Advice to John McCain to turn his campaign around

Polls show a very close race between John McCain and Barack Obama despite nearly everything appearing to work against McCain from a fawning press corps to a declining economy and a badly damaged Republican brand.

Yet the closeness of the race should not give the McCain campaign cause for celebration. It is making serious missteps and needs to take corrective measures soon or this race could become a replay of 1996 when voters chose inexperience over a statesmen and war hero - Bob Dole.

This election, such a swing to Obama could bring consequences that voters do not expect, as he would govern along with the most liberal Democratic Congress in memory in a manner that would make George McGovern appear moderate and make conservatives unbelievably yearn for the moderate days of Bill and Hillary Clinton.

What then should John McCain do to avoid defeat and save the nation from such a fate?

1. The economy, the economy, the economy. This issue must not be surrendered to Obama. McCain must emphasize that he will tackle the economy in a forceful and meaningful way. He needs to introduce an economic policy that is bold and striking in direction just as Ronald Reagan's adoption of Jack Kemp's supply-side economics was in the 1980s. Such a proposal from McCain would energize economic conservatives and would send undecided voters the clear message that just as he is the best candidate to be commander in chief, he is the best choice to restore the economy and bring economic prosperity. In contrast McCain must educated voters on Obama's tax plans.

2. Project optimism. Voters respond to candidates who exude confidence and optimism. In 1964, Barry Goldwater, despite a compelling message, came across as an angry man while Lyndon Johnson seemed to project a hopeful optimism. Ronald Reagan, echoing Goldwater's message, won by a landslide because he projected an optimism that America's best days lay ahead over opponents who seemed to symbolize defeatism and malaise. McCain must project an image that he and he alone can lead this nation to victory in the war on terror and economic prosperity. In his speeches he must project as Reagan did that America's future is endless.

3. Forget about winning the weekly media wars. The press is fawning over Obama like nothing we have ever seen before. There is very little that McCain can do to change that fact. Yet the media does not need to be in love with a candidate for that candidate to win. The media never loved Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush but that did not stop them from being elected. The key is to care about winning the campaign by reaching your voters. Nixon, Reagan and Bush knew and excelled in this and did not care if the media loved them or not.

With McCain' campaign indicating that they might name a vice presidential candidate early is one example of their obsession with winning the weekly media war thinking that by leaking that information they could compete with Obama's foreign trip. McCain will win this election on message, not media adoration. We do encourage the McCain strategy over debates. Clearly Obama is a one-trick pony who can only deliver a written statement.

4. Select a vice president that will energize your voters, inspire undecided voters and, most importantly, will do no harm. The Republican base is unenthusiastic in its support of McCain while many independents are not sure what direction he wants to take the nation. His vice presidential choice will be a defining moment for his campaign. In 1980, Ronald Reagan took on George H. W. Bush to demonstrate that his campaign was not a rerun of the Goldwater campaign and an attempt to reach out to moderates. McCain is in the opposite position. He needs a consistent conservative to reassure his base. His choice must be bold as it will represent his vision to the nation for the future. Rob Portman and Tim Pawlenty are great choices in an ordinary election year, but this is not an ordinary election year. This is a year for an out-of-the-box choice that will inspire rather than just pick another solid white, conservative male. Pick someone like Alaska's Sarah Palin or Maryland's Michel Steele (and name the runner up as the new head of the Republican National Committee).

5. Capitalize on the media bias and Obama's mistakes. Unless you have been hiding under a rock everyone knows the media is in the tank for Obama. The New York Times' refusal to run McCain's op-ed while running Obama's was one instance, as have been Obama's gaffes about the number of states in the union or a relative helping liberate Auschwitz. McCain's campaign needs to capitalize on these things to energize his base but also to win over the Reagan Democrats.

Moreover, media bias is great reason to raise funds. Grassroots donors are motivated by the heavy-handedness of the press. The New York Times rejection has to be worth at least $1 million in online donations.

The media wants people to believe that this race, while close, is Obama's to lose while the Barack campaign thinks it has already won it. Nothing could be more false. It is John McCain's to win but only if he becomes engaged and starts acting like the straight shooter we have all come to love. If he doesn't he is destined to lose and America will wake up in 2009 regretting its vote.

 

David E. Johnson is CEO of Strategic Vision, LLC, and a chief Republican strategist and pollster. He can be reached at djohnson@strategicvision.biz. Holly Robichaud is president of Tuesday Associates and a noted Republican fundraiser. She can be reached at holly@tuesdayassociates.com.