Sarah Palin is NOT a Victim!

(PLEASE SCROLL DOWN AFTER READING THIS, THE 2ND OF TWO POSTS TODAY!)
Despite her pathetic performance on the national stage thus far, there seems to be a real danger that some of the undecided voters who reacted positively to Sarah Palin's nomination—particularly women—may be inclined to support her out of sympathy or solidarity. I have heard “she didn’t know what she was getting into” from more than one person I’ve talked to this week. This article provides some "good sense" talking points to counter that view. “The Sarah Palin Pity Party” Salon.com (Rebecca Traister) http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2008/09/30/palin_pity/ Excerpt: “Where I come from, a woman -- and especially a woman governor with executive experience -- doesn't have to rely on any elder or any man to protect her and pull her ass out of the fire. She can make a decision all on her own. (Palin was more than happy to tell Charlie Gibson that she made her decision to join the McCain ticket without blinking.) I agree…that the McCain camp was craven, sexist and disrespectful in its choice of Palin, but I don't agree that the Alaska governor was a passive victim of their Machiavellian plotting. A very successful woman, Palin has the wherewithal to move forward consciously. What she did was move forward thoughtlessly and overconfidently, without considering that her abilities or qualifications would ever be questioned… Sarah Palin is no wilting flower. She is a politician who took the national stage and sneered at the work of community activists. She boldly tries to pass off incuriosity and lassitude as regular-people qualities, thereby doing a disservice to all those Americans who also work two jobs and do not come from families that hand out passports and backpacking trips, yet still manage to pick up a paper and read about their government and seek out experience and knowledge.”

Temperament Matters

McCain has demonstrated again and again during this campaign that he is more “diva” than “maverick” (i.e., more selfish than selfless) and it just keeps getting him into trouble. Undecided voters care about temperament. Challenge them to focus on carefully observing and evaluating his behavior. There is a lot being written on this subject this week—here are just a couple of good posts that I found:
** “Calm, Methodical Obama vs. Angry, Ungracious McCain” The Huffington Post (Amb. Richard C. Holbrooke) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amb-richard-c-holbrooke/calm-methodical-obama-vs_b_130343.html Excerpt: “The gambling, brawling style of John McCain has its attractive side to Americans, but it is not what we need in the White House in these troubled times.”
** “America Wants a President, Not a Drama Queen” The Huffington Post (Oliver Willis) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/oliver-willis/america-wants-a-president_b_129844.html Excerpt: “John McCain is... RuPaul…When [he] is not the focus of attention, he makes two snaps and screams for attention.”

For Undecideds Who Genuinely Care About Character and Family Values

Because this blog is focused exclusively on how we can influence undecided voters—most of whom CARE DEEPLY about character issues—I can no longer put off a mention of the contrast between McCain and Obama when it comes to how they conduct their family lives. I won’t recount here the details of how McCain dumped his wife (who waited for him while he was a POW) for a much younger heiress—you’ve all read/heard about that elsewhere. But the fact that Barack and Michelle are the embodiment of the “American Dream” needs more exposure. Please read and share this article with your undecided friends/relatives (especially women) whom you think may find it compelling: “The Obama Relationship: A Major Benefit Nobody’s Talking About” The Huffington Post (Kathlyn & Gay Hendricks) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathlyn-and-gay-hendricks/the-obama-relationship-a_b_128896.html Excerpt: “Imagine having a president who likes his partner and values her as an equal, a president who touches his wife affectionately in public and actually listens to her when she talks!”

"If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself."

That’s a quote from conservative columnist Kathleen Parker, a former Palin supporter. If you’re talking to undecided women who initially liked Palin but are also beginning to lose confidence in her after a series of disastrous network interviews (all three of them), it should interest them to know that even staunch conservatives are breaking ranks: “The Palin Problem: She’s Out of Her League” National Review Online http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MDZiMDhjYTU1NmI5Y2MwZjg2MWNiMWMyYTUxZDkwNTE

How to Watch the Debates

Here’s an article by Hillary Clinton’s former debate analyst with great insights into what does and does not score points. UNDECIDED VOTERS ARE WATCHING THE DEBATES VERY CLOSELY! Read this and you’ll be better “armed” to discuss the debates (and anticipate objections) with undecideds. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/judd-legum/how-to-figure-out-who-won_b_129605.html

Ask Undecided Voters to Turn the Sound Off and Watch Sarah Palin

When she does occasionally emerge from her cocoon and grants an interview, Sarah Palin employs a flurry of tough talk to evade the questions being put to her and to avoid actually saying anything of substance. However, her face and her gestures speak volumes. “That Look On Her Face” The Huffington Post (Jane Smiley) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jane-smiley/that-look-on-her-face_b_129638.html Excerpt: “Her facial expressions and her hand gestures are quite interesting because they are those of someone who knows she is bullshitting and is trying to put it over by being extra emphatic. She is full of resentment and entirely exasperated that she is not being accepted in the way she thinks of herself… When I see her talking, I can see that -- her face shows impatience with the process -- why bother, she is saying, let me just have what I want.”

