Obama’s possible strategies

Timothy A. writes:

There are only a limited number of plays in the Democratic playbook. Obama has already used the JFK narrative (young, vigorous, glamorous guy vs. old stodgy guy) to get elected, but the JFK template for governing (get shot, become a martyr) is not attractive.

Which leads to the FDR gambit (transform the economy, make an even larger proportion of the population dependent on the government, democrat majority for a generation).

If that fails, the obvious reaction is the Clinton tack to the center—but BHO seems viscerally opposed to such an approach.

Rather—fight, fight, fight—then when health care fails, he can demonize and run against that no good, do-nothing (Republican minority in) Congress. BHO as Harry Truman. Actually, this works even better in 2012 if the Republicans win one or both houses of Congress in 2010.

You can see the administration setting up this narrative by repeating over and over that the Republicans are offering nothing—NOTHING! Of course, it may not be true, but that doesn’t matter. Just keep repeating it often enough so that the population rallies to Fightin’ Barry—defender of the little guy!

If this fails, I expect Obama to put on a sweater and give a televised malaise speech.

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James P. writes:

The JFK economic template—cut taxes and expand the domestic base—is completely “open” to the Messiah as a strategy, but something tells me that is as viscerally unattractive to him as a Clintonian tack to the center.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at February 24, 2010 09:02 AM | Send