Let me begin with an analogy.
Remember Joe Lieberman?
haha. Of course.
But do you remember how some people - including some on this very site -said "no way he will run as an independent."
Then, remember how some people - including some here - worked under the assumption that he'd be at least a passable Democratic senator?
Now, there are lots of Democrats right now who assume that Hillary will suspend her campaign when the Math becomes impossible - sometime between May 31st and June 7th or so.
It won't happen. That has been diaried on here often, by the likes of EmperorHadrian and RenaRF. All I will say is that past behavior is the best indicator of future behavior. She won't quit. She will soon remind us that superdelegates - hell, even pledged delegates - don't vote until the convention.
What I haven't seen yet is this discussion: What will Obama and his supporters need to do between now and Denver to beat McCain?
Follow me over the jump.
So Hillary is going to take this to the convention and it isn’t going to be pretty. I hope I'm wrong, but I doubt it.
Thus, we need to prepare for attacks from Hillary and her supporters, as well as attacks by McCain. Remember that Hillary doesn't really need money for this part of the "campaign", just willing TV networks, newspapers, blogs, and pundits. There is no shortage of those.
So, two things I'd like to see from Obama:
- Be uber-respectful of Hillary's desire to go to convention. Remind people of the precedent of previous candidates who have gone to convention, such as Ted Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, etc. This will help unity. Don't alienate the dead-enders. That being said - lay the smack down when attacked with lies.
- Go fully against McCain. He is the opponent now. A bit of work might be needed to shore up delegates, and to counter HRC's lies with facts. But otherwise - Focus on McCain. Hit him hard. Campaign everywhere especially at first. Make actions equal words when it comes to the 50-state strategy.
Five or so things I'd like to see from Obama supporters:
- Counter the Lies. Sadly, there's still going to be a lot of vitriol from the Hill Bloggers and a lot of dishonesty from the Clinton camp. There will be smears from Clinton and McCain. Although some will call for going easy for the sake of unity, for the love of God Call bullshit when you see it! Don't insult. Don't act like Susan Hu. That is playing into their game. Rather use facts and logic to counteract these claims - even if it seems like it isn't going anywhere. Have faith in the truth.
- Don't say "I won't vote for Hillary". This hurts unity. Again, saying this allows for the underlying assumption that she might win this thing. Secondly, it makes the Hillary dead-enders feel more justified in saying "I won’t vote for Obama."
- Get behind voter registration. HARD!! The vote for change initiative from Obama is just freaking awesome. Go out and register people, make phone calls, and make the Obama organization even better!
- Rail Against McCain. Don't legitimatize Clinton by acting as if she can steal the nomination. Don't open the door to give them hope. And go hard against McCain, his lobbyist ties, his insane Iraq plan, and a lifetime of lies and support of bullshit policies.
- Don't talk about age. This is a more minor point, but I think McCain's age is a losing issue. With the wealth of things to attack him on, there is no need to risk a backlash from folks who may think this is ageist. McCain's inherent unfitness to be president - including his "misstatements" - has nothing to do with age in and of itself.
These are some general thoughts. What say you? What needs to be done to keep Obama on track to be the next president?