The Michael Phelps Guide To Winning An Election
I’m not a swimming fan. But I’ve been following Michael Phelps’ Olympic races obsessively.
I’m not a political junkie. But I’ve been following Barack Obama’s campaign obsessively.
I suspect there are millions like me around the world. We’re drawn to these two men for the same reason: They’re doing something that seemed impossible before they attempted it. They’re giving us something to root for. They’re inspiring us.
This is the reason, I think, Barack Obama got a bump in the polls after he defeated the once-thought-invincible “Clinton Machine” and clinched the Democratic nomination. It’s the reason he vaulted to a nine-point lead in the Gallup daily tracking poll after his gaffe-free, smoothly executed tour abroad. It’s the reason he’ll very likely get a similar bounce after formally accepting his party’s nomination with a spectacle rarely attempted by political candidates: packing tens of thousands of people in a football stadium.
I call it the Michael Phelps Effect. Someone sets a bold goal, they achieve it, and they earn the public’s goodwill and respect. I know a lot of commentators here and elsewhere question whether the trip was a good idea. They question the political propriety of the Mile High speech. Obama himself bristled at the suggestion that his trip was “audacious.” But, come on, it was audacious! A junior senator with few international connections and a young campaign staff with little experience on a national stage were going to - in one week- visit eight countries and meet with multiple world leaders. They also hoped to draw thousands of people to hear the senator speak in Germany. Wow! No wonder it drew so much media attention. Audacity, I think, is exactly what makes Barack Obama’s candidacy so compelling.
I remember how good I felt that whole week Obama was abroad, seeing this son of a goatherd and a small town girl interact with world leaders like he was born to it. It was the best period of the election so far. Now I follow the everyday back and forth of the campaigns with varying levels of queasiness. I watch as it becomes nastier and nastier as Obama’s jittery supporters encourage him to “Hit harder! Hit harder!” and he seems to be following their advice.
I’m worried. Not that he would lose. I feel he has too many historical and economic factors on his side. I worry that it would be another narrow victory, with almost half the electorate dissatisfied with the result. I worry that he’s squandering an opportunity to really change the way elections are won in the US, i.e. by scaring enough voters away from the other side. I’m worried he’s squandering an opportunity to ride the Michael Phelps Effect to a landslide victory.
So while I have no experience running a campaign, and I hate these advice-to-Obama posts as much as anyone, as an observer who really wants change, I have a suggestion for the Obama campaign: Do more audacious stunts. Do them within America. They will draw media attention, just like the trip did, and give you an opportunity to have your policies heard. They will reduce the need to join John McCain in the mud and give you a chance to really inspire people and have them rally around Obama’s candidacy. I have two suggestions, although the ideas can meld.
1. A Celebrate America tour or a Hope and Change tour. The tour can have a record-setting goal, for instance - and this is completely arbitrary - 60 stops in six days. The tour can be by bus. Hold events before landmarks in towns across America. Feature town heroes, or people who’ve accomplished something against the odds. Tell the American people, “I want to put in place policies that will lead to more Joe Whatevers, more Debbie Whatevers.” Explain those policies. In his speech Sen. Obama can mention some inspiring aspect of the town’s history.
2. A Red State tour. Visit a few places the senator is thought to have no chance of winning. Choose from towns in Sen. McCain’s Arizona, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kansas, Mississippi, Louisiana etc. Tell residents the equivalent of ‘I know you won’t support me but I’ll support you.’ Reach out to Republican mayors and governors if that is possible. Show that talk of there being no red states and blue states isn’t just lip service.
The Republicans and the media want this election to be petty, small, mean. It’s the only way the Republicans can win and it’s a way to get good ratings on the cheap. But I think there’s another way to victory. There’s another way to draw people’s attention. Michael Phelps has shown us how.
I’m not a political junkie. But I’ve been following Barack Obama’s campaign obsessively.
I suspect there are millions like me around the world. We’re drawn to these two men for the same reason: They’re doing something that seemed impossible before they attempted it. They’re giving us something to root for. They’re inspiring us.
This is the reason, I think, Barack Obama got a bump in the polls after he defeated the once-thought-invincible “Clinton Machine” and clinched the Democratic nomination. It’s the reason he vaulted to a nine-point lead in the Gallup daily tracking poll after his gaffe-free, smoothly executed tour abroad. It’s the reason he’ll very likely get a similar bounce after formally accepting his party’s nomination with a spectacle rarely attempted by political candidates: packing tens of thousands of people in a football stadium.
I call it the Michael Phelps Effect. Someone sets a bold goal, they achieve it, and they earn the public’s goodwill and respect. I know a lot of commentators here and elsewhere question whether the trip was a good idea. They question the political propriety of the Mile High speech. Obama himself bristled at the suggestion that his trip was “audacious.” But, come on, it was audacious! A junior senator with few international connections and a young campaign staff with little experience on a national stage were going to - in one week- visit eight countries and meet with multiple world leaders. They also hoped to draw thousands of people to hear the senator speak in Germany. Wow! No wonder it drew so much media attention. Audacity, I think, is exactly what makes Barack Obama’s candidacy so compelling.
I remember how good I felt that whole week Obama was abroad, seeing this son of a goatherd and a small town girl interact with world leaders like he was born to it. It was the best period of the election so far. Now I follow the everyday back and forth of the campaigns with varying levels of queasiness. I watch as it becomes nastier and nastier as Obama’s jittery supporters encourage him to “Hit harder! Hit harder!” and he seems to be following their advice.
I’m worried. Not that he would lose. I feel he has too many historical and economic factors on his side. I worry that it would be another narrow victory, with almost half the electorate dissatisfied with the result. I worry that he’s squandering an opportunity to really change the way elections are won in the US, i.e. by scaring enough voters away from the other side. I’m worried he’s squandering an opportunity to ride the Michael Phelps Effect to a landslide victory.
So while I have no experience running a campaign, and I hate these advice-to-Obama posts as much as anyone, as an observer who really wants change, I have a suggestion for the Obama campaign: Do more audacious stunts. Do them within America. They will draw media attention, just like the trip did, and give you an opportunity to have your policies heard. They will reduce the need to join John McCain in the mud and give you a chance to really inspire people and have them rally around Obama’s candidacy. I have two suggestions, although the ideas can meld.
1. A Celebrate America tour or a Hope and Change tour. The tour can have a record-setting goal, for instance - and this is completely arbitrary - 60 stops in six days. The tour can be by bus. Hold events before landmarks in towns across America. Feature town heroes, or people who’ve accomplished something against the odds. Tell the American people, “I want to put in place policies that will lead to more Joe Whatevers, more Debbie Whatevers.” Explain those policies. In his speech Sen. Obama can mention some inspiring aspect of the town’s history.
2. A Red State tour. Visit a few places the senator is thought to have no chance of winning. Choose from towns in Sen. McCain’s Arizona, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kansas, Mississippi, Louisiana etc. Tell residents the equivalent of ‘I know you won’t support me but I’ll support you.’ Reach out to Republican mayors and governors if that is possible. Show that talk of there being no red states and blue states isn’t just lip service.
The Republicans and the media want this election to be petty, small, mean. It’s the only way the Republicans can win and it’s a way to get good ratings on the cheap. But I think there’s another way to victory. There’s another way to draw people’s attention. Michael Phelps has shown us how.
