What Obama Must Do

I must say, I haven't blogged in a while, but when I did, I expected I would write about a turning point in my acting career. "Starring in a National Commercial" or "Series Regular on a New TV Series". And while I am still hoping to write that blog in the future (preferably in the near future), instead I find myself wanting to talk about politics.

Indeed, the 2008 US Presidential Election has been engaging to say the least. From a highly contested Democratic Primary, to the Obama acceptance speech at Mile High, to Sarah Palin, the campaigns have been charged. Obama, who once enjoyed a 9-point lead in the Gallup Polls, has fallen to a statistical dead heat with McCain, now down 2-points, 47-45.

I'll admit that while I still have questions about the feesability of some of Obama's plan, he's still the best candidate out there, especially considering the egregious lies the McCain-Palin camp has pushed (Just check out www.factcheck.org or www.politifact.org to sift through several of their lies). Unfortunately, the strategy appears to be working, and Obama's message of "More of the Same", feels like, well, more of the same.

As a concerned Obama supporter (who, for the first time in my life, donated to a presidential campaign), I felt I had put in my two cents in what Obama must do to win, and it starts with his first Presidential debate, on September 26th. The strategy is quite simple, really, although the aftermath could be quite ugly, and whether Obama has the guts to do this remains to be seen. But there's no more efficient way to the presidency...

Release "Hothead McCain".

So far, the Democrats have left McCain's character untouched, even calling him a "war hero", and instead trying to debate McCain on the issues. But if there's any indication from the last two Presidential elections (and probably even farther than that), this election will not be won on the issues. Democrats have had better ideas on domestic and foreign policy for the last eight years, and yet they've lost repeatedly because issues and policy discussion doesn't resonate among the voters. You know what does? Scandal.

Republicans have character assassinated Democrats with great effectiveness, from Bill Clinton's Monicagate to the Swift-Boating of John Kerry. Fortunately for Obama, he can turn the tables because McCain has laid the ammunition for Obama to use. So here's what Obama must say in this debate:

* John McCain is a liar.
* McCain lied about Obama's education policies, and Obama's own criticisms, to name a few.
* McCain lied about Palin's opposition to earmarks, even though Palin accepted $200 million in earmarks for the "Bridge to Nowhere" project.
* The media has corrected McCain on numerous occasions, and yet he still spreads the lies. McCain will restore dignity to the White House?
* With every lie, John McCain dishonors the United States, dishonors democracy, dishonors his own campaign and supporters, and spits in the face the American People.
* John McCain, the war hero, was an honorable man. John McCcain, the Republican Presidential Candidate, is a disgrace.

Obama must challenge McCain's character every chance he gets. If Obama pushes enough buttons, McCain will reach a breaking point and turn "Hothead", which will ultimately lead to a Howard Dean-esque political meltdown from which he can't recover.

Obama may feel that he would be stooping to the Republicans level, but he doesn't have to worry about that. Because he'd telling the truth. McCain created the mudhole. It's time Obama forces McCain to wallow in it.