What Obama must do now

(NOTE: I wrote this last night before Edwards dropped out of the race.)

After a couple of games of Armchair Pundit, I now feel ready to play Armchair Strategist for the Obama campaign. (Disclaimer: I am 20.)

After a big victory in South Carolina, Barack Obama has the most delegates (63, vs. 48 for Hillary and 25 for Edwards). He also has a strong ground game in the February 5 states. But of course that's not enough.

In order to win big on Super Tuesday, Obama must:

(Actually, you must go below the fold. ;-) )

• Tout his record. Few people can say they have done in Illinois or US politics what Obama has done. Check out this bit from TIME regarding Obama's record in his first three years as a freshman Senator. In contrast, what has Hillary done in her seven years in the Senate? Or Edwards in his six years?
• Go to town about his policy proposals - and why he offers them. This sarcastically titled article on Democratic Underground offers a complete look at where Obama stands on countless key issues.
• Reach out to groups among which he is weakest. He needs to improve his standing among women, senior voters, unions, and, yes, white voters. How can he do that? In part by touting his endorsements. More on that below.
• Attack the 'youth' and 'inexperience' factors. This is about the only 'advantage' Hillary has. Many of Hillary's supporters support her because they feel she is more ready for the job than the younger Obama. Well, first of all, many Presidents - including Bill Clinton - took office at younger ages than Obama will be on 1/20/09 (he'll be about 47 1/2 years old). And second, experience doesn't matter as much as judgment and integrity. Even so, experience is not about how long you've held an office; it's about what you have done during your time in office.
• Milk his endorsements. Among many others, Obama is endorsed by Senators John Kerry, Ted Kennedy, Pat Leahy, Claire McCaskill, and Kent Conrad (ND); Caroline Kennedy; Governors Kathleen Sebelius (KS), Janet Napolitano (D-AZ), and Deval Patrick (MA); Reps. Barbara Lee (CA) and Linda Sanchez (CA); and Mayor Shirley Franklin. The Arizona Republic, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Dallas Morning News, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, Trenton Times, and Boston Globe have also decided to back him.

  While it's great that he has these (and many more!) endorsements, let's be honest: How many people are going to be swayed by endorsements? Voters need to see why these people and papers are backing Obama. When an undecided voter sees an ad or a piece of literature that includes a key quote (or two or seven) from said endorser(s), the impact of these endorsements will go farther, helping him to improve his standing among demographics where he hasn't done as well. (For example, it would also help to feature labor leaders and experienced politicos in his campaign items, the former to get the union vote, and the latter to help quell concerns regarding Obama's experience.)

• Have one hell of a showing in Thursday night's debate. Don't even let it look close.

I will say that a year ago I was not to keen on the idea of Obama running for President; now I believe no one else is as ready to take on the demands and rigor of the White House. If he can win me over, he can win over countless other Americans. I have outlined a few steps Obama can take to do just that. This is not an exhaustive list; there are other things both he and his supporters need to do in order for him to win on Tuesday. But I believe that following these and other strategies will help his campaign greatly as we head into what just might (or might not) be the final few days of the primary election season.

•  TIPS!

  by ScottyUrb on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 01:44:11 PM PDT

  •  Glad you were won over

    I know what is like to have a candidate you love (Dean 2004) lose. It is nice to have another great candidate to move to. And it looks like our guy knows how to use his elbows, unlike Kerry in 2004. (I still believe if Kerry had punched one of those Swiftboaters in mouth he would be president today.)

    by Better Days on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 01:55:25 PM PDT

  •  Always great to win people over (n/t)

    by Timothy Scriven on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 02:40:21 PM PDT

•  Get more votes than others

  would be a big help as well ;)

  by segseg on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 01:45:35 PM PDT

  •  Didn't work for Gore (nt)

    by ScottyUrb on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 01:52:17 PM PDT

    •  too soon!

      lol

      by koan on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 01:59:28 PM PDT

•  for those of us who don't have cable TV

  Which regular broadcast stations will it be on, and at what time?

  Do you have specific information for the San Francisco area?  

  And if not TV, then is there any radio network that will be carrying it live?  And if so, which stations in the San Francisco area?

  thanks...

  by G2geek on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 01:52:08 PM PDT

  •  Carrying what live?

    And if not TV, then is there any radio network that will be carrying it live?

    Carrying what live?

    by Gregory Wonderwheel on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 01:57:13 PM PDT

    •  the debate on Thursday! n/t

      by G2geek on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 06:54:11 PM PDT

•  I'm glad you are watching delegates.

  Most people are fooling themselves with the media hype of who "won" the election without paying attention to the delegates. For example if you thought CLinton "won" New Hampshire I couldn't fault you for believing that since that is how the media reported it, but the fact is NH was a tie for delegates at 9 each. Same with Nevada.

  In South Carolina, Obama did win twice the number of delegates.

