For 3 years, President Obama has been the grown-up in the room, while all manner of garbage has been thrown his way. As a result, his personal "favorability" ratings have held up pretty well, even in the face of a bad economy.
But "memories will fade" (a line from the song "When Sunny Gets Blue" for you musicians out there), and it is extremely important to portray the right as irrationally hateful and unfair -- particularly in an election where Obama's performance will be seen as (perhaps) mediocre by the majority of the persuadable independents.
The question is: how do we remind people of this history in a compelling way? How does the campaign show the vitriol, the hatred, the vulgarity of the opposition, in a way that appeals to the sense of fairness that (I believe) most independents possess?
Imagine a one-hour television show where Obama is the only guest....The host plays clip after clip of the foolishness, and Obama gets to ridicule each and every one.
1. Orly and Donald babbling about birther nonsense
---- Obama shows the video of him showing the long-form certificate, and then
---- belittles them for continuing the fight
2. Joe Wilson screaming at the Healthcare speech
---- Obama talks about trying to make a deal with crazy people.
3. Gingrich babbling about his Kenyan Mau-Mau roots
---- Obama tells the story of finally visiting Kenya as an adult, and his shock at the
---- customs; how he felt more American than ever...
4. Incoherent ravings about Obama being raised in an Indonesian Madrassa
---- Obama was 5 when left the pre-school
5. Rantings about death panels
---- After he ridicules the idea, he asks whether people should be able to keep their
---- kids on their insurance until age 26; then points out that it would never happen
-----under Republican rule.
6. "Obama is a communist" rants
---- Obama points out that the Dow is 3500 points higher than the day he took
---- office.
---- Obama points out that corporate profits are at their highest level in decades.
7. Romney saying Obama apologizes for America...
---- Obama talks about getting Bin Laden, & the other terrorists, pointing out that
---- the other side failed to get him over 6 years.
---- Then he shows a clip of the sick reaction of Republicans to Bin Laden's death.
8. The political "system" is sick...(Rush Limbaugh's "I hope Obama fails", Demint's
"It would Obama's Waterloo")
---- Obama finishes off by pointing out that one side would rather see America fail
---- rather than risk the possibility that Obama might succeed.
I think it would be dynamite TV. The base would love it, and the independents would be reminded that one side has been trying to make America fail for the last 3 years.
Obama has turned the other cheek for long enough. The impact of seeing so much seditious speech (oh, I forgot Rick Perry threatening to secede!) would be profound.
After the show is broadcast, the best ridicule bits should be rebroadcast in ads during the campaign....He can't remind the American people often enough.
Feel free to add your favorites in the comments....