Strategy for a Presidential Campaign

In the Los Angeles Times Opinion section on Sunday, July 15, Frank Luntz proposes a "GOP comeback strategy. Actually, this approach might work well for just about any candidate for the Presidency:

1. Empathize with and embrace a nation of voters who are "fed up" with the current situation in Washington. Many voters are unhappy with both the executive and legislative branches of government. Congress has failed to deliver on tough ethics standards, elimination of wasteful spending, and fixing the immigration problem. And the President has the lowest approval score since Richard Nixon.
2. Develop a message of hope--offering a vision for what America can and should be. Don't tell us what is wrong. Tell us what you will do right. Don't talk about the past. Talk about the future.
3. Be authentic. Don't re-hash another president's theme. The "great society" and the "shining city on a hill" belong to other persons and to past times that cannot be copied or recaptured.
4. Win Ohio. This means, Mr. Luntz explains, articulate a culturally conservative message fused with government accountability and economic opportunity, tailored toward voters in the industrial heartland of the nation.

There is a lot of good sense here. A good campaign avoids ad hominum attacks, which are a scoundrel's substite for a well-articulated vision of the future. An effective campaign looks to the future, not to the past. It offers specific improvements in an atmosphere of respect, integrity and trust. It responds positively to the voiced requests of the majority of the voting public as opposed to the hidden agendas of the wealthy few.

Whether one takes guidance from Dr. Norman Vincent Peale's The Power of Positive Thinking, or Rhonda Byrne's The Secret, or just tries to Keep on the Sunny Side of Life, he will find that the greatest achievements are accomplished by concentration on a positive vision, not by constant criticism, complaining, and bickering.