The New Campaign

While watching Obama’s town hall style meeting in Elyria, Ohio this afternoon (Fox News, of course, wasn’t broadcasting it), I could think of only one thing – he gets it. To turn momentum back in favor of the Democratic party, Obama needs to go back on the campaign trail. He’s not campaigning for an upcoming election. Instead, he’s campaigning for the enthusiasm of the base.

Without a doubt, the Massachusetts Special Election was a setback. But as big of a blow as losing a 60 vote super-majority may have been, there’s something much bigger at stake. Unless the president does something to rekindle the enthusiasm of 2008, the Democratic party is in danger of having a generation of young voters simply saying, “fuck it”.

There are plenty of reasons for Scott Brown’s victory in the Massachusetts Special Election, including Martha Coakley simply being a shitty, shitty candidate. But the most disheartening of the reasons was that only “15% of Massachusetts citizens between the ages of 18-29 turned out to vote.”

Right now, the base is demoralized, unenthused, complacent and dispassionate. Meanwhile, Republican voters are fueled by hyperbolic conspiracy theories about America’s freedom being destroyed by a Socialist, Fascist, Marxist, Muslim, Nazi regime. They truly believe this shit. But while they’re out there fueled by a fantasy of fighting Communist Nazis, we’re busy rallying around Conan O’Brien. It’s time to rally the base again and bring back that 2008 feeling.

Part of what this campaign needs to accomplish is to begin a new narrative for the President. In part, this narrative needs to lay out his agenda for the next year in terms of policy. Obama needs to show a commitment to passing health care reform and explain his reasons for financial regulation. But more importantly, this narrative needs to tell the story of the obstructionist strategy that Republicans in Congress are taking. Not enough people understand the process around passing legislation. Without getting too nuanced, Obama needs to get this through to young voters, and get them angry over the exploitation of the filibuster rule.

The upcoming State of the Union Address is a perfect opportunity to launch this new campaign. It’s a tall order, especially when you’re going up against windmill fighters. But if anyone has the platform and the ability to motivate and inspire, it’s Barack Obama.