Mattera tells us all about how a media fully "in the tank" for candidate Obama, paired with an incredibly well run multimedia marketing campaign, put their man in the White House. In the runup to the 2012 election, democratic operatives and their strategies simply overwhelmed the republican campaign with a well-targeted message and relentless assault, combined with tactics from a high tech playbook.Personally, during the campaign, I was struck by how many people I had previously known as rational individuals went out of their minds on the subject of finally having the opportunity to see a black man as president of the U.S. Mattera gives a number of examples of the typical Obama Zombie attitude.
A Tennessee State University student in an interview with MTV said, "It is a big issue with black women, whether we want to [vote for] a woman or an African American. I would love to see a joint ticket."
Mattera says "Here's an idea. How about we vote for the one with the best ideas. Groundbreaking, I know. Let it be said, I don't care if your name is Juan Carlos, John Smith, or John Wong, I will vote for you if you have the right ideas. Diversity is, um, irrelevant. The best thing about multiculturism is the food."
Reporter Joe Klein wrote,
"There aren't very many people - ebony, ivory or other - who have Obama's distinctive portfolio of talents....He transcends the racial divide so effortlessly that it seems reasonable to expect that he can bridge all the other divisions - and answer all the impossible questions - plaguing American public life."
As we've seen in the five years following, rather than bridging the racial divide, Obama has stoked the flames of racial conflict.
The most interesting part of this book was the section about how the Obama campaign totally outclassed the McCain campaign, using every technological weapon available to create a veritable e-blitzkrieg.
"As a McCain-Palin online adviser self-deprecatingly observed, 'Memo to self: next time get the co-founder of Facebook on your team.'"
"Oprah Winfrey addressed a rally of twenty-nine thousand people in South Carolina, campaign officials asked the crowd to text 'SC' to a specific Obama number. Thousands of cell phone numbers, just like that!"
This tactic was repeated at rallies all across the country to build a huge database of followers in every area of the country, that could be readily accessed and motivated to recruit others, to vote, and to work for the campaign.
I suspect that this book was merely an expansion of a paper or column that Mattera wrote which appeared elsewhere, detailing the Obama campaign's incredibly effective electoral tactics, and the remainder of the book was "filler", which sounds like most every other book I've read critical of progressive policies and candidates in the past half dozen years.
He outlines the Obama Zombies Talking points:
- Anti-war
- Global Warming
- Health Care Crisis
- Economic envy
My progressive acquaintances have shouted for some time now "the free market doesn't work, it's time for something else!"
Mattera states well something I've believed for ages.
"The problem is that a free market (in health insurance) where consumers and providers freely partake of each other's services does not exist. Governments work hand in glove with providers...to arrange a package of services (mandates) that we are forced to buy - it's corporatism at its ugliest."
I did pick up a couple of definitions that had previously eluded me, and which explain a big portion of the huge disparity in health care costs. Community rating means that insurance companies cannot charge higher premiums to policy holders based on whether they are healthy or chronically ill. Guaranteed issue means that policies cannot be denied on basis of preexisting health conditions. Mattera discusses the obvious (to me, anyway) results.
"New York...is one of three states that have both 'community rating' and 'guaranteed issue.' ... In New York, for instance, insurances is roughly two to three times higher than the national average."
And I learned a completely new term - climate justice. Climate justice is a vision to dissolve and alleviate the unequal burdens created by climate change. My mind boggles at the mere idea.
Mattera also talks extensively about Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, which is where most twenty-somethings get what they perceive to be news. I've watched no more than a handful of their broadcasts in my life, and wasn't terribly impressed.
Mattera proposes a six point battle plan for the Republicans to win again. The book was written in 2010, so we all know how that turned out.
1. Back to Basics, find a strong conservative candidate who can convey the message
Well, that was an epic fail!
2. Attack the Stimulus
The Republicans' economic plans were about as exciting as Perot's charts and graphs.
3. Promote Capitalism as a method to effect charitable change
The Republicans couldn't overcome the progressive class warfare mantra.
4. Frame the message - freedom to live life without government interference
It appears the progressives had a better message once more for the young folks, "you can live in daddy government's basement for life."
5. Twitter - use social media effectively
The definitive term in Grand Old Party is "Old"
6. Old conservatives - donate money. Obama spent $750 million in 2008 campaign.
I have no idea how the funding battles went in the last election. No amount of money in the world is enough to overcome a mediocre candidate and nonexistent message.
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