#238: ' A 4-Step Plan '
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First, I stoke my candidate (Amy Klobuchar's) self-confidence with a look-on-the-bright-side assessment, then proceed to a proposed 4-step 'campaign push' for the coming months:
Your Glass is Half-full
* It's a good thing to maintain low expectations. Ideally, a candidate wants a relatively slow ascent in the polls, capped off with a final, dramatic win. So, rather than being a flash in the pan (or the butt of late night jokes***), the Klobuchar candidacy is very much on track, especially since it recently qualified for the third debate (September) when the field will likely be cut in half.
* The campaign continues to get good press. This write-up, for example, is currently the most popular post at the influential Washington Monthly website. Another post there explains why a realistic candidacy (Klobuchar's--and the author would argue, Biden's) is the only way forward (the Senate being the key to any significant progress).
* The logic behind the Biden campaign is the masculine, to Klobuchar's feminine version: occupy the center-left, and be an average guy/gal who low-information voters can sense comes from 'the heartland' and is non-threatening to them.
* A list of likely candidates at September's debate, and why each is wanting:
10. Andrew Yang -- inexperienced, albeit fun, plus disruptive ideas
9. Julian Castro -- attractive persona, but lefty (reparations, for example)
8. Beto O'Rourke -- melodramatic, if effective delivery
7. Cory Booker -- urban focus (as opposed to heartland), but a likely running mate
6. Pete Buttigieg -- problem with POC, but a possible running mate
5. Bernie Sanders -- caustic and unrealistic, though a liked, avuncular figure
4. Kamala Harris -- a wanna-be lefty, though a likely running mate
3. Elizabeth Warren -- nicer Bernie, but McGovern-ish?
2. Joe Biden -- borderline dodderer by Nov. 2020?
so...,
1. Amy Klobuchar -- best bet, esp. if all others seem lacking
The Campaign's 4-Steps Ahead
* Humor. Run a contest that chooses scripts for funny campaign videos. Pick and pay a dozen or so. Allow access to the candidate for simple, everyday vignettes, sly asides, plus more serious, understated humor. Post videos on a regular basis. Wink: Would likely reach more voters than would mere campaigning.
* Describe The Candidate's 'Heartland' Pull. At the next debate mention two upcoming campaign swings, #1 to Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, W. Virginia, New Hampshire, Maine. #2 to Michigan, Iowa, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska. 25 states, each with an election for US Senator in 2020, and fully 20 of the 25 being currently Red. Wink: This is the best part of nominating a farm country candidate; suddenly, many more Senate contests are in play.
* Announce Iowa 2020. Pick 20 small towns in Iowa, each with 20,000 population or less. Announce that anyone living in those towns will be able to participate in an online experiment whereby voters watch highlights from Klobuchar's campaign appearances, then answer questions and discuss the issues touched on. All feedback is curated, and both raw and curated data are then made available to anyone who might be curious about what small town Iowans think. Wink: Iowa is vital for Klobuchar.
* Yes, Stage Trump --> Klobuchar. Highlight Klobuchar's ability to handle a belligerent, older opponent (thanks to her prosecutorial training and her alcoholic father) by having an actor briefly on stage at her appearances who plays the part of President Trump. The gist: aggressive accusations are handled deftly, with confidence and calm. Wink: Make campaign appearances fun, while also demonstrating capability, and setting the stage for the 'job hire' in voters' minds.
*** CBS' Colbert didn't even include a joke about her in his live show that night. Update: a debate retrospective, on Late Night with Seth Meyers' NBC show, directed three gentle jokes Klobuchar's way--as many as any of the other candidates!
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