Lessons learned:
1. Don’t bring a knife to a gun fight. I wrote many times about McCain’s unwillingness to get tough, and he finally did, but in the last week of the campaign! Too little, too late.
2. “Age and Experience = Establishment”. Remember that word from the 60’s? These factors alone painted McCain as “old school” in a rapidly changing world. For the same reason, Biden would have lost had he been the dem’s candidate. This country’s fickle and superficial expectations, demand youth, vigor, fashion and celebrity. As sad as that is, it is reality.
3. Modernize the campaign. Much was played up on Obama’s efficient use of new technology, specifically the internet, and it was accurate. No one can underestimate the incredible power of this tool. Obama’s younger, and probably “geekier” (if that’s a word), campaign handlers knew better about how to exploit that.
4. Build a better coalition. Thanks to a better campaign organization, Obama had built a broader coalition of supporters, from all walks. And they were vocal. If a similar army exists for the Republican cause, it was certainly not as visible. The scary part of that being, that with the exception of talk-radio, maybe it doesn’t even exist.
Having said all of the above, what the hell was any Republican supposed to do about George Bush? Right or wrong, Bush is currently blamed for every ill in the country. And yet he stands for solid, conservative values that any Republican is going to share with him….for the most part. So how was McCain supposed to express his conservative views and yet distance himself from Bush? Can’t be done (e.g. Gerald Ford). So the truth probably is that no Republican was going to win this year. Still, there are lessons for conservatives in 2012. I’m sure Sarah is taking note!
No comments:
Post a Comment