Clutch Magazine: Stop the Vote! Someone Has An Election To Steal
Thursday, June 14, 2012 at 10:56AM
This week for Clutch Magazine The Snob went political (one of my favorite things to do) and tackled how Florida Republicans are trying to push the Sunshine State into Mitt Romney's favor by purging their voter rolls of "possibly" illegal voters. They're currently fighting the Department of Justice as the DOJ says this purge is in violation of the Voter Rights Act. Hey, if the fight against non-existent voter fraud errs on the side of Democratic-leaning citizens not being able to vote, Republicans are willing to make that, ahem, sacrifice.
From Clutch Magazine:
Call it insurance in a race where – eventually – Mitt Romney is almost guaranteed to say or do something that is demoralizing or alienating for his base, especially in his lurch for the political center. (After all, for religious/social conservatives and Tea Partiers, Romney wasn’t the one they wanted, but they one they settled for.)
Even though Romney’s approval ratings are trickling up with the end of Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum constantly repeating why no one should ever, ever trust Mitt Romney, they could deflate at any moment. Because American politics are as fickle as those fair-weather voters. Romney could pick a tragically-flawed running mate. Obama could face a terrorist attack on American soil. Pick-an-industry-any-American-industry could collapse again, needing a government bailout. Romney’s name really could turn out to be “Mittens.” You just never know what’s going to be the thing that causes things to spike or collapse ahead of that vote.
(...)
So stopping the vote is the ultimate fail safe. If by some Obama-esque charm offensive, the president is able to get back his 2008 glow (or Romney completely collapses under the weight of his own inconsistencies) the GOP needs a back-up plan. And voter suppression is that back-up plan.
Reader Comments (1)
Whenever I read one of your political posts, my heart starts racing to see what the end will entail. Will it be a doomsday ending for Obama? Will “Mittens” truly be found a Manchurian Candidate? How does everything that Obama and America hoped for, turn into everything that we didn’t actually know we needed? Well, I am playing my hand close to the vest this election season, but I know if I was on Obama’s or Romney’s team, I would add little more meat and potatoes and a little less tit-for-tat when at the podium.
Two key areas Obama is losing: Message and Projection
Obama’s team has picked the wrong slogan for the campaign….FORWARD….really? A better word would have been PROGRESS! This would speak volumes to the Progressive movement, as well as bring clarity to his position. Although the words make similar references, the overall perception becomes the starting point. With the word FORWARD it seems to start from a stagnant position (picture the legions of Gulivers’s Travels liliputions pushing bolders up a hill). The word PROGRESS is used to show current motion and a predated launch from the original location. The country has made progress and the message is not being established clearly enough for the “I just tuned in” crowd to know that the country is already in motion and waiting for them to get on board. The progressive movement needs a word that joins the voice in order to have a rally cry. The word progress also provides the opportunity to highlight the achievements already made. That opportunity is missed with the message of FORWARD.
Secondly, Obama needs to activate the phrase, “Bring it!” as his tag line. When he hears the Republicans going on about what they plan to do, he should be shouting “Bring it!”….”I want the American people to know that you are fighting against their best interests! Mr. Walker may have won in Wisconsin, but you have awakened the giant of 2008 and we are ready to say “Bring it!” This is a powerful message that establishes the fighting spirit that many who voted for Obama in 2008 wanted to see during his first four years. He needs to appear to look like he is ready to go the distance and leaving everything out on the court for the American people. Right now he looks like he is parroting the same ‘ol message about the hole President Bush left us….we know already…so NOW WHAT? Bring it!
Lastly, the financial picture is where the Obama campaign is missing a HUGE opportunity. They allow the Republicans to talk about “over-spending”, but the Obama campaign failed to frame the message that the “Surplus was spent BEFORE the ditch was created! The Republicans SPENT our SAVINGS, RAN UP THE TAB, and LEFT US THE BILL.” That SURPLUS SPENING COMPLETELY changes the financial picture painted by the Republicans! This is an EPIC FAIL by the Obama team!
Areas Mitt is losing: Message and Perception
It’s really not that hard for Mitt to win this time around if he can just get his campaign to paint him as a “loveable loser”. Women LOVE a loveable loser. You know, the kind of guy who is extremely awkward but can take care of his family. The one who is too intelligent to connect, but has made up for his lack of people skills in putting his better talents to work, “as a strategist.” His wife could be a key factor in getting women to see the loveable loser in Mittens. She is well versed and rehearsed, so it won’t be hard for the team to script her with what she needs to say in order to transfer that message. Once this iron strikes it is game over for President Obama. The Romney campaign will have the money and the message sewn up.
The second area Mitt is losing is in the area of…surprise! Diversity . Mitt needs to show some other faces in the crowd and fast! He is already starting off on the wrong foot, and he better begin to drag Herman Cain back from the ocean of Womanizing and grab his friends along the way. Herman Cain will never turn down a photo op, or an opportunity to sell his brand of crazy. It will look as if Mitt is creating a strategic team of business people to help pull the country out of the ditch. Additionally, Mitt needs to invite business people for a round table discussion about how to get the country out of the ditch. People build confidence in someone already looking like they are doing the job, even if he has no control over the current situation.
Lastly, Mitt is missing the message with the youth and downtrodden (they can sometimes be one in the same). The Romney campaign knows they have the staunch Republicans, the White racists (notice I said White – other races have them too), and the over age 60 retirees; however there are ways to pull the leash on another large demographic: People with the belief that they have pulled up their own bootstraps! There are so many Americans that believe that they alone are the ones who are responsible for their own success. If he can speak to that group of diverse people, he can get a larger group of people to follow his lead. He can speak to the students who competitively do well in class, women on the cutting edge of science and technology, new business owners, tying them all together with a common thread of “We are the American Dream.” This tagline will also debunk that he is not for the Dream Act, but for the American Dream for all CITIZENS of this country. He needs to sidestep the Dream Act by highlighting his desire to “give all CITIZENS the opportunity to Dream!” Instead of “take our country back”, he could say, “We want to reset our American spirit in motion towards our personal American Dream. We are all dreamers, but we want to ensure that we don’t continue the nightmare of paying for those who are not here legally.” This is a divide and conquer method used to separate the legal Hispanic voters from their belief that the Republican party is not supportive of their voice and mission. Romney needs to frame the message in terms of America rewarding those who do the “right thing.”
Justice