Politics inspires more armchair quarterbacking than football. And although I know a thing or two about public policy, my instinct is to assume that veteran political strategists--particularly those now working for Barack Obama--know better than I do how to manage a presidential campaign. So it's entirely possible that their new advertisement is the perfect spot at the perfect time.
For those who have not seen it, it features Obama, seated and speaking directly into the camera about the economy and his proposals to improve it:
But Bush and the Republicans make no appearances in this advertisement. None. Zilcho. Nada.
Even worse, instead of reminding voters of the Republicans' responsibility for our problems, this spot actually blurs the differences between the parties--yet again--by placing blame on "outworn ideas of the left."
I wonder, just which ideas would those be? Regulation of the financial industry? Government spending on jobs and education? Universal health care? They all sound pretty good right about now.
Bush is the least popular president in recent memory.The troubled economy is the voters top concern and, historically, voters have always trusted Democrats more than Republicans on those issues. And on the specific issues--from investment to health care--voters actually support Democratic positions. Shouldn't Obama hammer away at this, the way his running mate did the other day in Michigan?
Yes, I'm biased philosophically. And, no, I'm not a professional strategist. So feel free to disagree. But if this is indicative of the campaign's direction going forward, I'm going to keep worrying.
--Jonathan Cohn