Posted by
RyanWard on Tuesday, October 21, 2008 8:43:59 PM
If McCain is elected, he will need to improve upon Bush’s ability to market his message if he stands any chance of advancing his agenda during his presidency. For the last 8 years, we've all seen, time and time again, some good ideas put forth by the Bush adminstration only to have the lack of ability to market the idea, force them into retreat mode and play the policy from a defensive position. I certainly do not subscribe to the idea that McCain is Bush, but, the McCain campaign apparently does have this trait in common with the current administration.
Time and again, opportunities have presented themselves in the course of this campaign for McCain to capitalize on issues affecting us, the american public and time and again McCain has had great difficulty framing the issue for the American public. The most recent is this constant drumbeat about Joe the plumber. Here is an issue that breaks down the Obama tax plan into its simplest terms and all McCain seems to do is overcomplicate the issue on the campaign trail. Then of course we have the debt crisis, which affects me directly as a real estate professional serving the Atlanta real estate market. Any mention of the bill McCain cosponsored in a prime time commercial? How about pointing out that it was the democrats who stopped the regulation set forth in that bill when the issue was hot? Nothing. Zip. Nada. This seems to be a recurring theme from McCain and if it doesn't doom his candidacy, it very well might make four years of McCain very similar to those of the Bush years. Not because the ideas put forth are bad, but, because the messenger did not market the message well.