The Power of Images

A compelling image to share with undecided voters.
Was McCain's "suspension" of his campaign and his call for postponement of Friday's debate a principled "nonpartisan stand" during a time of crisis, or a cynical distraction as his poll numbers were plummeting? Just look at the faces of his campaign leadership team shortly after he called for the postponement so that he could "focus on the economic crisis." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-shaw/reading-the-pictures-emha_b_129128.html

If You Can’t Take The Heat…

Just a reminder that this commentary is offered (as is everything in this blog) as material for potential talking points for your conversations with undecided voters. So…that said, anyone seeing a pattern here?
** First there was McCain’s cancellation of his planned hour-long appearance with Larry King during the week of the Republican Convention (during the height of the initial flap over the Palin nomination). He claimed that the move was to protest CNN correspondent Campbell Brown’s having “crossed a line” in her interview with McCain Campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds. HUH??? See the interview here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYYiw_y2qDI
** Then there are the ongoing efforts to build a “cocoon” around Sarah Palin to protect her from the press, allowing interviews only with anchors they assume will play “softball” with her. (To their credit, both Charles Gibson and Katie Couric stepped up.) See Campbell Brown weigh in on this: http://www.politico.com/blogs/michaelcalderone/0908/Campbell_Brown_Free_Sarah_Palin.html
** And then today there was the “duck & cover” response to the Wall Street meltdown… Rather than face the American people on Friday night in a head-to-head debate with his opponent, McCain decided to “suspend his campaign” and return to Washington to “roll up his sleeves” and work on the crisis. Ahem, that’s what leaders of both parties have been doing for the last week, around the clock… And now he’s even suggesting that next week’s scheduled Vice Presidential debate should also be postponed. (Could that be because Sarah Palin bumbled & stumbled through her interview with Katie tonight?)
** Meanwhile, Barack Obama is reminding us that:
>> Presidents need to be able to do more than one thing at a time.
>> Now, more than at any time during this campaign, the American people deserve to hear, in detail, how the candidates propose to address the critical issues we are facing.

A QUICK, EASY & REWARDING way for YOU to Put These Talking Points to Work!

The Obama campaign makes it easy for you to connect with voters in your own neighborhood who may be undecided—on your own time and from wherever you want to sit and make calls. Those of you who’ve worked on call banks in tiny, crowded campaign offices will know this is a BIG plus! ;) For the last few nights I’ve been making calls and I’m hooked—it is an amazing experience and you really can make an impact.
IT TAKES 5 MINUTES OR LESS TO SET UP AN ACCOUNT & START MAKING CALLS:
1. Visit http://my.barackobama.com/modules/votercontact/login_signup.php
2. If you already have an account on the Obama website, just log in and follow the instructions. If you don’t already have an account, just follow the simple instructions for creating one.
3. Then print your list and you’re ready to start making calls! The campaign provides you with a sample script. If you’d like to see the script I’ve developed after 30+ calls, email me at cstamstad@msn.com . When you’re done making calls for the day, record your responses online so that the Obama campaign is in the loop about what you’re hearing.
I plan to spend at least 30 minutes every day between now and the end of the campaign calling voters. Last night I easily made a first pass through my list in that amount of time. (Some folks were not home and I’ll have to call them back.) THIS REALLY WORKS—I HAVE ALREADY CONVINCED UNDECIDED VOTERS TO “LEAN OBAMA” !!!
In the meantime, I’ll continue to use this blog to offer suggestions on talking points you can use when you are able to connect with undecideds either in person or by phone. Please take a minute to read my previous posts if you haven’t done so already. And I hope you POST COMMENTS about what you are saying to undecideds that works (or does not work)!

