The Mrs. Doubtfire Strategy

"Opinion"

09/05/2008

Paul Munnis


Chris Matthews on MS-NBC “Hardball” made an interesting analogy saying John McCain is using the “Mrs. Doubtfire Strategy.”

In the film Robin Williams is divorced and he so misses his children that in order to see them he dresses up in different clothing and pretends to be a nanny. He is then hired and gets to see his children ever day.

Matthews says that the GOP brand is a failed brand and so McCain is trying to dress it in new clothes and pretend it’s something else thus hoping to fool the public.

In fact that is what is perplexing people. The GOP is really now dead as a Party. G.W. Bush has satisfaction rating down in the twenties. The Party is bereft of ideas and has no new ones and there is a lack of vitality in the GOP. The economy is dting and the wars are all going badly. However certain media outlets keep on reporting McCain as if he’s a live and vibrant Party head. Nothing could be further from the truth. So why do they go on so?

If you are FOX-TV and you read the latest revenue data for the candidates you want to get your share of that advertising money. When we hear that John McCain is going to spend $28 million this month on advertising then if you are FOX-TV you want to be in line with your hand out. Of course they want to keep McCain alive and well. He is their bread and butter.

Think about what will happen to a Bill O’Reilly or a Chris Wallace once the election is over. They will join the unemployment line. They make their money by bashing Democrats.

In order to save McCain they need a cheerleader – enter Sarah Palin.

In order to draw non-GOP media away from bashing McCain they need a lightening rod -- enter Sarah Palin.

In order to get a sense of youth and freshness into a grey campaign they need someone younger and vital – enter Sarah McCain.

Democrats have made it clear that women are welcome in politics, even running a woman for president -- no glass ceiling there. The GOP has been treating women only slightly better than mid-easterners treat their women. The joke now is that the GOP finally gave women the vote when Sarah Palin emerged as their VP pick. That is because they looked at the 18 million voters that Hillary inspired and they could sure use those votes – enter Sarah Palin.

Are people gullible? Just look at the polls:

"Gallup Poll Daily tracking from Tuesday through Thursday finds Barack Obama with a four-percentage-point lead over John McCain in the presidential preferences of registered voters, 48 percent to 44 percent. While the difference between today's result and Thursday's 49 percent to 42 percent lead for Obama is not statistically significant, some of the broader shifts seen over the past 10 days, spanning both parties' national conventions, have been meaningful."
"The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows the beginning of John McCain's convention bounce and the race is essentially back where it was before Barack Obama's bounce. Obama now attracts 46 percent of the vote while McCain earns 45 percent. When 'leaners' are included, it's Obama 48 percent, McCain 46 percent."
"The presidential race between Barack Obama and John McCain is now even at 42 percent, according to a new CBS News poll conducted Monday-Wednesday of this week. Twelve percent are undecided, according to the poll, and one percent said they wouldn't vote. This is in contrast to a poll conducted last weekend, where the Obama-Biden ticket led McCain-Palin by eight points, 48 percent to 40 percent. McCain has also closed the enthusiasm gap some with Obama, but it still exists. Fifty-five percent of Obama's supporters are enthusiastic about their choice, and now so are 35 percent of McCain's. Last weekend, just 25 percent of McCain's supporters were enthusiastic about him, compared to 67 of Obama's supporters."
Yes people are gullible and some are not too bright either. All of this swashing around when the GOP has yet to offer one solution to the problems they have created and not made even a single viable suggestion on how to save the economy that they are wrecking, or explained why a Bush supporter like McCain is now going to behave differently than he has for the past eight years.

Yet anyone who is a student of Karl Rove politics knows what’s going on. Split the electorate. Then you only have to win 1% over and then you win the election. Obama is about uniting people and McCain about splitting people and Sarah Plain is providing the reason for the split. Abortion and gun control are old stuff – Sarah is fresh meat.