It has been suggested by some that the netroots are being played by Karl Rove. That we have been conned into focusing all of our attention on McCain and Palin at the expense of Obama and his message of change. Some have said that as long as the focus remains on McCain, Republicans will soar to victory as they did in 2004, and that the only way for Democrats to win is for the Netroots to reinforce Obama's message throughout the rest of the campaign.
Some people are also wrong--on all counts. There are two big reasons why:
1. Republicans think they're being smart to play up McCain/Palin. In truth, they're walking into a trap, playing for short-term benefit at the expense of long-term success.
The underlying truths about this campaign have not changed. The economy is still terrible, and getting worse. The occupation of Iraq is still unpopular. Healthcare costs, tuition costs and other living expenses are still rising. The only issue the GOP has managed to blunt somewhat is gas prices; everything else is still going against them. The Republicans still own those failures. And no matter how hard they try to run against their own party, McCain and Palin are still Republicans, and still cannot credibly state anything they would do differently from Bush outside of changing earmark policy--and even that's a lie, as we all know.
Remember the sage words of Republican strategists talking to Robert Novak prior to the GOP convention:
I asked one of the Republican Party's smartest, most candid heavy hitters last week whether John McCain really has a chance to defeat Barack Obama in this season of Republican discontent. "No, if the campaign is about McCain," he replied. "Yes, if it's about Obama."
That's still the truth. Frankly, the Republicans are stupid to make their own candidates the focus of debate. Eventually, they're going to get killed. McCain/Palin will never reach 50% based on the strength of McCain/Palin alone. They will have to cause enough of the nation to distrust Barack Obama, or they will lose. It's really that simple.
Right now, McCain/Palin have the nation's attention because 1) Palin was a surprising and unknown pick; 2) they've been shameless in their hyper-aggressive, mendacious messaging; 3) Palin has inspired evangelical voters, giving McCain a lift in the national polls (though not so much in certain key swing states); 4) they've essentially changed their entire campaign theme. That'll get you some attention and some raised eyebrows.
But at the end of the day, John Sidney McCain, the Republican, is going to try to beat Barack Obama on the issue of what kind of change will help ordinary Americans. Over the course of over 50 days of campaigning, that's an argument the Republican will almost certainly lose, so long as the focus stays on the Republican.
2. It's OUR job as bloggers to do what the Obama campaign cannot do.
I've made this point before, mostly in the context of the Overton Window. Yes, there's a great deal to be said for message discipline. Yes, Republican operatives from the candidates to the Fox News propagandists to the lowliest pajama-clad bloggers all regurgitate the same talking points they get in their faxes and email boxes. But that strength is also one of their weaknesses. It is difficult for Republicans to turn on a dime, and there's very little creativity to come out of their collective establishment. If the campaign and the RNC doesn't push a meme, it doesn't get pushed. That has forced Republican candidates to largely have to own the slimy attacks put out by their own people. John McCain's name is right up there lying about Obama's record on sex education and his lipstick remarks. He can't escape it.
We, on the other hand, have no such obligation. The Obama campaign has been successful largely because of its inspiring "new brand of politics". Unfortunately, as Bill Clinton might note, that makes it somewhat difficult for the Obama campaign to get quite as nasty with the opposition as it might need to. But that's OK--because that can be our job.
It's our job to push memes the campaign can't. It's our job to focus on Republican chicanery that would waste the time of an Obama campaign that needs to be focusing its messaging on core economic issues. By talking about McCain's egregious lies and horrible personal ethics, we can help push the press to cover stories that the Obama campaign can't seriously push themselves.
Ours is an important role to play. I would argue, in fact, that we harm both ourselves as independent analysts and the campaign itself by simply being extended mouthpieces for the Obama campaign. Everyone has a role to play: ours is to play hardball, to hit where it hurts, and to force the traditional media to cover what it might be uncomfortable covering otherwise.
--------------------------------------------------------
So please stop fretting. Let Obama do his thing. Let's do our thing. And together, we'll get to the 270 electoral votes we need to win this election.