What Undecided Voters Care About

WHAT “PURPLES” (UNDECIDED VOTERS) CARE MOST ABOUT BASED ON RESEARCH SPONSORED BY THE NORMAN LEAR CENTER: “Meet the Purples: Decoding the DNA of the Swing Voter” The Huffington Post (Marty Kaplan) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marty-kaplan/meet-the-purples-decoding_b_127772.html Excerpt:
• Forget about wedge issues. Purples are worried about the economy. Forty-nine percent cite it as most important, compared to 3% who chose morality and values.
• The Iraq War isn't working. Seventy percent of Purples say it has not been worth the loss of American lives and 53% don't agree that it can be won.
• Go green. Four of five Purples say more resources are needed to protect the environment rather than saying government has gone too far.
• Promise that you will throw the bums out of Washington. Seventy percent of Purples blame leaders of the political parties for the worsened state of politics. Eighty percent say this country's on the wrong track.
• Corporate America is not their friend. A whopping 90% say corporations don't generally act in society's best interests. Also, 57% say government regulation of business is important.
• Praise the working mother. Eighty-seven percent of Purples said men and women should share household duties equally.
• Privatize education at your peril. Eighty percent of Purples say that investing in public schools is better than supporting private education.
• Don't demonize immigrants. Two-thirds of Purples say they are here for work, not a handout.
• Walk a tightrope on trade. Purples are closely split on whether workers need trade protections.
• Be tech savvy. Three quarters of Purples say new technology and the social and economic changes it brings are a good thing.
• Civil liberties and equality take a back seat to security and freedom. We found that 57% of Purples say security is more important than liberties, and 74% say freedom is to be more valued than equality.
• However, don't believe that Purples want us to shoot first and ask questions later. When asked to choose between using force or improving anti-American sentiment to combat terror, 85% of Purples choose the latter.
• Compassion is popular. It is our duty to help the less fortunate, say 81% of Purples.
• Be very careful talking about religion's role. Purples are evenly split as to whether religion should have a greater role, or be left out of public life.
• Don't talk about guns. Purples are again evenly split on whether it is appropriate to regulategun ownership.
• Cutting taxes is always a good thing for everybody. So say 66% of Purples.
• Are they listening? Over half of Purples say they're paying more attention to politics than four years ago.

As Important as Convicing Undecideds to Vote for Obama/Biden...

...is making sure they get to vote at all! I CANNOT EMPHASIZE ENOUGH HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU LIVE IN OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA OR FLORIDA!!!!!!

Visit this blog to learn about grass roots efforts getting underway NOW to make sure that everyone's vote is counted--wouldn't that nice for a change? :) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/baratunde-thurston/announcing-the-launch-of_b_127495.html Excerpt: What You Can Do
Visit the wiki and update it with your own expertise. Fact check, offer improvements. Scrub the formatting. This is a community resource.
Tell people about it. Digg this blog entry, vote it up on Daily Kos, link to it! And do the same with the wiki itself. Be prepared to work hard. None of the excitement of this political season matters if people don't actually get to vote or have that vote counted.

3 Articles With Great Talking Points for Persuading Undecideds

TODAY'S RECOMMENDED READING:
** CONCISE TALKING POINTS FOR SENIORS AND THOSE APPROACHING RETIREMENT (MCCAIN IS FOR PRIVATIZATION): “So Much for Social Security Privatization” Huffington Post (Mark Nickolas) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-nickolas/sp-500-down-14-since-bush_b_127246.html Excerpt: “...if Social Security privatization was in effect when Bush was sworn-in, those retirees who invested in the broader market would have seen their Social Security nest egg down 14 percent over those seven-plus years. Instead, they've seen an overall 12 percent increase on their Social Security benefits during that same time frame…”
** LOTS OF GREAT TALKING POINTS HERE FOR POKING HOLES IN PALIN’S STORY THAT SHE GAINED “EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE” AS MAYOR AND THAT SHE WAS A FISCAL CONSERVATIVE AND REFORMER: ** “Sarah Palin's Wasteful Ways” Salon.com (David Talbot) http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/09/17/palin_mayor/ Excerpt: "After all her boasting about her executive experience, what did she do?" asks a longtime borough official, who, like many in local circles, requested anonymity because of Palin's reputation for vengeance. "The borough takes care of most of the planning, the fire, the ambulance, collecting the property taxes. And on top of that she brought in a city manager to actually run the city day to day. So what executive experience did she have as mayor?"
** THOUGHTFUL ANALYSIS—FROM A CONSERVATIVE COLUMNIST—TO HELP YOU TRY TO TALK SOME SENSE INTO SMART WOMEN WHO CAN’T HELP LIKING PALIN BECAUSE SHE IS “SPUNKY” AND NOT A WASHINGTON INSIDER: “Why Experience Matters” New York Times (David Brooks) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/16/opinion/16brooks.html?em Excerpt: “In the current Weekly Standard, Steven Hayward argues that the nation’s founders wanted uncertified citizens to hold the highest offices in the land. They did not believe in a separate class of professional executives. They wanted rough and rooted people like Palin. I would have more sympathy for this view if I hadn’t just lived through the last eight years. For if the Bush administration was anything, it was the anti-establishment attitude put into executive practice. And the problem with this attitude is that, especially in his first term, it made Bush inept at governance. It turns out that governance, the creation and execution of policy, is hard. It requires acquired skills. Most of all, it requires prudence.”

