Well there’s a losing strategy. It depends on the electorate forgetting Bill Clinton’s ’92 campaign. It went something like ‘it’s the economy stupid.’
If you stop to consider that the word ‘economy’ in that slogan can be swapped for other words like, socialism, Obamacare, government over-reaching, the Constitution, and a few others, you quickly realize that the campaign is faced with a special challenge. A challenge that the Obama campaign can not overcome between now and election day.
According to John Harwood at the Times, “The last time an incumbent president faced re-election, George W. Bush exploited social and national security issues to offset his economic vulnerabilities.”
So instead of the economy and jobs, the Obama campaign is going to run on attacking republicans on social issues and national security issues?
In battleground states, “Obama’s strategists intend to use abortion, gay rights, the environment and successes in the fight against Al Qaeda to counter economic attacks and drive a wedge between Republicans and swing voters.”
On those issues, Harwood says that the Democrats have shifted from defense to offense. I have to disagree with the Times that the Democrats have shifted “from defense to offense on those issues stems from evolving public attitudes, intensifying Republican conservatism . . .” Democrats have never shifted from offense. They live to ‘fight for ‘. Just fill in the blank.
What is important to note is the shift in public attitudes that are more in tune with Republican conservatism than with this administration. Not a pretty picture for Obama’s re-election chances.
What it means is all that the Democrats have left to run on, or run with, is more class warfare, wealth envy, and the race card. All directed at Republicans. (about half the country) Not much about why he should be re-elected. It is more like, ‘they are worse than we are.’ Good luck with that one.
Link: Obama Campaign Borrows From Bush ’04 Playbook – NYTimes.com.
