Hand-wringing and Bed-wetting

A moment of truth from Joe Scarborough: (Via Atrios)

MATTHEWS: Now, it'll die, as we said, it'll jump the shark. Two days ago, no, we're all talking about -- you're waving the tabloids around, come on. Two days from now -- I want to ask you, what will we talk about two days from now?

SCARBOROUGH: Whatever the McCain campaign wants us to talk about, because the McCain campaign is assertive.

David Plouffe of the Obama Campagin (Via Openleft)

"We're sensitive to the fluid dynamics of the campaign, but we have a game plan and a strategy," said Mr. Obama's campaign manager, David Plouffe. "We're familiar with this. And I'm sure between now and Nov. 4 there will be another period of hand-wringing and bed-wetting. It comes with the territory."

I've agreed with Plouffe's statements on looking at voter registration rather than polls, and it's his delegate number crunching that won Obama the primary. But to discount recent events from impacting the election itself is ridiculous. I'd like to see where "Let McCain control message for 2 weeks after conventions" was part of their grand strategy plan. The benchmark for success isn't winning this campaign, this should be 5% or higher victory, and there is no excuse for any other result. Some problematic news from the past week(with common sense solutions!):

-Obama is running at a lower percentage than democratic congressional candidates nationwide. Common Sense Solution: Instead of hardly mentioning your party affiliation, do it a lot. And always mention that McCain is a republican. Democrats are popular right now, republican's are not. Save the post partisan bullshit for a time when people don't despise one of the parties.

-If you're explaining, you're losing. Common Sense Solution: Respond, but keep attacking. His houses, NAFTA, Iraq, the economy, it's not like there's a lack of targets. Stay on the offensive and you play less defense. If sports were like politics, the warriors and the wizards would meet in the finals every year.

-Everyone keeps complimenting John McCain. Common Sense Solution: STOP DOING IT! I know he's a veteran. I know he was a POW. What the fuck does that matter when he's screwing over veterans, keeping us in Iraq and tanking the economy? If you start every attack with a compliment, it completely disarms the point you are about to make. Good for a debate, not good at any other time.

Plouffe may be a great numbers cruncher, but if he thinks all is well with the campaign then there's going to be a lot more bed-wetting and hand-wringing on this end. Dismissing criticism by his own supporters with smart ass remarks not only makes him come off as a jackass, but if he'd used rhetoric half that strong attacking the McCain campaign, maybe we wouldn't be in this mess.