Campaign by Distraction: The Obama Plan to Avoid Economy

Although the official campaign started less than a week ago, President Obama and his supporters have been in campaign mode for quite some time.  The President knows that he has weaknesses when it comes to the economy, his promise to turn things around and his inability to keep that promise.

The Obama campaign certainly knows that: 1) the economy has the potential to be a major, even fatal, complication in their push for re-election, and 2) that most voters consider the economy (and the jobs that go with it) to be the most important issue on November 6th.  They know that to win, at least one of those conditions (and hopefully two) must be changed.

It is arguable how much the President can do to correct the economy, especially given the short window of time.  The campaign staff and supporters, however, can not meaningfully effect the economy, so option two is the one they will focus on: changing the minds of voters relative to what is important in this election.  They will continue, through November, to press Social and Environmental issues back to back to distract from the economy.  They have already done so with attacks on "Big Oil", the case of Sandra Fluke, the Ann Romney discussion, the Gay Marriage issue, and the ongoing discussion of Immigration.

• Through both ads and press conferences, Obama has been made sure to strategically place a spotlight on 'Big Oil" to demonize their profits, blame them for high gas prices, and eventually link them to his opponent or their party.  This attack has also hit speculators.  He has spoken of the benefit of Green Energy and harm of oil, while avoiding the fiscal harm of Solyndra and similar "investments".

• In January, while the republican candidates were staying generally focused on the economy, George Stephanopoulos brought up the issue of contraception during a debate.  It seemed odd at the time, but a few short weeks later it became more clear.  It was a prelude to the HHS announcement that Insurers would be required to cover contraception.  Thus sparking a national debate and accusations of a "war on women".  Not long after, we had Sandra Fluke, aided by former White House Communication director Anita Dunn, came forward with all the charisma of a seasoned politician to decry the possibility that Georgetown students, and women everywhere, might be denied mandatory coverage of their, sometimes lifesaving, contraception coverage.

• When the Sandra Fluke controversy died down, along came Lobbyist and Consultant to DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Hilary Rosen, with her 35 visits to the White House, to reignite the "War on Women".  Claiming Ann Romney, and by extension Mitt Romney, could not possibly be effective at understanding the issues women face because Ann "never worked a day in her life".  Beyond the fact that this claim is completely false, it furthers the strategy of creating a narrative that Women, in particular, will be face expanded challenges should Mitt Romney be elected.

•  As of this past Sunday morning, Obama was, in the eyes of voters, against Gay Marriage.  Then Joe Biden (who supported the Defense of Marriage Act) announced he had changed his views.  Within days, Barack Obama had also "evolved" his views.  This announcement came complete with well designed and crafted campaign materials and talking points, as though it was planned.

• Finally, there is the ongoing Immigration issue, for which Obama has very little clarity regarding policy.  It doesn't matter.  As long as he vaguely say that he wants reform, while attacking the specifics that his opposition provides,  and tout statistics that show a decline in illegal immigration (even though the current trend started be for he was elected, and has little to do with his policies), he can cover all bases.

The Gay Marriage issue is the most recent, but will not get him to the election.  The buzz will die down.  That is when the next controversial issue will be thrown into the spotlight by someone associated with Obama, the Democratic Party, or his campaign.

These issue are important issues, but in the minds of voters none are the most important issue.  The most important issue is the economy, and they seek to avoid it.  Sure they have responses if questioned, and materials they will use to defend the economy and the Obama policies.  It is not complete silence.  But the clear goal is to use social issues as, often brought to light by those "outside" the campaign, to sway voters away from the economy and into voting for Barack Obama.

The big question is: what will the next issue be?