Some Advice for Barack Obama

We now seem to be in the home stretch of the Democratic Primary, with Hillary Clinton looking less and less appealing as a Presidential candidate. As an aside, I think she could be doing herself some long lasting political harm by clinging so tenaciously to her increasingly unlikely chance to be nominated by her party. She has a chance now to step down graciously on her own terms. I’ve supported her right to be in the race up to this point, but it’s been a position which has been harder and harder to hold; if she had run a campaign on the issues alone, I think the country would have benefit from the debate. Instead, her ad hominem attacks on Barack Obama, and her whining about esoteric Party rules have made this at best an extremely unpleasant experience, and a detriment to her potential image as a states(man).

With that said, here’s my advice to Barack Obama as the putative Democratic candidate:

1. Debate everyone, including Bob Barr, Cynthia McKinney, and Ralph Nader. Don’t come across as a wimp; if you’ve got the right plan and the right ideas, come out and defend them against all comers. Yes, the televised debates are little better than sound-bite carnivals. Shame on the networks and moderators for choosing that structure. But here’s your chance to show the voters of America that your ideas and plans stack up well against the available alternatives.
2. In particular, don’t try to alienate Nader supporters.The Democrats have, since 2000, attempted to propagate two simultaneous and contradictory statements:
   1. Ralph Nader is insignificant. We don’t need to address his constituency, debate him publicly, etc.
   2. Ralph Nader cost the Democrats the elections of 2000 and 2004 and can do it again in 2008 if he’s not stopped.

   You can’t have it both ways. If he’s significant enough to cost you the election then you have to appeal to his supporters, with something more substantive than “If you vote for Nader then the Republican wins”. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar; and don’t assume that the people who will vote for Nader would have turned out for any old Democrat including yourself (they may have instead have stayed home). Show some support for a single payer health care system; eschew violence against Iran; have a firm timetable for withdrawal from Iraq; address the destructive policy of treating corporations as natural persons; etc.

3. You won’t pick up votes by moving to the right.Don’t make the same mistake Gore did in 2000 by choosing Lieberman as his VP. Don’t try to appear “tough on terrorism” like John Kerry tried in 2004. In this election you’re defending the high ground; as in 2004, this is the Republican’s election to lose. The more contrasts you can show between yourself and Bush/McCain, the better. Moving left will shore up your base and will get you the progressive votes you need to coax out to the polls to win the election.
4. Make sure every vote counts. Don’t do what John Kerry and Terry McAuliffe did in 2004 – don’t solicit funds for recounts and challenges before the election, then sit on your hands after the election and leave the Green Party to investigate irregularities and fund recounts. As an African-American, you should make it your top priority to ensure that traditionally disenfranchised populations get the opportunity to vote for the candidate of their choice. After having been burned in 2004, you’re unlikely to be able to raise any special funds for that purpose; but then again who knows? The Obama campaign has shown that if nothing else it can turn out the voters and contributors in droves.

And those are my suggestions today. I’m sure I’ll have even more later. Feel free to ignore them, of course.