I've watched both speeches this morning, and as a fierce Obama partisan I'm concerned to say the least.
Pundits always say that polls don't matter until after labor day. Well, here it is after labor day, and what I see matters. Polls put this race tied, and the messaging now favors McCain, despite the lies.
The problem is that the McCain-Palin stage show, while filled with lies, is deeply effective. While Obama starts off denouncing the divisive Rove politics of McCain, he goes on to an issue-based discussion among a small group. Meanwhile, McCain and Palin have a momentous rally, discussing personal values, on a personal level with a personal voice, passionately and personally.
The McCain campaign believes that Americans are stupid, Obama is betting that they aren't. But it's not a failing of the American people if they haven't been paying attention. It is the responsibility of the Obama campaign to present their case in a way that is accessible. It is the responsibility of the Obama campaign to lay out their positive VISION for America in a way that connects with the values of even rural, small-town Americans. This is fully within the range of possibility for Obama. His campaign should be the easy choice for rural Americans. The time for lengthy discussions of issues is past. The people who care about such things can find it on BarackObama.com.
We need one-line, win-lose language. He needs to lay out the powerful argument for the worldview he represents, and why John McCain is a representative of the failed conservatism he is looking to replace. The shorthand from the primary: McCain=Bush and "Change" must be re-tooled and re-presented. We are talking about a new leadership for a new century, economic opportunity for all Americans, a new ethic of unity in the world. And just saying it isn't enough, there must be examples, there must be personal stories, there must be a call for America to return to aspiration, empathy, and shared responsibility. There must be a call for American grace, brought in a voice that is American, personal, and immediately accessible at the gut level.
Until Obama puts forward his powerful, positive, argument for the Vision of America's future, at a personal level, we're still fighting on the McCain-Palin turf.