What he can learn from Bill Clinton tomorrow at their lunch date in Harlem before Obama addresses a forum on the anniversary of 9/11 focused on National Service that will air tomorrow evening.
If Obama sits at the knee of the master of democratic party politics, puts his pride aside and becomes a literal sponge, soaking up whatever tidbits Clinton may have for him, then he can maybe take away a few tricks and learn how to fight hard, be tough, and win those hearts and minds that Clinton held en masse for the 8 years he was president, and that Obama desperately needs if he's to win this election.
The former president, the only democratic president to have been re-elected in 64 years of American politics, has been known to delight in giving young upstarts of his party advice, and despite everything that's happened over the past year, Clinton still loves his party and he still loves his country, and it's well documented that he is disgusted by how he thinks President Bush has treated the country, treated his legacy, and for all intents and purposes, pretty much squandered, in Clinton's opinion, a path to economic security that he had carefully laid out.
Clinton knows how to battle Republicans, he knows to win against war heroes that try to turn elections about issues into cultural and character debates, and he sure as hell knows how to get people to trust your message, no matter what else has happened in the background.
If Obama keeps tapping Clinton, and fights like Clinton fought, John McCain should just go back to keeping his old senate seat warm again.
Another bit of news just released today, is that El 42 will be campaigning for Obama in Florida on September 29th, three days after the first debate. This goes to show that maybe Obama's recent homage to Clinton's record, both during the convention and on the road, has warmed the old statesman's heart and buried the hatchet between the two formerly bitter rivals. (Clinton in 1996, was the only Democrat to have won Florida, since Carter in 1976.)
Florida continues to stay a heated battleground, and with Obama's numbers tanking in the industrial midwest, Obama may have to throw a hail mary pass and place as many eggs in the electoral-vote-rich-Florida-basket that he can. Winning Florida would douse any hope McCain has of winning even if he carries Michigan, Ohio, Virginia, and Colorado.
Although Florida has been trending McCain this year, and especially recently, a litle buttering up by Bill Clinton could sway some older swing voters reminiscent of the economic stability and relative peace of the 1990's and possibly remember that the last time they took a gamble on a young fresh faced Democrat with an outside chance, it paid off.
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