Why the Race is Close

Obama should be winning right now, yet the polls have him even with McCain. The problem for Obama is very, very simple: The Republicans are lying about Obama, lying about the issues and lying about how they plan to govern if elected.

The Republicans are lying. Got that? Good, because I'm going to tell you how Obama can win, and the solution also is very, very simple: Impress on the American public that Republicans are lying, and the truth will set Obama free.

"Oh, but Obama and Biden are already doing that!" you say, and "Oh, but the Obama campaign already has ads that do that!" you protest.

Shhh. Stay with me here.

The Winning Strategy

On the stump and in his ads, Obama has to accomplish two basic things. He has to tell the public how he will govern and why he should. His message has to be so clear and compelling that the majority of voters in most states have to believe it and agree with it. Yes, I just oversimplified the electoral map, but the point is, Obama's message has to 1) be delivered and 2) taken as Gospel truth.

It won't be believed if the McCain/Palin campaign has its way. Obama is certainly delivering his message, but it is not being taken as Gospel truth. The Republicans are doing everything they can to undermine Obama's message with GOP "ground noise." They're lying, remember?

How can Obama cut through the noise so he can deliver his message and win? Easy, really. He has to reinforce his message and reveal McCain, Palin and the GOP as the lying scum they are. Yes, it can be easy. I'm dead serious.

McCain's entire appeal — repeated in every GOP convention speech, looped in his ads and regurgitated in every introduction of his stump speeches — boils down to one single idea: he is a man of integrity. Always and only, his central message is his integrity.

He's a maverick (a man of integrity). He's an ex-POW who served his country (a man of integrity). He refused to leave the Hanoi Hilton before his turn (a man of integrity). He wants to change Washington, party loyalty be damned (a man of integrity). He opposed George Bush at times (a man of integrity).

The same idea holds true for Palin's public image, that she is a self-reliant reformer, a woman of integrity.

How can liars be people of integrity? They can't.

The core message of integrity is the Achilles heel of the McCain/Palin campaign. It is the very point at which the Obama/Biden campaign must target the magic arrow of Truth.

If they can cast doubt on the GOP candidates' integrity, the Democrats will accomplish several objectives at once. They can erode McCain's and Palin's credibility, arouse voter backlash against GOP hype and hipocrisy, disrupt Republican messaging, strengthen credibility of the Democrat's message, put the Republican ticket on the defensive and win.

Here's how to do it.

The Magic Arrow

You'll think I'm joking, but I'm not: Obama and Biden must call McCain and Palin liars, at least in essence. They should not use the word "liar" itself, because that would create too strong a backlash from their opponents, from the press and from voters, who would feel name-calling is below the belt.

So Obama and Biden have to use the root form of the word: Lie. And that will do very nicely to show up the Republicans as liars without ever calling them that.

And the Truth Will Set Them Free

In every press release, every surrogate's talking points and every stump speech Obama and Biden deliver, there has to be repeated references using these constructions: "the Republican lies," "the McCain lie," and "the Palin lie." And those words have to  be followed with specific lies and the truth.

And finally, the Obama/Biden campaign must use its advertising dollars to accomplishes two important tasks. First, it must continue to deliver the message of Change clearly and with policy examples tied to people's lives. Second (here's the magic arrow part), a portion of advertising must deliver the message that their opponents are lying.

For the Magic Arrow portion of advertising (perhaps half the ad budget), the campaign will need a coherent ad campaign that constantly rotates multiple spots targeting multiple lies: A Top 20 list of lies, if you will, with each ad addressing a different lie and building to election day with the focus on the most damaging lie of McCain and Palin: that they will bring Change instead of more Republican policies. Voters should be treated to television spots like this:

SAMPLE AD: "Lie 26"

Announcer: "Lie Number 26."

Video clip of McCain saying how he supports troops, superimposed with text: "Lie #26" Freeze frame on McCain.

Announcer: "The truth is, our troops returning from overseas got substandard health care, lost their homes to foreclosure and saw their sacrifices dishonored. While John McCain voted 19 times against veterans' benefits. And John McCain calls that putting country first?"

Video of Obama visiting troops.

Announcer: "Barack Obama pushed through the largest increase in veterans benefits since World War II, so those who served our country can keep their homes, receive the medical care they need and know that a grateful nation honors their service. We don't need more lies from the White House. We need change we can believe in."

Obama voiceover: "I'm Barack Obama and I approved this message."

END

Take an issue, tear McCain and Palin apart on it, call a lie a lie. Rinse. Repeat. That's how Obama can win. Hands down.