After watching the Republican convention, it's clear that the Republicans and Carl Rove are up to their old tricks again. It happens every four years. From a strategy perspective, you have to give them credit with the selction of Palin and what has happened this last week... Obama and the Obama Team had better get their act together FAST. We democrats have been out manuevered plain and simple by the Republicans. Obama and Joe Biden had better get tough real fast. After seeing a replay of Biden on his address to an audience in Florida, I am very pleased with how he is responding to the regular folk. I am however very concerned with how Barack is responding and how my party, the Democratic Team, has been responding to Palin and all the issues. In less than 3 days, Palin has been clearly belittling Obama and his accomplishments with her smugness and what to me is coming across as a total lack of respect. In short she is taking away his manhood in a very subtle and effective way. No doubt about that and that is a SAD DAY for all the young people and especially the young black kids and men who look at Obama as a role model. Yet, Obama is just taking it without fighting back. Barack needs to be very, very sharp in his response and he can do it without being smug as she has and not as negative. Obama needs to be sharp in his response to the audience and in his TV interviews on the issues. This is a weakness of his and he had better strengthen this weakness for the upcoming debates.

It's clear that the Democrats have been way out front (18 months plus) on the change issue and McCain is just now coming to that. Yet, our Democratic Team has NOT even forcefully pointed that out with facts and a timeline... This is just one example that Obama needs to emphasize STRONGLY. Palin and the Carl Rove dirty tricks are strongly denegrating Obama's community organizer activity and his so called "lack of experience". YET our Team still has NOT come back with a clear and hard response... For me, their reference to community organizer is a slight and a Republican code word for black people and minorities. It's code word and the way for them to get the ears of our white brothers and sisters attention and for them to consider why they should abandon the Obama vision. Obama Team, WE MUST do something and come up with counter arguments. There are a lot of smart people and resources in the country who you should be seeking out for HELP QUICKLY.
There is absolutely NO DOUBT that Biden is MUCH more qualified that Palin. Yet the Republicans are using the experience of a Governor with less than 2 years experience to help defeat Biden and especially Obama on the experience issue. Our Democratic Team should have by now countered with "look what happens with the last Governor elected?"... That Governor was George Bush our current President, who when elected, I believe had two terms as Governor of Texas. And look what that experience brought us, the worst economy, lack of vision, lack of focus and poor executive management. So, bottom line, executive experience is NOT the panacea and be all the Republicans are claiming it is for the job. It depends on the man or woman and what challenges they have encountered and to be faced. In my life time, Bush has been the worst President we have had, especially in fast changing times. YET the Obama Team is just letting them get away with this and owning the experience issue. WAKE UP!! If I can come up with these quick counter arguments, better minds than me, should be able to do the same. In fact I would go around the country and also include getting some help from ordinary folk on how they might respond. LET'S GO GET EM!!!!!!!

Obama, Axelrod, Biden MUST also solicit the help of smart people to help develop the counter strategies and arguments to defend and mitigate the latest Republican challenges and on going challenges. The Obama Team MUST immediately, solicit the help of people like David Gergen, Paul Begala, Bill Clinton, James Carvel and other sharp minds in the country to come up with what we Democrats need to do to respond and to sharpen Obama's responsiveness on the stump. This is NOT a time for NOT seeking the help of any one or resources that can help. Democrats clearly have the best proposals to the economic conditions and the vision for the country in the twenty-first century. YET, to me Obama's response is NOT coming across in easy and simple terms so that everyone i.e. TV, stump audience can understand it clearly and what it means to them. It does NOT have to be this long drawnout dialog, but we MUST look for simplicity and clarity in our responses. Again, we MUST use and get the input and how to respond from people like Rubin and Volker etc... on the economic front and Obama MUST be prepared for the debates and be able to communicate to the national audience clearly and in sharp terms. He does NOT have to worry about looking like a statesman in the debates. He will naturally be that against McCain... Unless Obama can be sharp and YES, he should also use his natural wit in the debates as well, he will lose this election and we cannot allow this to happen. This country is at a cross roads and we do need change and the vision of what we can and want to become. If Obama and the Team can communicate this clearly with facts on how we plan to get there along with an understanding of the timeline to get there for the issues, he will win. If NOT I am fearful and concerned that he will lose and we cannot afford that at this critical time of our history. One only has to look at the recent Olympics to see how China is already a major power and we need to be competitive and grow or we will become a nation of rich and poor with little if any middle class. I am afraid this is one of the messages that's NOT coming out at all from the Obama camp.

Obama has many, many more challenges than anyone, and he has faced and overcome many, many more than McCain and Palin. Yet look how quickly, Palin can and has surpassed the Obama phenomenon. She has all the help she can get from all the Republican strategists, resources and more. YET my party is NOT responding and fighting back.

Obama... YOU NEED to FIGHT and Show that you want this job as President. You and Joe Biden and the Team should NOT treat Plain with "kid gloves" NOR McCain.. HIT them HARD. This is war man and you need to come up with your strategy for how you plan to counter attack and to do it fast and be prepared to do it every day and every hour if possible, for the next 59 days.

If you and Joe do nothing else, YOU MUST win these debates.
So, far I am seeing the media leaning in favor of the latest thing, which is McCain and Palin. I only have to reference the Biden interview with Brokaw this morning on Meet The Press and I see the tough questions asked of Joe Biden. I was very, very proud of him and his responses... BUT what came to my mind was I hope Brokaw and the media ask Palin similar tough questions. We shall see...Again, our Team has NOT even raised or developed a campaign indicating that the Republicans have selected a VP candidate and she cannot even speak to the issues because they fear she is NOT ready.. So, why are we NOT attacking this point. If the shoe were on the other foot, the Republicans would surely be attacking Obama and Biden.

I have never been a political person, but this is a critical time in our country, it's people and for the future of our children and grand children and I have been watching both sides and learning as much as I can over the last month or so.

So, I feel compelled to speak out. Thank god for this freedom... But Obama and Obama Team YOU need to ACT NOW AND FAST or YOU will lose this election and it would be a sad very thing.