War of the Zingers: How Barack Obama Should Prepare for Debate Counterpunching

February 21, 2008 
Category: Keys to Victory

Elections are generally not won on issues. They are won on perception, likeability, and impressions. Public opinion is often very easy to sway one way or another based on impressions. While Barack Obama has been, so far, winning the perceptions game due to the novelty of his persona and the excitement of his speeches, a slippage in the Thursday debate could slow the clear momentum that the Senator from Illinois is currently enjoying. And it is easy to bet that millions will be watching this Thursday, Feb. 21 debate with great interest, excitement, and expectation.

Because Obama has been surging in the polls ahead of the crucial March 4 voting in Texas and Ohio, and is now the perceived front-runner in the Democratic nomination process, the public will be expecting from him something more assertive than the types of average performances he has produced so far in the debates. To come out of the debate in good shape, all Obama has to do is avoid any type of slippage. However, Obama must not go out there just to do an average showing. He must be ready to assert his positions with confidence and even go after Hillary Clinton in order to reduce the generally good impact of her debate performance. Hillary Clinton desperately needs to win something, and one can bet she will come out swinging.

Obama needs not be too aggressive. Hillary is probably going to commit the mistake of being overly aggressive in an attempt to show herself as not only more knowledgeable, but also tougher than Obama. This desperate strategy could be just what Obama needs for effective counterpunching. Hillary is bound to offer good openings to Obama, and Obama must simply be ready for her.

One effective strategy for winning debates lies in the ability of a candidate not only to caricature his/her opponent, but also to throw a number of zingers out there that would win him/her the rhetoric war, therefore, the debate. During the January 31 debate in California, it took Hillary Clinton one zinger-”It  did take a Clinton to clean after the first Bush, and I think it might take a second one to clean up after the second Bush”-to come out as the perceived debate winner. Fortunately for Obama, he did have one of his own. After Hillary threw her “Ready on Day One” slogan, Obama responded that it was not sufficient to be ready on Day On; rather it was more important to be “Right on Day One.”

In our opinion, this is precisely how Barack Obama must prepare for his debate. He needs to be ready to go toe-to-toe, meet every zinger with his own, and abandon no advantage to Hillary Clinton. He basically needs to memorize and practice a list of zingers that he would be throwing at Hillary in order to prevent her from coming out of the night the perceived winner.

Below, we propose a model or, rather, a list of possible past and future zingers and counter zingers that could pitch the candidates against each other on this Thursday night showdown. If you, the reader, happen to have one that you need to propose, simply post yours in the comments field below.

Battle of the Zingers

- Clinton: “It did take a Clinton to clean after the first Bush, and I think it might take a second one to clean up after the second Bush”
- Obama: “No, Hillary, in view of the fact that America was as divided under the Clintons as it has been under the Bushes, which totals 16 years of division in America, it might just take an Obama to clean up after both the Clintons and the Bushes”

- Clinton: “It is important for Americans to elect a president who will be ready on Day One”.
- Obama: “No, Hillary, being ready is not a sufficient quality. What is more important is to be right on Day One”

- Clinton: “I have a 35 years record of experience and accomplishments, my opponent does not”
- Obama: “Hillary, last time I checked, the only major thing you tried during your eight year residency in the White House as the wife of the president was to reform the health care system. And this failed miserably; now I was not aware that failure is what one ranks among one’s list of accomplishments.”
- Obama: “Hillary, last time I checked, your experience did not seem to help you with your vote on the Iraq war”
- Obama: “Hillary, last time I checked, I seem to have run a better campaign than you have; if the way you have run yours is any indication on how you will run your White House, I will let Americans judge for themselves”

- Clinton: “We need a candidate who will be able to hold her own against John McCain and win in November”
- Obama: “I may be thin, but I am tough. But, then, Hillary, after holding my own against you, I am sure I can hold against McCain anywhere.”

We will be adding some more over time.

Your turn: You have one of your own to propose? Post it in the comments field below.

Dr. Daniel Mengara
The author is an Associate Professor of French and Francophone Studies at Montclair State University (New Jersey). He is also the leader of Bongo Doit Partir (Bongo Must Go), a movement of expatriated Gabonese citizens opposed and seeking an end to the 40-year-old dictatorial regime of Omar Bongo in Gabon.

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