What Should Obama do?

As I watch the democratic primaries unfold, and the Clinton/McCain attack machines rev up I have a serious question for Obama. Can he or will he fight back? Will he take the high road like Kerry and Gore or will he come out swinging? The media has already started to get behind Hillary. The right-wing attack machine has already started to tear down Obama.

I think he will try to counter everything they say and turn it back on them. When Hillary ran that 3 o’clock ad Obama had a response in less that 15 mins. Unfortunately, Obama is getting the media attention that he is use to. That means most networks aired Hillary’s ad, but not Obama’s response. To Obama’s credit he is still doing an outstanding job of campaigning. Even with facing the Clinton democratic machine and the republican attack machine he has managed to whittle her 20 point lead in Texas and Ohio to either dead even or she has slight lead.

Even if he does counter everything they say I don’t think it will be enough. The media from both the left and the right don’t want to see Obama win. The GOP doesn’t want him to win because he poses the greatest threat to McCain. The left leaning national media (maybe except MSNBC) is in Clintons camp. She represents business as usual and is the business folk find her comfortable and predictable.

From here on out Obama needs to attack his foes both left and right, but not appear like he is attacking. If he attacks Hillary too harshly he will be ridiculed for being a mean black guy attacking a poor defenseless white women. He attacks McCain to hard he’s attacking an old white war vet you can do know wrong. What is Obama to do?

I think he’s doing a great job of counter attacking the Clintons and McCain. However, he is going to need to get more traction. He needs to use the greatest weapon he has (besides the stump speech), the Internet. That Will I Am video spread like wild fire over the net. I think if he needs to start e-mailing as many people as possible the “truths” on Hillary and McCain. However, he needs to do it in a way that doesn’t connect his campaign to the e-mail attacks. I suggest starting a dummy e-mail account and let it fly. Start with a couple of students and make that stuff viral. It doesn’t have to be nasty. Just enough to bring the facts to light. Call both of them out.

I would follow this up with more of the same positive commercials that he has been running on TV. However, I would still take a jab or 2, and counter everything they say about me while at the same time casting even more doubt on them. I would paint McCain as a flip-flopper. This shouldn’t be to hard to do. I would also stick him with the tag of Bush 3. That also shouldn’t be that hard.

Hillary is a little bit different. I would swiftboat her quick. I would run that CNN press conference of her supporting Nafta then come right back with her at the debate denouncing it. I would also press her on those tax returns every chance I get. I would also hit her with the votes on the credit card bill that made it impossible for people to declare bankruptcy. But that’s just me.