Pull a Judo Move on Obama: Thoughts on How McCain/Palin Should Close the Deal

While Obama's enjoyed a nice run the last couple of weeks, McCain/Palin are still clearly in the running.  One might look to the 2004 election for parallels.  "Who 'ya gonna' trust?" is a question that loomed large in 2004 and looms large in the final stretch of this campaign season.  The current economic climate is a top-of-mind issue for many. As are energy and international issues. McCain/Palin are well positioned on all of these issues. Both are hightly effective communicators. This is doable. 

A two-pronged approach for squeezing Obama seems fruitful. 

1. Prong one is to shine a ray of hope. To make clear that McCain has a vision that can simultaneously navigate us through current challenges and transcend them.  Take on the Democratic leadership. Take on how the Democrats came into leadership promising improved ethics, etc.  Take on how ineffective they have been. And how Obama is part of the effectiveness problem.
   
2. Prong two is to pull a judo move on Obama. Obama has frequently held up his days as a community organizer as evidence of his leadership skills.  Obama is silent on what he has organized. Turn Obama's history of community organizing against him by shining the light on the issues around which he organized communities, the effectiveness of those efforts, and the Chicago context in which those efforts took place. 

This isn't terribly different from the path the McCain campaign has been following, but they must become more focussed and more effective in making these points. In particulary, they must be more effective in communicating how  McCain intends to lead through the financial crisis and beyond.  Make the path clear!