Words of Advice for John McCain

They say that Sen. John McCain is now an avid reader of blogs – that’s right; he finally now knows how to work the “intranet machine.”

So, Sen. McCain, if you’re reading this, I sure hope you take it to heart.

Let me say first that I’m no expert. I have worked on a couple campaigns, though and, as a reporter, I’ve covered many more. Speaking from experience, I know how tough it is to run a campaign from behind, especially when the deck is already stacked against you and it keeps getting higher.

The most important thing is to know when it's time to employ a different strategy. With Election Day just four weeks away from tomorrow, that time is now. Below is a list of ideas that might help turn things around.

1. LEAVE PALIN ALONE
   You took my advice and brought in Sarah Palin. Nice move. Trouble is, you’re not using her effectively. You’ve got to play to her strengths and keeping her away from the media hasn’t worked. That said, she shouldn’t have been thrown to the lions first, either. The best places to start were independent or even friendly venues; places like the Christian Science Monitor, National Review or FOX News. Even US Conservatives at About.com would have been better than CBS or NBC. Especially NBC. Sheesh. What were you guys thinking? That’s the place that gave Keith Olbermann a job.
   But the past is past, and here we are. It’s not too late to send her to those places.
   Next, you’ve got to pull her script. I think by now she’s got the gist of it, so let her go. Separate yourself from her, because right now you look like a proud father carefully watching over his child. Give her the keys to the car and let her go. Palin works best when she’s thinking on her feet and you’ve got to trust her. You made her your running-mate for a reason, so let her run.



2. PULL THE NEGATIVE ADS
   I know what you’re thinking: “What the -- ?” It's highly unusual this late in the game, but if you want to make the case for change, you’re going to have to actually be different. That means toning down the rhetoric -– at least on TV. Save the negative stuff for the campaign trail. Let Palin (the Pitbull) go after Barack Obama and Joe Biden if she wants to. The media analyzes ad nauseum her every word, so what she says from the stump might as well be a paid ad, anyway. The truth is, negative ads exude desperation, and they’re fodder for negative criticism, especially from the mainstream media, which is all too eager to discredit them. Exude confidence instead. Let them discredit Obama’s negative ads. You’ve got to start running like you’re 10 points ahead.
   
   
3. PUT THE GOP TO WORK FOR YOU
   Let the Republican Party run the negative ads. Talk to your former primary rivals, people like Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson and Mike Huckabee, and see if they would be willing to stump for you. This will unite their supporters behind you and they can bring their various areas of expertise to bear down on Obama and Biden. Huckabee and Thompson can go after the Democratic candidates on the right to life issue, Giuliani can go after them on national security, and Tom Tancredo can go after them on immigration. These guys are willing to help. Let them.



4. TAP INTO THE GROWING HOLLYWOOD CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT
   You've got contacts in the entertainment industry. Why not get them involved? Just recently, the media has opened its eyes to the slowly emerging conservative movement that is sweeping through Tinsel Town. You've already got people like Robert Duvall, Martin Sheen, Elizabeth Hasselbeck, Ted Nugent and other well-known stars pulling for you, why not get them out there on the trail? It's well-known that people like barbara Streisand and Matt Damon are pushing for Obama (even though Damon is also the spokesman for DividedWeFail.org, an allegedly non-partisan group), so why not fight fire with fire? Remember your appearance with Puerto Rican recording sensation Daddy Yankee? Do more appearances like this. Target demographics and get these stars' endorsements. It might seem tacky, but it works just as well as negative ads.



5. MAKE ROMNEY YOUR TOP ECONOMIC ADVISOR
   It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, but the guy knows the economy. My problem has been with his flip-flops on conservative issues. And while Romney may not know the economy as well as Phil Gramm, Douglas Holtz-Eakin or Alan Greenspan, he does know how to use the economy politically. He’s a business genius who could help refine your message and make it palatable for the American public. You’ve got a good economic plan – it’s just that nobody knows about it. It’s highly complicated and you stumble over yourself when you try to explain it. Romney can help simplify the message, and who knows? Maybe put you on top regarding this issue.



6. LOOK AT OBAMA ON TUESDAY
   You took a lot of heat for not looking at Barack Obama directly during the previous debate. Part of it may have been that you were uncomfortable with the debate format; another part of it could be that this is a guy who’s (falsely) calling you a thief and a liar. It may stoke the fires of your temper and it may raise your blood pressure, but look at him when he’s talking anyway. This is the kind of debate you called for from the beginning of the campaign: a friendly town-hall style debate. You may not be Obama’s friend, but pretend you are anyway. You’re campaigning on your ability to work with the other side. He’s the other side.

Oh, and one more thing: be sure to invite Obama and Biden to the Oval Office for a nice, warm cup of coffee in January ... after you’ve been inaugurated.