McCain's American Story Prepares To Challenge Obama's American Story

JACKSONVILLE -- Picture it: At the Naval Academy, John McCain was a small, skinny rambunctious young adult, conceited and “stupid,” who ignored the rules and earned enough demerits, he says, to be forced to march to Baltimore and back 17 times. He rebelled against the starchy discipline of his military family and life, but his country kept giving back. But somehow, maybe by osmosis, the code of the Navy was imprinted on his conscience, and because of it – really, only because of it, McCain survived five years of imprisonment and torture. When he finally was released, all he wanted to do was to give back and to urge Americans to serve an interest greater than themselves.

Relax. I have not fallen for McCain. I’m just communicating the version of the story the campaign hopes Americans will learn. And in truth, it is a compelling story, made all the more so by its basis in truth. No embellishment necessary -- just a good writer, which McCain has in Mark Salter.

McCain’s biographical tour, billed as an effort to “reintroduce him” to America, is, needless to say, accomplishing that task inefficiently. The tour is not on the front page of newspapers. Evening news broadcasts are covering it perfunctorily – but more out of an obligation to give McCain some airtime. The real action in the Republican Party is elsewhere, in New Mexico, where Republican state chairs are meeting with McCain campaign strategists to plot out the next six months.

Besides, Americans already know McCain.

Private polling shared recently with McCain’s strategists shows that, under the right conditions, Americans were ready to embrace McCain as the agent of change they’ve been waiting for. (Where have I heard that bef……oh…..) The polling, and the developing strategy, hinges on McCain’s convincing those Obama-loving independents that McCain is known commodity who embodies change and that Obama’s story is just that – a story and his rhetoric is mere words. Obama may run on his biography, but McCain will run as biography; he is who he says he is; you know him; you trust him; and you’re comfortable with him. McCain is an open book; Obama is…well, more of a mystery.

There’s a deeper, more holistic messaging attempt at work. McCain often likes to say that the country owes him nothing, but McCain owes the country everything. By contrast, McCain advisers believe that Obama’s core message is arrogance: America has problems, and only Obama can fix them; he deserves the presidency. (An irony: the incarnation of JFK – Obama – cast as the foil to Kennedy’s most famous maxim.)

McCain advisers have thought a lot about the next few months.

They’ve planned a calendar full of events – twelve weeks, to be exact, including several policy rollouts, high-profile visits to places Republicans don’t usually campaign, and more aggressive efforts to rope in the conservative base through outreach and private visits. (Rush Limbaugh will be approached through allies.)
They’ve set a fairly modest budget of about $50 million.

“Holistically,” as in, frequently and deliberately, McCain will communicate broadly (appearances on David Letterman), narrowly (weekly blogger calls) and locally (through town meetings). The Straight Talk Express will continue, albeit with reporters pooling their coverage, and with TSA
security screenings before the rented Jet Blue E190.

The campaign has not foreclosed the idea of running against Hillary Clinton, but most of his advisers have Barack Obama in mind when they think about their opponent.