Barack Obama in South Carolina on January 27th, 2008:
We are up against the idea that it’s acceptable to say anything and do anything to win an election. We know that this is exactly what’s wrong with our politics; this is why people don’t believe what their leaders say anymore; this is why they tune out. And this election is our chance to give the American people a reason to believe again.
Obama's victory speech in South Carolina happens to be my favorite speech that he has given in this long campaign. I think he delivered a clear and powerful message that stuck with voters. The above excerpt is part of that message and I think it needs to be brought back in full force.
Some of the bold faced lies of the McCain/Palin ticket are finally being acknowledged to some degree in the traditional media. The public, IMO, is getting the message that Palin supported the Bridge to Nowhere. They are realizing that she has been more than eager to fill Alaska's coffers with earmarks. Yes, there are many more lies to uncover. I would like the media to disprove: "Obama never passed bi-partisan/meaningful legislation" and "Obama will raise your taxes."
Exposing the lies, however, is not enough. Americans know that politicians lie, they expect it. Policy distortions and inconsistencies are not the silver bullet. Beyond exposing the lies, Obama needs to expose the liars. He needs to draw the line from the lies to the motivation and strategy behind the lies.
We are up against the idea that it’s acceptable to say anything and do anything to win an election. We know that this is exactly what’s wrong with our politics; this is why people don’t believe what their leaders say anymore; this is why they tune out. And this election is our chance to give the American people a reason to believe again.
This meme was devastating to Hillary Clinton in the primary. Through this filter, every attack and every mistep she made was viewed as a nefarious attempt to mislead voters and promote her personal ambitions.
Apply this meme to McCain/Palin! Sen. Obama, surrogates and supporters, repeat after me, "They will say and do anything to win!"
If the message sticks, its the universal comeback. Its the trump card. When 527s attack, when McCain distorts Obama's record, when McCain '08 contradicts McCain '00, when Palin misrepresents her own record... "They will say and do anything to win."
Low information voters aren't likely to learn the specifics of Obama's tax plan. They won't grasp the hypocrisy of Palin's earmark record. They won't read every factcheck and defense of attacks on Obama. But they can understand the concept of lying, distorting and flip-flopping through the filter of "anything to win."
The point isn't that McCain/Palin is lying. The point is they need to lie and they exploit the cynicism of voters to get away with it.
McCain has flipped on a dozen positions because he thinks you don't care. He wants you tuned out.
He paints himself as a reformer despite the fact that he's been a George Bush clone. He says he'll regulate the fanancial market despite the fact that he and his advisors have been deregulating for twenty years. He says he'll fight lobbyists despite the fact that his political team has made millions lobbying for big business and foreign contries. He does this because he thinks you don't care. He wants you tuned out.
He has now hired into his campaign the man who smeared his family 8 years ago. There is no limit to how low McCain can go to try and win this election. Its because decades of Karl Rove politics have lowered the bar to the point where the public expects it. Demand more from your president. Demand more from the system.
A candidate who will say and do anything to win will be a President who will say and do anything to line the pockets of lobbyists and big business, keep power in the hands of the few at the expense of the many and even draw us into unnecessary war. A candidate who is willing to sell his soul for an election will be a President who is willing to sell the soul of the Nation.
Now, usually I'm a bit skeptical of the armchair campaign advisor, and I admit to being guilty of it here. I just think this is a powerful narrative that the campaign would be well served to grab onto sooner, rather than later.