It’s Getting Hot In Here

(This is a nonpartisan blog and this post that takes no stand on any political candidates. The observations below are intended to be a reflection on strategy and communication for activists and organizers, not as an endorsement of either candidate, or a comment on the policies or positions they represent.)

Last night I saw Obama debate McCain. It was the most anticipated moment to date in an election that has been more expensive and hyped than any in U.S. history. On the heels of a huge economic collapse, with the most hated president in our history as a backdrop, I was ready for something interesting. I went to a friend-of-a-friend’s where they were projecting the spectacle onto a wall. We were armed with wine and popcorn. Rather than the standard debate drinking games (drink every time a candidate says “terrorism”! etc) - we were all obliged to throw our snacks at the screen every time we heard something foul. We quickly made a mess.

I was disappointed. It was boring.

Both sides declared victory shortly afterward. Seems like most people who already liked Obama’s politics think he won, and most people who already liked McCain’s politics think he won (who woulda thought?). But despite what one early poll says and Obama’s strong start on the economy, I think McCain won in terms of political strategy, especially when discussing foreign policy. He understood how to shape ideas. I saw Obama constantly playing into conservative frames that McCain set for him, spending most of his time on the defensive, and frankly being too complex and nuanced for his own good.

McCain spent most of his time reinforcing the same message: that Obama is inexperienced and naive. Every chance he got he would repeat the same line over and over again: “what my opponent doesn’t seem to understand is…” “Mr. Obama is naive because…” Obama (mostly) retaliated with facts, not with messages that appeal to values or emotions.

Progressives can take a lesson from this. Activists always want to be right! We want to hammer the public with all our facts, with the proper footnotes and citation. We want to explain the ills of society in graphic detail, hoping that this will somehow create a landslide of support. Savvy communicators (like politicians) know that it doesnt matter if you are right, it matters if you are convincing. Being right is not enough.

If Obama instead thought of one or two simple phrases tying McCain to Bush, and repeated them every chance he got (as he started to during the economic portion of the debate), it would have been a different conversation altogether. Just like McCain attached Obama to the meme of naivete, activists need to approach our targets in a similar way with simplicity, consistency, and clarity. Obama is a great example of an effective communicator because he is good at telling stories and focusing on vision. Activists should study Obama’s efficacy in this arena and learn from it. But Obama did not do this in the debates last night. If he had, in the process he could have framed the argument, rather than simply playing on McCain’s terms, confined by the conservative frames put forward.