to win this and one of their tactics is lying.

We have the most powerful message to communicate to the American people, and we don't have to resort to lies or distortions. But our communication must be courageous and direct.

Let's face it - much of our society has evolved from supporting "the Common Good" to individualistic concerns. Those who still care about "The Commons" are already tuned into its importance. Other decent people whose goals in life have been affected by reliance on "free-market" ideology are apathetic about losing our democracy. Mainly, the general public is unaware that their true economic well-being is related to the well-being of others and a sense of community.

One thing that wakes me up & gets me angry is after realizing I've been played, manipulated, or ripped-off. It's time to awaken a Righteous Outrage from those who will listen to the truth. Two years ago, millions of Americans finally realized they'd been lied into a war and voted accordingly. Time for Obama-Biden to remind the public that they're still being lied to. By doing that, Obama can still motivate people to take control of their lives again and urge them to stop being manipulated by the actual war machine & the manufactured cultural wars.

There are also LOADS of examples of when the GOP accuses us of things they themselves are guilty of. Getting that message out is essential because it re-directs the guilt back to the perpetrator and it educates the public that they've been lied to. Too many people don't realize they've been lied to in practically every which way possible, before it's too late.Our "Fellow Americans" need to know the extent of how much our country has been misled and destroyed, and how McCain-Palin (and their entire party) will surely lead us to utter disaster. We can't afford even 4 more months of Republican rule, let alone 4 more years, and we have less than 2 months to wake up American minds with that message.

It's great that Obama does keep his cool in a way that McCain does not. But Obama& his advisors have been too cautious about his appearing to be an "angry black man." As a result, he may well appear to be somewhat detached and therefore people may not believe that he cares about them. (We may know that he does, but apparently his "coolness" could be misinterpred on an unconscious level.) Obama, Biden and all who agree with us need to be passionate enough about our country and our democracy that people may say to themselves, "He/they may be of a different race or gender than I am, but I sense that they relate to me and to my problems.

Also, we can't affort to spend our time and energy on DU debating whether or not the Corporate Media will allow our message to be spread. Who knows - maybe they will, but it's sure that it'll never be heard if we don't go ahead and hammer away at our message.

It's really not an exaggeration that the world is literally depending on Democrats to be courageous and preserve what's left of "We the people"!

(Edited for grammar)

[jimshoes]

1. Issues. Define them, stay on them,

forget about lipstick and pancakes, they are the distractions. Hit them with what they fear the most. Their record for the last 8 years.

[bigtree]

2. Rich is a great guy and a great writer, but he's just rearranging what Obama's already doing

and presenting it as new (backseat driving) strategy.

He'd do more good if he'd stay focused on his own estate and find a way to ramp up the fact checking and truth telling from his media peers.

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3. I agree with half of what you say.

I agree that some of his peers need to work on that.

But Rich is right to remind Obama of this strategy because Palin's presence has been a huge distraction that the Obama campaign MUST get a handle on. If Obama's doing everything right, then he needs to do more of it, because the media and writers like Rich and Lakoff are urging him to get back on course. If not, then Palin dominates and overshadows all the news and our message doesn't get heard.

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4. A shameless kick!