Everyone here is saying not to watch MSNBC, CNN, FOX, but CSPAN is even worse after the convention is over. There are tons of people flooding the airwaves with smears against Obama, constant refrains of Obama is not 'specific enough'. Nearly every caller has been bashing Obama on the air since the beginning of this convention.
From listening to all of these callers it sounds that nearly 90% of the comments are very negative towards Michelle and Obama, and a lot of them spread irrelevant rumors and gossip and untruths. I suspect a lot of these are conservatives and PUMAs highjacking the airwaves.
Gail Collins made this memorable observation in a column last April:
"The candidates have already resigned themselves to wooing people with political attention deficit disorder. They know that if they embark on a 12-week tour of the nation to publicize their signature issue of dropout prevention, on the day it’s over they will turn on the TV and see an undecided voter in sweat pants saying: "I’m waiting to hear what they say about dropouts."
Recently Joe Klein did a report after attending a focus group, where at least one focus group attendee said this incredulous line:
"No more oratory," one woman said. "Give us details."
This week, Sean Wilentz wrotein Newsweek:
But will Obama, amid the pulsating theatrics, also attempt the less glamorous and more difficult task of explaining specifically where he wants to move the country, and how he proposes to move it, above and beyond reciting his policy positions?
Jonathan Chait sums this contradiction best in one line:
Be specific, Senator! But no policies, please.
So, in advance of Obama's nomination acceptance speech tomorrow, we MUST flood the C-Span phonelines and bring insightful commentary into the Cspan audience (which probably consists of a lot of elder voters) in the hopes that some logic will change their minds. We need to address this so called 'lack of specifics' that these callers bring up the most. And also remind people that Bill Clinton today said Obama is "READY." Be prepared with talking points.
Here are the numbers.
202 585 3885 (Republican)
202 585 3886 (Independent)
202 585 3997 (Democrat)
I suggest we flood all 3, especially the Republican and Independent phone lines first.