  Since some of the the superdelegates pledge early it looks like Clinton has a big lead so far, but in the pledged delegates from the primaries and caucuses you are correct that Obama has the lead.

  http://www.thegreenpapers.com/...

  by Gregory Wonderwheel on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 01:53:29 PM PDT

•  Partially disagree

  Reaching out to new groups is probably something he needs to do, but the lowest hanging fruit is what you should go for first.

  And Obama needs to run up his numbers among white men from a tie or slim lead to a big margin.

  by slaney black on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 01:53:36 PM PDT

  •  In California he has a commercial that shows mom

    There is a health issue commercial running in the San Francisco Bay area that shows a photo of Obama's mom in profile with a young Obama age 6 or 8 or so looking up at her. The Obama voice over is talking about his mom dying at a relatively early age. So it gets sympathy for him on the health care issues.  But it is also a great subliminal reminder that he has a mixed ancestry and is not just a "Black" candidate.

    I hope it works for him.

    by Gregory Wonderwheel on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 02:01:22 PM PDT

•  You forgot

  Get Bill Richardson, John Edwards and Al Gore off the endorsement fence!

  by GeckoBlue on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 01:54:09 PM PDT

•  Couple more things to do

  The biggest complaint I've heard is that "he doesn't offer specifics" which of course is uninformed bs, but something he needs to counter... lay out some specifics, especially about the economy. (I'd also nail Clinton on her unconstitutional plans to freeze mortgage rates and foreclosures...)

  Also I'd like to see him emphasize his work and knowledge as a Constitutional Law professor. As opposed to the current guy who I doubt has even read the thing yet...

  And another thing that I’ve wanted to see is some mention of Katrina, I can’t say I’ve ever heard him mention it.

  by gregonthe28th on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 02:02:18 PM PDT

  •  Actually offering specifics is poison.

    I fully agree that I wouldn't give a candidate the time of day if they didn't offer positions. But I'm in the 2% club on that. Most voters don't care about positions and if the candidate gives too many positions then the voters have too many reasons to disagree with the candidate.

    What most voters want is to have confidence, hope, and trust in the candidate with some sense in just a few issues areas of the general stand of the candidate (such as for or against the war) and then let the candidate take care of the positions.

    That is why both Obama and Clinton have been short on speaking on specific issues. Clinton has tried to make the non-issue issues like "experience" her campaign theme and Obama makes hope for change his theme.

    Where they stand on the issues is out there for people to research, and they make broad statements like "protecting a woman's right to choose", but it would be poison to go deeper because the more stands you take the more people will disagree with you. Voters will let slide the fact that they know little about a candidate's positions, but on anyone issue the voter may have a pet peeve and 10 points of agreement will be wiped out by one point of disagreeemnt if a personal ox gets gored by too much discussion of the issues.  

    by Gregory Wonderwheel on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 02:17:05 PM PDT

•  Addition to your idea

  You said that Obama needs to reach out to ppl whom his support is weakest. you forgot to mention hispanics. im a mexican-american and Obama supporter, but i feel that a Richardson endorsment would sway many hispanics his way. i doubt that will happen because of the close relationship he had with the Clintons.

  by ArtDemo on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 02:05:44 PM PDT

•  as an HC supporter, i have great expectations for

  her.  she's been behind the scenes of two national campaigns.  i'm hoping she remembers those lessons and continues to highlight obama's lack of a record and inexperience.  i have faith that she will do a great job.  and if my latinos vote for her in CA, she wins that state.

  by jtorres138 on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 02:15:07 PM PDT

  •  Uh, BO doesn't lack a record nor experince.

    Those are two non-issue issues that HC is campaigning on that are in fact false.

    What was Bill Clinton's great "experience" when he ran?  What "experience" does a president need exactly since he relies on advisors and information. The only "experience" that a person needs is the experience to sift information to tell the truth from the false. And in her vote on the war Clinton showed that she doesn't have that necessary experience, since she couldn't read the available evicence that Kucinich and Ted Kennedy and Barbara Boxer all read and told them the evidence for war and WMDs was not there. Clinton's so-called experience led her to trust Bush instead of reading the intelligence reports on her own. That is not very favorable as I see it.

    Hillary's record is no great shakes either. Vote for war, vote for Patriot Act, vote to make Bankruptcy harder, vote for the Mexico boarder wall, etc.

    Better hope that people don't compare the records of Clinton and Obama because they are mostly the same but where they differ, she is more to the conservative pro-corporate side than he is.

    by Gregory Wonderwheel on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 02:23:50 PM PDT

•  At this point, only a new policy or change in

  his health care policy would warm me towards Obama.
  No amount of rhetoric will do the job.
  I see that he is back to criticizing Hillary on foreign policy. That's a reasonable area. I'll be interested to see how she responds.

  by BoringDem on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 02:33:09 PM PDT

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  by SarahLee on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 02:43:40 PM PDT