Timing is Everything

It is now clear why it took so long for BO to come forward with his Afghan plan. Call me conspiratorial but I think he was waiting to use the issue as a way to deflect attention away from the health care argument. This administration is extremely calculating and as Rahm says never let a major issue go to waste, but use it to advance your agenda even if it involves a failing economy or sending kids to war.

The popularity of the health care plan was dropping on a weekly basis. The more people knew about it, the more they disliked it. They had to get this issue off the front pages and talk shows. They successfully deflected the attention of the media and the American public away from health care and onto the Afghan war.

The GOP has to be just as calculating and prepare for the Dems maneuvering. For example, the Dems are waiting to bring up the immigration issue to coincide with the next election cycle. They are well aware of the polarizing nature of this matter and the power of this issue to bring out the all important Hispanic vote. They are using immigration reform as a tool to manipulate the electorate and extend their power. The GOP must prepare the counter argument that will not alienate the Hispanic vote but attract the vote to the Republican side. They have plenty of time to come up with a platform that would appeal to the Hispanic voter.

They have to send a positive message to the Hispanics that they add a great deal to our nation and are critical to our future. Stay away from the often negative statements of illegality, deportations, and draining society’s resources. The vast majority of the Hispanics want their chance at the American dream not a replay of the socialist state that they escaped from and which the Dems are creating. This along with their high percentage of religious devotion should make them natural allies of the GOP.

The Republicans need to be just as cunning and manipulative as the Dems. They have to predict the timing of issues and plan their counterarguments. Most importantly they need to keep their messages positive. Negativity is not a recipe for success.