Obama’s Guerrilla Campaign
Published in Le Figaro
(France) on 12 December 2011
by Jean-Sébastien Stehli (link to original)
The president is presidential. While he governs from the White House, in charge of the interests of U.S. citizens, the Republicans deplete themselves in televised debates that will certainly be entered into the record books. Not for their appeal, but for their number (18 since the first on May 5 on Fox News).
But Barack Obama is campaigning. Campaigning in a new style — a guerrilla war against the Republicans — and it hurts.
In November, members of the campaign of the 44th president rejoiced over the questions posed by Fox News to Mitt Romney, questions raised by a commercial paid for by the Democratic Party, entitled “Mitt vs. Mitt,” which outlined the flip-flops of the former financier.
The spot dominated the coverage of his campaign to the point that Romney was forced finally to hold conference calls in 12 states to rebut the 30-second spot, which was also released as a longer ad on the Internet.
Better yet, other Republicans used the ad in their own campaigns against Romney.
The strategy of the Obama campaign is simple: disturb the Republican campaigns as much as possible with blows like the ads, respond systematically to attacks and cause discord. It is a guerrilla campaign against an enemy powerless to respond, whose feet are stuck in the mud. Once again, Obama is one step ahead of his potential challengers. It is the White House dictating the debate within the conservative camp.
The Democrats might have expected the Republicans to have already chosen their candidate and to have spent months distorting Obama's record, which would eventually have an impact on how voters would come to see the 44th. Instead, Obama is destabilizing the Republicans by interfering in their campaign. When Romney mocked Obama and his vacation in Hawaii, the Democrats immediately responded by publishing pictures of Romney playing golf there. This campaign will be hot.
But Barack Obama is campaigning. Campaigning in a new style — a guerrilla war against the Republicans — and it hurts.
In November, members of the campaign of the 44th president rejoiced over the questions posed by Fox News to Mitt Romney, questions raised by a commercial paid for by the Democratic Party, entitled “Mitt vs. Mitt,” which outlined the flip-flops of the former financier.
The spot dominated the coverage of his campaign to the point that Romney was forced finally to hold conference calls in 12 states to rebut the 30-second spot, which was also released as a longer ad on the Internet.
Better yet, other Republicans used the ad in their own campaigns against Romney.
The strategy of the Obama campaign is simple: disturb the Republican campaigns as much as possible with blows like the ads, respond systematically to attacks and cause discord. It is a guerrilla campaign against an enemy powerless to respond, whose feet are stuck in the mud. Once again, Obama is one step ahead of his potential challengers. It is the White House dictating the debate within the conservative camp.
The Democrats might have expected the Republicans to have already chosen their candidate and to have spent months distorting Obama's record, which would eventually have an impact on how voters would come to see the 44th. Instead, Obama is destabilizing the Republicans by interfering in their campaign. When Romney mocked Obama and his vacation in Hawaii, the Democrats immediately responded by publishing pictures of Romney playing golf there. This campaign will be hot.