Friday, September 03, 2010

An October Surprise?

Jim Geraghty has an interesting NRO column in which he evokes the advice of his (perhaps fictional) political mentor who hides under the name of Obi Wan Kenobi (OWK). (Hat tip: Instapundit.) Obi warns that the Dems may upset the apparent November Republican juggernaut with not one but many "October surprises" meant to derail the Repubs' current momentum:
This fall they [the Democrats] will know no checks — October Surprises, maybe every day and all day. What this means, I don’t know — bombing Iran? Capturing Osama bin Laden or some other big name and announcing the news two days before the election? Get tough with Paris Hilton and send her to Guantanamo?
More to the point, however, OWK gets to the essence of today's Democrat:
One problem area is that Republicans don’t usually get the media dynamic. Look at the week of the Obamacare vote — while Republicans were focused on legislative maneuvers and talking amendments, the White House created the right media climate, one where wavering Democrats could feel comfortable by citing the support of the Catholic nuns and the hospital associations and the CBO in a nice little series of TV set-pieces....

...Just tell the people that the White House and Democrats will try and control the media dynamic and narrative. This is what they do. They don’t really know how to govern for the public good; if they could do that, they would be in better shape. What they do know to do is use media events to hold onto power, to go on television and blab.
OWK details just how much a part of the Democrats' attack-and-focus mechanism the media have become, and I think he has it down pretty well. But here's the money sentences--the one all voters should remember well this November:
Get the word out that this election is not just about Obama — he is just a symptom of what the Democratic party has been since 1972....There are no moderate Democrats in Congress, because when you vote for a supposed Blue Dog you are voting for the enablers — the ones who keep the House and Senate run by liberals.
As one of my old Merchant Marine pals once observed on another topic, "Truer words was never spoke."

Geraghty's whole piece is good. If you didn't already hit the link above, just click here.

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