As a communications professional, political campaigns always make me crazy. They are less about communicating than about mud-slinging. Nothing sickened me more than the last presidential campaign in which a war hero (like him or not, John Kerry was one) was attacked successfully by a candidate who dodged the draft. One would think that taking the high road when it comes to communications -- something we always counsel our clients to do in tough competitive fights -- would be the right thing to do. In politics it is not.
Therefore, as a Hillary supporter and independent who always swings Democratic, I grudgingly watched the DNC closing ceremonies last night to get a glimpse of Barack Obama's big speech. Given the spectacle of Invesco Field, I expected more high-sounding rhetoric that would once again ring hollow in my ears. Instead I heard specifics for the first time and I saw a candidate who was taking the gloves off and literally and figuratively saying "enough" to his opponents' attacks. I certainly found it refreshing. Slate's post on it this morning echoes my thoughts:
It was the single most emphatic word of his address. Change is all well and good, but when Dad says, "Enough," the kids stop fooling around. It conveys an urgency and determination that talk of change simply does not. You could see that single word printed on placards for future rallies.
So now it's McCain's turn today, now that he's announced a surprise running mate, to commission them to hurl the mud as quickly as they can to see if they can cover anything solid and positive their opponent has to say. And I will get frustrated again and tune out. But at least for the moment, I'm glad the Democratic candidate isn't "playing rope-a-dope," as one of my past CEO clients described the situation he faced when a much larger competitor was pounding his company unfairly. He struck back, with our help, and in the end his company fared well.
Here's hoping for some real communication between now and November 4.
