John Kerry has had a god-awful August. Blame it on what you want: a lickspittle media, inattention due to the Olympics, the constant lies of the Swift Boat Slime Patrol, or the inability of his own campaign to get out a consistent message, but that was one egg-sucker of a month.
This is the home stretch, and the race is far from over, but as they said in my very brief boxing career, to be the champ, you have to beat the champ. Kerry can't expect to win this thing without landing some solid punches.
Here's how he can dance like a butterfly, sting like a bee, and come out smelling like a rose.
Don't react, redirect
Stupid and nonfactual as they have been, the Swift Boat ads have hurt Kerry. And while Zell Miller may have turned off as many voters as he won (God help us if the American people actually liked Zell), the standard Republican "flip flop" lines are also damaging. If Kerry keeps addressing these things one at a time, they'll keep them coming. Remember the guy that shoots at the ground in an old western and shouts "dance?" That's what the Republicans want, to keep Kerry dodging their bullets all the way to November. Instead, he needs to put on some bulletproof armor. Best of all, he needs to put on some armor that sends those bullets back to their origins. It goes like this:
All these personal attacks aren't about me, they're about my opponents. They have all the power, they're desperate to keep that power, and they'll say anything to hold onto it.
There. That's it. Apply variations on the theme, but don't get off that theme. Don't be lured down the path to shadow box these bozos. The more outrageous the claim, the harder you shove it back toward them. It's become a mantra that you have to address the facts behind these attacks. That's what the Republicans want you to believe. Truth is, facts have nothing to do with it. Kerry needs to stop putting his hands up to block the blows and turn the knife. And get off the "attacking my patriotism" line. It's a loser.
Don't attack, co-opt
If turning the attack around is how Kerry deals with the manure being slung in his direction, what does he need to fling back at Bush? Not what the party is pushing today, that's for sure. Face it: people already know Bush was a drunken frat boy draft dodger. They know he was a pampered rich kid. They know he's no Einstein. There is no win in emphasizing these things. None. And the more you try and make people feel like Bush is stupid and they're stupid for voting for him, the closer the ranks will pull. You may not understand it, but a lot of people in this country feel affection for Bush. When you attack him, you attack them indirectly. And it makes them hate you. However, you can pry voters free of Bush without making them think they're idiots.
Look, I don't think George Bush is stupid. I don't think he's evil. He's just wrong. And he's taking the country in the wrong direction.
The idea is not that Bush is Machiavelli gone mad, but a CEO who needs to be replaced before he runs the company into the ground. Some of the employees and shareholders might like his flare, but they have to keep their eye on the bottom line. What does every poll say, even the ones that put Bush in the lead? A sizable number of people consistently answer that they believe the country is heading in the wrong direction. Even Bush backers think so. You've been handed your ammo. Use it.
They sell steady. We sell skill.
The truth is, when it comes to the war, there's not going to be a huge difference in real proposals that Kerry can offer. But there's one big thing that he can offer in this area that Bush can't touch -- competence.
Under my command, our war on terror will be handled with skill and competence by people who will get the job done. We won't get sidetracked by side issues, and we won't take our eye off the ball. And if something goes wrong, people will be held accountable for their mistakes. In the Kerry White House, no one gets a free ride.
The one thing that Bush can't advocate is skill. The Bush marketing department pushes steady, calm, and steely, but they'd never try to package competence. Think of it as you would if you were trying to differentiate your store from a competitor's. What can we sell? Competence and responsibility. It's a good combo - and not least of all because responsibility is one of those things that the Republicans talk about, but never act on. Take "personal responsibility" out of their hands and make sure it belongs to brand Kerry.
Give the people what they want
Take the easy wins. Look, Bush has screwed up the economy so badly that doing some of the big things is going to be damn near impossible. It would be great to sell universal health care. It would be great to sell an salvaged and improved Social Security. Instead, Kerry should give the people the issues that can be delivered without sweating over the price tag. For example:
My administration will immediately lift the ban on researching the medical benefits of stem cells in order to create a new generation of cures.
Don't dwell on the difference between adult and embryonic stem cells. Don't get into the details of Federal research dollars vs. a ban. Just get behind it 100% with absolutely no questions. People want this. Bonus points: it's the one issue that might actually peal away voters who don't like anything else about Kerry.
This is low-hanging fruit. Pick it, and look for more.
Go for a knockout
Kerry has jabbed at it. It's on the agenda. But there's one issue that should be the agenda - one issue that should form the framework of everything else he says. There's one thing where it's worth taking the heat over the possible dollar costs. And that issue is:
Oil is at the center of George Bush's universe. You can't blame him. That's where he came from. That's what he knows. But oil is not the future of America. Oil is our past. And every moment we hold onto that past will cost us dollars, cost us progress, cost us lives. From the moment I step into the White House, I will commit this nation to a course that will see us free of the need for foreign oil by the end of the decade. When this is complete, no American government need ever again cozy up to some Middle Eastern dictator, American dollars will cease to bouy up terrorist regimes, and no American soldier need ever again die to feed our dependence on foreign oil.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, this is the issue. This is the only issue. We talk about turning the ship of state? Well, this is the new direction. It has everything: a big change in our overseas relationships, more security at homes, and a new generation of high tech jobs. It appeals to our "rugged individualist" streak, and at the same time it can get moderates on the one issue that make a lot of them feel guilty to vote Republican: the environment. Plus, four years of talk have planted the subconscious thought that Bush is in oil up to his patrician nostrils. This issue is a winner. Stop futzing around the edges, and drive this bad boy home.
In January, we'll worry about the details while the moving van is unloading your things at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.