Obama Needs a Better Week

Obama needs to change the tone of his campaign.  He's been on the defensive now for a 2 solid weeks playing catch up to HRC's mudslinging machine that's still grabbing headlines.  He's still acting like he's the up and coming kid on the block instead as the frontrunner.  It cannot be disputed that he lost touch with a growing segement of his impressive coalition, blue collar white voters.  He was doing very well with them in MD, VA, and WI, but Hillary fought back in a big way last week and I am concerned that Obama has not yet bounced back.  The tone of his most zealous supporters n DKos concerns me about his entire campaign.  I am worried that his handlers are afraid of constructive criticsm and acknowledging that he needs to change the perception of his image in the media.  Even though he proved her wrong, last week was sloppy in the MSM and HRC came out looking good which is what the Clintons do when they sling mud.

I was disappointed this morning to come onto DKos to see the first Obama headline being his "fact check" of an article about him.  That's fine but it shouldn't be the highlight on a Monday morning.  Proving HRC wrong does nothing for gaining voters.  Last week he and his supporters proved her wrong all week.  Did it gain him votes or just stroke the egos of zealous online supporters on the blogs?  What did that gain her?  Free publicity on the MSM highlighting her foreign policy "achievments" on CNN and a dramtic change in the results of last Tuesday's primaries.  She did generate votes.  He needs to get positive again, get his campaign on message in the MSM, and get his surrogates a set of solid talking points to sling the mud at HRC.

The following strategy is my suggestion:

1.  A comprehensive publicity campaign highlighting an economic stimulus plan for the recession.  He should pull out all the stops this one and make it a BIG DEAL.  This will go a long way in drawing blue collar voters back to him and make him look "presidential."  Doing some photo ops at some local food pantries in MS and PA wouldn't hurt either.

2.  Stop making such public refutations of her accusations in a serious tone. It looks bad and his smile is too infectious to not use ALL THE TIME, especially on his jet.  He can take a page right out of Bill's playbook:  Use humor and a relaxed tone to brush off ridiculous questions like the talk of being VP.  It's so high school.  He looked silly in the way he handled it.  He should emphasize the need for him to stay focused on listening to the needs of voters in hard economic times.  

3.  Demonizing HRC only allows the MSM to play up strong hints  at her being "victimized."  It plays well for her in the MSM.  He doesn't do it, but his serious tone about attacks encourages supporters to do so.  Does she deserve it?  YES!!  Does it gain votes? NO!!  Frontrunners don't do such things.  They are too busy talking to voters.  He needs to act like a frontrunner and brush off her posturing.  He needs to be more effective in his attacks.  Last week was pathetic.  It's not enough to prove facts and who's right or wrong or lying.  Attacks are about shifting perception.  The tax return, the foreign policy responses he made only set up HRC for easy retorts that played well in the media.  

4.  He should go after her and her husband BIG TIME on the Presidential Papers that are being held under lock and key.  He was big on the ethics reform and transparency.  HRC's evasiveness will remind angry voters of Bush and he can emphasize her elitism and corporate connections.  This will play well with blue collar voters as he challenges her to release those papers publicly ASAP. Obama can flip that ridiculous McCain/Clinton experience comment back on her by tying her and McCain to Bush and the idea that all three represent more of the same.  He will bring change.    He can do this with humor and go to the people and ask them if they think she should release the papers.  That's what presidents do when they want something done.