Ruy Teixeira : Obama's current strategy is optimizing and maximizing his reelection chances. - If he sticks to his strategy, it will help him accomplish three big things that will both mobilize his base and win over swing voters

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There are reasons, data and information, to believe that Obama is becoming attractive lately to a good share and majority of Independents, Centrists and Moderates.

The New Republic
Obama’s New Populism Isn’t Alienating Moderates
October 10, 2011


By Ruy Teixeira, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress Action Fund.


Obama’s New Populism Isn’t Alienating Moderates


Some excerpts :

The first is improving the actual economy. Obviously, Republicans have little interest in moving on Obama’s jobs plan, but pressing the issue and mobilizing public opinion is probably the only way to get even parts of it through Congress. And Obama desperately needs improvement in the economy by any means necessary. It is by far his biggest negative, but a negative that can be mitigated by even moderate growth during the election year.

Second, Obama needs to create as much uncertainty in the minds of voters as possible about who is responsible for current economic conditions. As incumbent, he will inevitably get most of the blame, but there is a lot of difference between most and all. The current strategy is perfectly designed to create that uncertainty by identifying Republicans as the obstacle to jobs growth.

Third, Obama needs to put issues in play where he is overwhelmingly on the side of public opinion and his opponent has unpopular positions that he cannot wiggle out of. The current strategy does that as well by highlighting GOP refusal to raise taxes on the rich, even in the name of creating jobs. The GOP commitment to protecting the rich can (and will) be fruitfully connected to known GOP commitments like ending Medicare and slashing Social Security.

None of this is to say that Obama’s new strategy guarantees him re-election. Far from it; the state of the economy, even if it does improve somewhat, means a very tough slog for the president. But the new strategy, far from alienating swing voters to appeal to his base, is well-designed to succeed with both groups and put him that much closer to a second term.

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