Posted by Jed Lewison on Mon Sep 8, 2008 at 2:50 AM Pacific

What More Of The Same Really Means

George Bush and John McCain

Barack Obama has pounded away at his core message that if you liked the last eight years, then you should vote for John McCain because he'll deliver more of the same, but if you want change, you should vote for Obama-Biden.

It's a good message and it should remain the centerpiece of the campaign. But as Barack Obama and Joe Biden continue on the stump, they need a quick way to describe what more of the same really means. To that end, here's a three-part proposal, based on the arguments that Obama and Biden have been making on the campaign trail. More of the same means:

  1. GETTING NOTHING DONE: We've spent most the last eight years, mired in Iraq while our economy crumbles and an energy crisis grows. John McCain did nothing on these issues in the Senate, and now that he's a presidential candidate, he's talking about everything but the issues that actually matter. Contrast McCain's lightweight pledges with Barack Obama's detailed policy proposals on the key issues facing our country.
  2. TEARING AMERICA APART: Instead of focusing on policy that can help improve the lives of all Americans, John McCain would rather spend his campaign fanning the culture wars that divide this country. Nothing illustrates this more clearly than his selection of Sarah Palin, a right-wing religious extremist who has supported secessionists in Alaska. Contrast the selection of Palin with Obama's selection of Biden, a moderate Senator who has won respect across the political spectrum.
  3. LYING TO THE PUBLIC: In order to distract attention from the issues that matter, John McCain and Sarah Palin have both spun up stories about their own records and those of Barack Obama and Joe Biden. These stories are false, but McCain and Palin just don't care. Truth does not matter to them. They have every bit as much regard for truth as did the Bush Administration when it decided to invade Iraq. They will bring the same WMD-style attitude to The White House.

That's it. Those three elements encapsulate what I think we mean when we say John McCain and Sarah Palin mean more of the same. They won't get anything done, they'll continue tearing America apart over cultural issues, and they'll lie to and deceive the public with reckless abandon.

Now that John McCain agrees that this election is about who can best change the direction of this country, Barack Obama will be enjoying the political equivalent of a homefield advantage for the the rest of the campaign. This is the turf on which Obama wants to fight. This is the turf on which we will win. And what we need to start doing now is to begin closing the case by explaining what the case really means.

What More Of The Same Really Means

George Bush and John McCain

Barack Obama has pounded away at his core message that if you liked the last eight years, then you should vote for John McCain because he'll deliver more of the same, but if you want change, you should vote for Obama-Biden.

It's a good message and it should remain the centerpiece of the campaign. But as Barack Obama and Joe Biden continue on the stump, they need a quick way to describe what more of the same really means. To that end, here's a three-part proposal, based on the arguments that Obama and Biden have been making on the campaign trail. More of the same means:

  1. GETTING NOTHING DONE: We've spent most the last eight years, mired in Iraq while our economy crumbles and an energy crisis grows. John McCain did nothing on these issues in the Senate, and now that he's a presidential candidate, he's talking about everything but the issues that actually matter. Contrast McCain's lightweight pledges with Barack Obama's detailed policy proposals on the key issues facing our country.
  2. TEARING AMERICA APART: Instead of focusing on policy that can help improve the lives of all Americans, John McCain would rather spend his campaign fanning the culture wars that divide this country. Nothing illustrates this more clearly than his selection of Sarah Palin, a right-wing religious extremist who has supported secessionists in Alaska. Contrast the selection of Palin with Obama's selection of Biden, a moderate Senator who has won respect across the political spectrum.
  3. LYING TO THE PUBLIC: In order to distract attention from the issues that matter, John McCain and Sarah Palin have both spun up stories about their own records and those of Barack Obama and Joe Biden. These stories are false, but McCain and Palin just don't care. Truth does not matter to them. They have every bit as much regard for truth as did the Bush Administration when it decided to invade Iraq. They will bring the same WMD-style attitude to The White House.

That's it. Those three elements encapsulate what I think we mean when we say John McCain and Sarah Palin mean more of the same. They won't get anything done, they'll continue tearing America apart over cultural issues, and they'll lie to and deceive the public with reckless abandon.

Now that John McCain agrees that this election is about who can best change the direction of this country, Barack Obama will be enjoying the political equivalent of a homefield advantage for the the rest of the campaign. This is the turf on which Obama wants to fight. This is the turf on which we will win. And what we need to start doing now is to begin closing the case by explaining what the case really means.

The Jed Report Home Page

© Jed Lewison