Roland Martin: Candidates' mantra should be 'Just Win, Baby'

Roland Martin  —  8/23/2008 7:09 am

To all the Obamaites who continue to send e-mails asserting that Sen. John McCain was given the questions prior to the Aug. 16 forum at Pastor Rick Warren's Saddleback Church, please give it a rest.

Even a child can figure out that if you are going to a church that is socially conservative, abortion and gay marriage are going to come up. I didn't even have to watch the two-hour "civil" forum to figure out what was going to be on the agenda.

McCain wasn't trying to have a conversation or offer deep insight into his views on faith and morality. All he wanted to do was talk to the white evangelicals who have been on the fence about his campaign and chew up the red meat they always eat: abortion, gay marriage, right-wing Supreme Court judges, and taxes.

Warren kept saying he did not want Obama and McCain to cite their stump speeches. Obama played to Warren's agenda. McCain didn't.

So should you be angry about that? Hell, no. That's what a candidate is supposed to do. When running for president, you don't give a flip about what the other person is trying to achieve. Your job is to win.

That's right. The real mantra of this campaign isn't "change." It's not "experience." And it sure isn't "judgment." Al Davis of the Oakland Raiders owns the phrase for this year's election and for any election: "Just win, baby."

The Republicans never have cared about other people's feelings or whether the truth matters. Does Obama want to raise taxes for folks making $42,000, as a McCain ad claims? On NBC's "Meet the Press," I heard Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal say Obama wants to do just that. Of course, FactCheck.org calls the McCain statement "false," and Newsweek's Jonathan Alter blasts it and others as blatant smears that are consistent with the McCain camp.

But did Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine gut punch Jindal by calling it a blatant lie and chastising him with the truth? Nope. The moment I saw Jindal tap dance on Kaine's head, I knew the Virginia governor would not be Obama's vice presidential choice. When you need someone to do your dirty work, that's your VP nominee. If he can't even defend properly, why choose him?

To a certain degree, the same goes for Sen. Claire McCaskill. She went on "Larry King Live" Monday sounding positive about the Warren forum. McCain surrogate Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty? He defended McCain and ripped Obama. Did McCaskill respond in kind? Nope. She just shook her head and defended, defended, defended.

Even Al Davis will tell you that if you're spending more time defending than going on the offense, you can't score points!

For McCain to win, he must keep up the pressure. Keep pushing Obama into a corner on experience, and stay on the attack. Look, the guy is behind in most polls. He has no choice but to blast Obama whenever he can.

He'll use his POW status as a shield and not let anyone question his background in the military, even if the less-than-stellar student may have gotten a helping hand from his four-star-admiral father and grandfather. (How about that affirmative action plan?)

Early in the campaign, when the right-wing hate machine had some crazy things to say about Obama, McCain was quick to denounce them as not being what he envisions for a campaign. Then he was ripped summarily by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Sean "Little Ball of Hate" Hannity because that meant their antics would come into question, too.

Now that he has been behind all summer, McCain has gone silent, not saying a word about the pathetic and lie-filled book by Jerome Corsi. That's like the Raiders issuing a late hit and the team not getting flagged. Do you think the coach is going to admonish his players for throwing in some extra hits? Call it dirty, but it's smart politics.

Obama must redefine the character debate and realize that it's not about the issues. The Republicans have been damn good about maximizing the character issue. What do Democrats do all the time? Respond that it's about issues. How did Bush beat Gore? Character. Bush beat Kerry? Character. How has John McCain closed the gap? Character. Yes, the economy matters. Yes, the war matters. But their way to victory is to attack Obama's character.

What Obama must do is emphasize his family and marriage. Look, he's got an awesome wife and daughters, and he's going up against a guy who cheated on his wheelchair-bound first wife for a rich youngster, whose money paved his political career. Bring up those family values, Tony Perkins.

Obama, hit McCain with your personal economic values. This dude lives in six houses and wears $520 shoes. You only own four pairs! Also, hit home that you paid off your college loans four years ago. In these difficult times, every parent is confronting this issue. Make it clear that you worked your way through school and got scholarships (and it wasn't the Cindy McCain Beer Drinker of the Year fund). This shows that you didn't have a silver spoon in your mouth. It's a values story that plays well on both coasts, Middle America and in the South.

Lastly, stop spending time trying to placate supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton. You need to raise money to win in November and focus on McCain. If her folks don't want to get on board, go find new voters. If she's in the news, that means you have two opponents to fight in November. If they try to take over Denver, SHUT THEM DOWN. If the convention isn't about you, then McCain is one happy man.

This is where games are won: the fourth quarter. What happened during the past 20 months means nothing. For the Obama and McCain camps, if you miss an opportunity or waste a day, you can't get it back. So don't screw it up.

Now we'll see what these candidates are truly made of.

Roland S. Martin is a CNN contributor and a talk show host for WVON/AM in Chicago.

Roland Martin  —  8/23/2008 7:09 am