10/24/2008

What does your candidate have to do in these final days to win on Nov. 4?

By Battleground Banter

PREVIOUS EDITION: Who has the better ground game in Wisconsin, Democrats or Republicans?

Editor's Note: This is the final Battleground Banter of this political season. Feedback: wisopinion@wispolitics.com

BATTLEGROUND BANTER

What does your candidate have to do in these final days to win on Nov. 4?

Sara Rogers

Bill McCoshen

To win Wisconsin and the presidency, Barack Obama needs to continue doing what he has done throughout this campaign -- explain to voters his plan to turn around the economy and bring an end to the destructive economic policies of George W. Bush that benefit the wealthy at the expense of the middle class. Wisconsin families are struggling. With the economy plummeting and markets in turmoil, families are having more trouble than ever making ends meet. They are worried about their retirement savings, how they will afford health care costs, how they will send their kids to college, and how they will pay their growing stack of bills. As a result, Wisconsin voters are paying close attention to what the candidates are saying about the economy. But right now, they are hearing only political attacks from John McCain, and no substance or solutions for the country's economic problems. As John McCain has become increasingly desperate in the final weeks of the campaign, he has resorted to spreading insidious lies about Barack Obama. Instead of talking about the economy, McCain is using automated robo-calls to spread outrageous smears about Obama -- a sleazy tactic that McCain himself once called "hate calls." These pathetic attacks just serve as final confirmation that the straight-talking maverick John McCain we once knew is nowhere to be found. With the country facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, Wisconsin voters don't want to a candidate who's looking to "turn the page" on talking about the economy with a slew of despicable eleventh-hour character attacks. Instead, they want to hear real solutions to their economic troubles. While McCain continues his last-gasp attempt to change the subject, Obama has traveled the country outlining his plans to put the economy back on track. Obama's economic plan provides relief for people who need it, by cutting taxes for 95 percent of working families and making affordable health care accessible to everyone. Rather than continuing George Bush's economic policies that only benefit the rich, Obama will eliminate income taxes for seniors making less than $50,000, and create millions of new "green collar" jobs by investing in renewable energy sources. In these troubled times, Wisconsin families are asking tough questions of each presidential candidate, and Barack Obama is the only one offering concrete answers. John McCain's campaign has devolved into parading around the country tossing about the word "change" and making a final, fruitless attempt to separate himself from an administration he voted with 90 percent of the time. But saying the words won't change the fact that John McCain himself has said, "On the transcendent issues, the most important issues of our day, I have been totally in agreement and support of President Bush." And it won't change the fact that McCain remains so out of touch with everyday Americans that just this week he defended the Bush policy of lavishing tax breaks on companies that ship jobs overseas. Over the course of this campaign, Barack Obama has proven to Wisconsin voters that he offers real economic change for the country. John McCain may want to 'turn the page' on talking about the economy in this campaign, but Wisconsin voters want turn the page on the failed Bush-McCain economic agenda that got us into this mess. Wisconsin knows our nation desperately needs change. On November 4th, they'll elect the one candidate who will bring it - Barack Obama. -- Rogers is executive vice president of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO.

Last week I told you Barack Obama had a major money and organizational advantage over John McCain in Wisconsin. Those are two legs of the three-legged campaign stool -- money, organization and message (MOM). The only thing that has changed since last week is Obama raised another record amount ($150 million) in September. Before the presidential race is over Obama will raise and spend nearly three quarters of a billion dollars! So much for McCain-Feingold and campaign finance reform! Obama also has an advantage over McCain on message, but some of the advantage is driven by continued voter dissatisfaction with the Bush administration. Message is the one area where McCain can make his big comeback. If McCain wants to win Wisconsin he has to focus his message on the economy. Honestly, it's a waste of McCain’s time and money to talk about Bill Ayers, Reverend Wright or ACORN. Sure those relationships tell you something about Obama’s judgment and character, but judgment and character aren't primary issues in this campaign. The presidential race is all about the economy. McCain’s best shot at winning is to simplify his own economic message and hammer away at Obama’s economic policy of entitlement. Go ask any of the nearly 8,200 manufacturing workers that have lost their job in Wisconsin this year if they want the government to give them money other people earned, and you will hear a resounding, “Hell no!” Wisconsinites are proud people, and they expect to earn their money. They want a hand up, not a hand out. The liberal notion that it’s OK to “spread the wealth” is simply not acceptable to most hard working people in Wisconsin or the Midwest. Obama says he will cut taxes for 95 percent of working families. Obama fails to mention that 40 percent of working Americans don’t pay federal income taxes. The American Enterprise Institute says Obama will reduce Social Security taxes for those that pay no federal income tax or provide lower income workers a refundable credit. Under the Obama plan millions of Americans will benefit from Social Security without paying anything for it. Didn’t we used to call that welfare? Republicans dominated gubernatorial elections throughout the late 1980s and the 1990s in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois and Minnesota when GOP candidates campaigned on cutting everyone’s taxes, reducing spending, ending welfare and putting people back to work. Those messages still resonate in the heartland. McCain needs to visit Wausau and Eau Claire while Sarah Palin needs to visit Green Bay, Appleton and Rhinelander. They need to tell Wisconsin voters they want to cut taxes for everyone, reduce spending and avoid a retreat to a welfare system by redistributing wealth. That's their best hope in Wisconsin. Finally, I want to thank Sara Rogers for joining me in writing the "Battleground Banter'' columns the past couple of months. I also want to thank WisOpinion.com for giving Sara and me the opportunity to share our thoughts on the presidential and legislative races. Readers may not always agree with what we had to say, but, hopefully, our comments gave you some insight into what really makes a good campaign tick. -- McCoshen is senior vice president of the lobbying firm Capitol Consultants and served as Commerce secretary under former GOP. Gov. Tommy Thompson.