I am not a huge Olympic's fan, so Sunday evening was the first time I had watched this year's games. I have been following the results on the internet and I am somewhat aware of the big Olympic stories. I watched for about an hour and caught the thrilling victory of the US men in the 4x100 freestyle relay. And then I caught the McCain ad that followed and was flabbergasted. I see there is already a recommended diary on that topic, so I don't need to explain my reaction. I do however want to explore two related topics. Why did McCain run negative ads during the Olympics and what should Obama's response be.
I can only think of two possible explanations for running a negative campaign during the Olympics. The first is pure desperation. The McCain campaign sees the handwriting on the wall and they see no reason to hold back under any circumstances. There only hope is to hammer Obama everyday for the rest of the campaign and pray it has the desired effect. The second possibility is while negative campaigns never draw critical acclaim, they work. So as long as we're going negative, we might as well do it on the biggest stage possible. We may take some hits, but in the end the message will stick and the campaign will work. We shall see.
I think this gives Obama a great opportunity. I've seen a youtube of his Hands ad, that's been running during the games. It seems like a traditional ad with a positive and hopeful message, very appropriate for the Olympic Games. But given the tack that McCain has chosen, I think Obama has the opportunity to really distinguish himself.
I think Obama has two good choices to take advantage of the situation. The first choice is simply to stop advertising on the Olympics as long as McCain continues this negative barrage. If McCain wants to destroy himself, why get in his way? The public will probably appreciate that one candidate has chosen to leave them alone, while they are trying to enjoy themselves. And Obama will save a great deal of money. As soon as the Olympics are over Obama can start a campaign whose theme is: now that we have all enjoyed the Olympics it's time to get back to the important business of deciding on a president.
His other choice, and one that I think makes alot of sense is a campaign that takes advantage of the Olympic competition and also has a public service theme, an almost non political ad. Obama might narrate, and it would go something like this: I want to thank and congratulate our Olympic team for all the thrilling performances they have already provided for us in just the first few days of these Games, particularly the men's 4x100 freestyle relay for one of the great races in Olympic history. It has only increased my anticipation for the rest of the events. And now, while I have everyone's attention, I would just like to take this moment to encourage everyone, no matter what your preferences are, to register and vote in the upcoming election. With that, enjoy the Games.
One last item that Obama may be able to exploit. Should Michael Phelps win eight gold medals, I think Obama can take another McCain ad and use it against him. Obama could make an ad where he slips in a statement to the effect that, despite what John McCain thinks I am no longer the greatest celebrity in the world. It is now Michael Phelps