News Digest--Sunday, September 14

TODAY'S RECOMMENDED READING:
** A QUICK READ FOR ALL OF YOU WHO WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW TO HELP PERSUADE UNDECIDED VOTERS TO GO FOR OBAMA/BIDEN: "Frightened by McCain's Post-Convention Bounce? Three Things You Can Do Personally to Affect the Outcome of the Election" The Huffington Post (Robert Creamer): http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-creamer/frightened-by-mccains-pos_b_125111.html Excerpt: "The race today is about even, with McCain having a slight advantage in the popular vote, and Obama having an advantage in electoral votes. The effect of exposure to the convention itself will likely diminish over the next several weeks. In 2004, Bush moved to a nine-point lead after his convention and most of that gap disappeared within a few weeks. The long-term effect of the Palin factor is less certain. Much depends on what all of us choose to do now."
** A THOROUGHLY RESEARCHED ARTICLE ON PALIN'S RAW AMBITION AND HOW SHE HAS GOVERNED--LET'S CALL IT "BUSH/CHENEY SQUARED": "Once Elected, Palin Hired Friends and Lashed Foes" The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/us/politics/14palin.html?_r=1&em&oref=slogin Excerpt: "...four months ago, a Wasilla blogger, Sherry Whitstine, who chronicles the governor’s career with an astringent eye, answered her phone to hear an assistant to the governor on the line, she said.“You should be ashamed!” Ivy Frye, the assistant, told her. “Stop blogging. Stop blogging right now!”
** A QUICK READ AND AN ACCURATE ASSESSMENT OF THE "THREAT LEVEL" PALIN POSES:"Palin a Threat, Not a Distraction" The Huffington Post (Tom Hayden)http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-hayden/palin-a-threat-not-a-dist_b_126214.html Excerpt: "Sarah Palin is a mortal threat to the possibility of Obama winning, not a distraction. The reason is simple: if she can add a couple of points to McCain from defecting white women and the newly-energized right wing religious base without losing more independent votes, McCain pulls ahead in some key states. The dangerous tendency of the Obama campaign and its Democratic surrogates is to not fight back, but treat Palin as a "distraction" from McCain, the economy, the issues they feel familiar with, etc. If they assume that the Palin bubble will return to earth naturally, or that the mainstream media and Saturday Night Live will do the job for them, the Obama campaign is mistaken. There needs to be a controlled message that treats Palin as an extension of McCain, not a bobble-head to be laughed at. The message has to cut off independent and women's support for McCain-Palin and, if possible, divide some of the right-wingers. Not an easy task."
"EXTRA CREDIT" READING :)
** FOR FOLKS (ESPECIALLY THOSE OF YOU IN BRAND STRATEGY/MARKETING/PR) WHO WANT TO SPEND A FEW MORE MINUTES GETTING A BIG PICTURE VIEW OF THE CURRENT PLAYING FIELD: "What Obama Needs to Do In the Final 60 Days: Avoiding President Palin" by Drew Westen: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/drew-westen/what-obama-needs-to-do-in_b_125051.html Excerpt: "...the Obama campaign needed to brand McCain as reckless and impulsive, having selected a running mate who wouldn't have been on anyone's shortlist of, say, 1000, to be a heartbeat away from the leadership of the free world on the ticket with a 72-year-old man with recurrent melanoma; that it needed to brand McCain as a hypocrite who was running as a maverick but had just selected a woman who makes George W. Bush look like a feminist to pander to right-wing religious extremists, and who had been hammering Obama relentlessly for months for his lack of foreign policy experience and then picked a person whose only foreign policy experience consisted in knowing where Russia was on the map and applying for a passport; and that it needed to brand Palin herself as an extremist who reserves for herself and her family the right to make painful, difficult, highly personal decisions but believes the government should make those decisions for every other family struggling with the question of whether to carry a troubled or unwanted pregnancy to term. She would even force teenage rape victims to bear their rapists' babies--something 85 percent of Americans find morally abhorrent, including the majority of evangelical Christians, and something every American should hear about her over and over. There is, in fact, a country where people with the hubris to believe that they know what's in the mind of God use the instruments of state to enforce their interpretations of scripture on other people's lives..."

