Nine Obama Campaign Mistakes

Departing from the usual riff of campaign TV and web ads and counter ads, here's a list of nine campaign mistakes, in my humble perspective, made by Barack Obama (feel free to add yours!):

#9) Being an unacknowledged gaffe machine. The Obacons simply look like age bigots when the they point out the gaffes of John McCain (100 years, knowledge on economics, etc.) when their own messiah has misspoke on a regular occasion (noting the 57 U.S. states he's visited, saying America was no longer great, saying 10,000 people died in KS tornadoes (it was actually 12 total), claiming in Selma, AL that their civil rights struggle is what brought his parents together (he was off by 5 years) and saying small nations - like Iran - with small defense budges can't harm America). In the world of 24/7 politics, people make gaffes. A new style of politics would be to hold your opponent to the same standard you'd like to be held.



#8) Running in the Democrat primaries as George McGovern minus the experience (pull out of Iraq asap, surge won't work, chit-chat with Iran and Cuba, no domestic oil drilling, etc.) and then running as Mike Huckabee in the General Election (faith-based programs, heartland values, against affirmative action, pro-FISA, pro-Bush pre-emption doctrine, pro-Bush energy policy). America hasn't been asleep. We saw both sides of Obama and how he's left himself very little residual trust or authenticity. He presents himself as nothing yet also everything. Again, not being afloat public opinion would be a nice trend and a departure from the old politics.


#7) Rejecting public financing. Simply put, Obama lied. He further damaged the brand he attempted to build as a practitioner of some sort of new politics when he attempted to justify his lying on the need to practice old politics. Dumb meet stupid.

#6) Having no resume. Obama has no accomplishments. No narrative of note to share with American voters. He was a law professor and legal editor without a single article or essay of note published. He was a community organizer, with no demonstrable contribution. Obama was a state senator with no signature legislation. He has been briefly a U.S. Senator (less than 300 work days), also with little to show for it. The only accomplishment of significance is authoring a book on his favorite topic - himself. As a bestseller, it only shows that Obama doesn't make mistakes when maximizing profits off his public service.

#5) Going negative first. Democrats like to repeat the talking-point that GOPers are more aggressive political campaigners than they are. Not true. But there is little doubt Republicans know how to fight hard for their ideas. Yet Democrats have always been nasty, negative and dirty in their political tricks. Obama adds another footnote to the point that Democrats campaign negative by launching the first attack ad against McCain.

#4) Dividing America. Obama has engaged in one of the - if not the most, in modern era - divisive presidential campaigns. His appeal to envy and avarice in an old school political class-warfare ploy would make even Upton Sinclair blush (profit bashing, taxing the 'wealthy,' etc.). Obama has appealed to the base nature of people, not the best within us. Employing the old politics, Obama is betting his political future on the worst in America's not hope in our better selves.

#3) Snubbing a national dialog. Obama rejected McCain's offer for a series of a national town hall Lincoln-Douglas style forums and exchanges. Instead, Obama opts for the old political tradition of simply three tightly scripted debates (one of them masquerades as a town hall). America is better served by a honest and full exchange. Either Obama is not up for it - lacking confidence in his own ideas or lack of them - or he's made some political calculation that what is best for America isn't great for him personally.

#2) Letting the election be about himself. This is an election about Obama, good or bad. People tell pollsters they want a Democrat President. But they don't know if they want Barack Obama. One of the biggest mistakes he's made is not making the campaign about something bigger than himself, like an idea. Instead it is simply a personality choice versus McCain's resume. Who would you hire?

#1) Counting on race. Obama's victory depends upon a racist sentiment. Meaning, Obama's campaign is expecting and building a base of voters who will vote nearly 10:1 for him simply because he is black. Manipulating the African-American vote is nothing new for Democrat politician but this is certainly the largest exploitation of it. Certainly this is not the mainstream media's view and they'd gauge this observation as impolitic. Yet is no less true and unfortunately, no less damaging to the fabric of our nation.

Obama's campaign has made plenty of strategic mistakes. But their opponents have generally made more. Tactically they have been more flawless. But their strategic faults have put them into the current funk.

The good news for Obamacons is there is plenty of time. The convention will give him a bounce. He'll be masterful in presentation during the three little Presidential debates. And he can always rely upon the mainstream media to cover-up most of his missteps. But like most important elections, we'll have a photo finish.