SHOCKER: I agree with Karl Rove's advice to Obama!

I never thought there would come a day when I was looking forward to an Obama interview on FOX news.  I HATE Fox news and I never wanted any Dem to legitimize it by going on the show but after reading what Chris Wallace said about Obama's 30 minute interview that it was a very friendly interview in which moderates and conservatives would be very interested in hearing what Obama had to say, than I know Obama did well in the interview.  The fact that the ONLY headline that FOX got out of the interview was that Obama decided on no more debates tells me that there wasn't any major gaffes that occurred in that interview or else we would have heard about it 24/7 by now on cable news channels. Sounds like Obama did well.

Well, I just read an article in NEWSWEEK written by Karl Rove in which he gives advice to Obama.  Well, I have to say that I actually agree with him on many things.  SHOCKER!  Never did I think that there would come a day in which I am looking forward to Obama's interview on FOX and that I would actually agree with Karl Rove.  Pigs must be flying...LOL!

http://www.newsweek.com/...

Well here are parts of the Karl Rove advise to Obama that I actually agree with.

KARL ROVE'S ADVICE ON OBAMA'S STUMP SPEECH

"1. Your stump speech is sounding old and out of touch. You made a mistake by not giving the bored press (and voters) something new last Tuesday when you lost Pennsylvania. Come up with something fresh that's focused on the general election. Recapture the optimistic tone of your start and discard the weary, prickly and distracted tone you've taken on."

I agree with Rove.  It's time for Obama to pivot to the General Election, be more optimistic in tone, and pepper his speech with a couple of new innovative ideas.  My advice to the Obama campaign is to hire some new staff in speech writing, etc to spice things up.  After 15 months of the same staff who are exhausted, they need some new stuff to shake things up a bit.  

KARL ROVE'S ADVICE ON BIPARTISANSHIP

"2. Your lack of achievements undercuts your core themes. It's powerful when you say America is not "Red States or Blue States but the United States." The problem is, you don't have a long Senate record of working across party lines. So build one. In the coming months, say that you'll appoint Republicans to your cabinet and get a couple to say they'd serve. Highlight initiatives Republicans can agree on. Most importantly, push for a bipartisan issue now before Congress."

I agree that part of Obama's appeal is that he wasn't going to be as divisive and partisan as candidates from both parties typically are.  Instead Obama was going to bridge the divide.  After watching part of Obama's stump speech last night in Indiana that is currently on CNN, I think he is taking Rove's advise.  Obama actually talked about the fact that he was going to work with Republicans and Dems alike, appoint not only Dems but Republicans and Independents to his cabinet, and wants to bridge the divide.  I suspect in the FOX interview that will be out today, Obama said similar things based upon what Chris Wallace said about the interview.

KARL ROVE'S ADVICE ON PICKING A BIG ISSUE

"4. You speak of the "fierce urgency of now" that calls leaders to confront important challenges. Sounds good, but people are asking, what urgent issues have drawn your enormous talents? It's counterintuitive, but spend less time campaigning and more time working the Senate. Pick a big issue and fight hard for it. Win or lose, you'll give your argument substance."

I agree that Obama should just pick 3 big issues that he thinks is important in the General Election and start hammering that home right now whether it is about Social Security, Healthcare, Iraq War, Education, whatever.  Just choose 3 and make it your signature for the general election on what you will fight for.  Be specific and not just say that you will fight for health care but specifically what you will do.  3 specific issues will go a long way.

KARL ROVE'S ADVICE ON THE NEGATIVITY

"5. Stop the attacks. They undermine your claim to a post-partisan new politics. You soared when you seemed above politics, lost altitude when you did what you criticize. Attacks are momentarily satisfying but ultimately corrode your appeal."

I agree big time with Karl on this one.  Hillary wants to try to pull you in the gutter because she knows that is where she fights her best.  Obama's appeal is that he will fight a high road fight.  I think since Pennsylvania Obama has taken that approach.  I think his campaign "flirted" with going negative a little in Pennsylvania and even hinted about it in the WaPo article (although they have denied it) but since then Obama has said that he will take the high road and his actions are showing that.  He talked a little about this in his speech that is on CNN right now.

KARL ROVE'S ADVICE ON SHOWING PASSION

"6. To answer growing questions about your inexperience, people need to know, in concrete and credible ways, what they can expect from you as president. That's missing now. And don't think those position papers written by academics and posted on the Web do the job. They have a check-the-box quality to them. Americans want to see your passion and commitment to things they care about, in ways that give them confidence you're up to the job..."

I agree that people want Obama to show some passion.  Obama is very intellectual and cerebral.  If Obama showed a little more of his heart and soul on a subject it would go a long way.  We have seen this side of Obama in his earlier days.  This needs to come back.

All in all, despite all of our handwringing about what Obama is going through right now with the primary losses, the "negative" media, etc, all of these trials and tribulations that Obama is going through right now is only making him stronger and a better general election candidate.  EVERY candidate for president goes through this at sometime during their candidacy.  Even Bill Clinton went through this when he ran for president in 1992.  Drudge has an article that was published in April 1992 in which superdelegates were so worried about Bill Clinton running for president as the Dem nominee despite having the most pledged delegates that superdelegates were debating on whether or not they would endorse him despite no one else was in the running at the time.  Again, better for Obama to go through this now than in October.  

I was watching Tim Russert last night and they were talking about this very thing.  They were saying that this is only good for Obama.  They were saying that he may not feel right now that any of this is good but they said that some of Obama's advisers who have been in politics for a long time ie Tom Daschle do know that this is true and are probably saying to Obama right now that this is the best thing for him to go through for if he comes out in the end as the Democratic nominee, he will then be strengthened and have proved that he doesn't have a "glass jaw" and folds like a "paper tiger".

After watching Obama's speech on CNN last night, I think his fire is starting to come back.