What can WE do NOW to help Barak Obama get elected?

This blog is my response to the question I've heard again and again in exchanges I've had with friends and colleagues--mostly women--since John McCain picked Sarah Palin as his running mate: How can we do our part to make sure that the Republicans don't hijack another presidential election based on "wedge" issues?

The collective elation we felt on the final night of the Democratic Convention gave way to the feeling that we were on a runaway train of shock and disbelief the next day when the Palin pick was announced. "Sarah Who???" (Check Wikipedia.) "No way, you've got to be kidding me! He can't be serious!" (Watch the announcement in Dayton, with pregnant Bristol covering her then-still-a-secret baby bump with baby Trig and his large baby blanket.) “Okay, surely the MSM will call him out on this hasty, obviously political pick.” (Nope.) “Bristol’s PREGNANT??? Surely the “family values” folks will have a problem with this!” (Nope.) And on and on…

Since then, many of us have been tempted to reach for the "panic button" as we read the poll numbers and scratch our heads wondering why, day in and day out, the silly "diversion du jour" floated by the McCain campaign dominates the news cycle and Palin keeps flying under the radar.

I’ve worked on a political campaign as a senior staffer (with many of the folks who are currently advising/staffing the Obama campaign), so I try to remind myself that the Obama campaign is looking at internal polling numbers that probably look a lot more promising than what we are seeing. And they’ve run a GREAT campaign thus far. While they’ve obviously been temporarily thrown for a loop by the Palin pick, I have every confidence that they will successfully recalibrate and pick up steam again.

In the meantime (and there isn’t much time!) here is my suggestion as to what we can do: Let's work together to craft some simple, compelling messaging designed to persuade the folks WE know who are still undecided--especially women--to vote for Barak Obama. Hence the name of this blog: Word Of Mouth (WOM) is POWERFUL!!! I saw a woman interviewed on CNN, who appeared to be a working class mom, probably with a high school education, and she had the McCain/Palin talking points down and could repeat them easily to the reporter (and will do so to her friends and relatives, no doubt). Why? Because the language was clear, simple and easy to connect with on an emotional level.

You might say "I don’t know anyone who is even considering voting for McCain! " You never know… Talk to your neighbors, co-workers, relatives, babysitters, casual acquaintances, total strangers. RISK IT—BREAK THE ICE!!! What have you got to lose? The answer is, a LOT if McCain & Palin win.

GROUND “RULES”:
** I am sharing the link to this blog with folks I know who are supporters of Barak Obama and who want to use their talents as persuasive networkers to make a difference in this campaign. I hope you will do the same!
** I am NOT interested in inviting McCain supporters to debate the issues here—there are plenty of places on the Web better suited for that kind of dialog.
** Nor am I interested in using this page to call out the McCain campaign on their daily barrage of lies—there are other sites dedicated to the fact-checking effort.
** Lastly, we all need to “vent” our frustration/anxiety about this election, but on this page, let’s keep a laser focus on this and this alone: Sharing thoughts on how we can talk to other women who may be “sitting on the fence” to persuade them that the Obama/Biden team has more to offer them than McCain/Palin do.
CALL TO ACTION:
** What I’m asking all of YOU to do is: Share with the rest of us what you are saying to “undecideds” you know that seems to be making an impression on them. And let us know if you’ve tried approaches that don’t work. Here is a great example of a powerful approach that my friend Michele used to talk to a Republican-leaning woman she knows: "How does it make you feel to know that John McCain passed over many more qualified Republican women like Christine Todd Whitman and Kay Bailey Hutchison in picking Sarah Palin?"
** Please also share links to articles and blogs that provide great talking points. Here is an example from today on Huffington Post entitled “Is It Sexist to Want the Person Flying the Plane to be a Pilot?”: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathleen-reardon/is-it-sexist-to-want-the_b_126021.html

P.S. We should all ALSO be volunteering for the campaign to register new voters, work the phones, and get out the vote!