Thursday, February 07, 2008

"Things McCain Can Do Now That Obama And Clinton Can’t"

Halperin at Time:

1. Raise and save money for the spring, summer, and general election.
2. Formulate and implement a general election and Electoral College strategy.
3. Get rest for the candidate and campaign staff.
4. Plan a boffo national convention.
5. Take charge of the national campaign committee and fix broken state parties.
6. Think through staffing and spending decisions without constant distractions or minute-by-minute attacks.
7. Rebuild bridges (and try to win over the doubters in his party now that they no longer have a viable alternative).
8. Control where he travels — including the swing states.
9. Do non-political media.
10. (Gingerly) move beyond his party’s base on some issues.
11. Use the Senate to burnish his image and get good press.
12. Travel overseas to heighten his foreign policy credentials.
13. Look and act presidential.
14. Charm independents without offending his base.
15. Spend the next months looking like a winner.
15. Start talking about 2009 in earnest.
17. Focus on uniting the Republican Party on his behalf (while Obama and Clinton force the Democratic Party to take sides).
18. Allocate resources for opposition research on Clinton and Obama.
19. Game out his short list for a running mate.
20. Read Alan Greenspan’s book.