Obama’s competence deficit?
Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey raises a point, and an important one I think, about how well McCain handled his VP selection while Obama, well….
Last week, Barack Obama promised an announcement of the most important decision of his campaign, but how did he do it? He relied on a gimmick designed to capture phone and e-mail information from a wide number of interested parties, instead of working it in relation to maximum media impact. He then delayed the announcement all week long, wasting days of earned media while needing it more than ever to boost his flagging poll numbers. When did he finally make the announcement? In the middle of the night, when most of the people who offered their personal information were asleep.
John McCain planned this with care and precision. I predicted months ago that the Democratic convention schedule made this the most obvious day to make this announcement. McCain took advantage of the opportunity to steal the thunder and media spotlight from Obama’s acceptance speech, and more importantly, his campaign made sure to tease it early in the morning to get the media humming. When the announcement came — at around 11 am ET — it was in plenty of time to ensure the maximum media exposure for today. McCain made sure he owned the next three media cycles.
I am one that much prefers substance over style, but, the harsh reality of politics in 2008 is that style can make or break you. Obama has used glitz and style to make him into the nominee of his party. Now though, he has failed miserably in this key moment. Maybe he has gotten overconfident. maybe too relaxed. Whatever the case, McCain has seized the buzz, the momenmtum, and yes, the style points from Obama.
