Palin-Obama: Winning Images, Symbols

HOW CAN POWERFUL GRAPHIC IMAGES LIKE THE ONES BELOW HELP SARAH PALIN WIN THE PRESIDENCY? SCROLL DOWN TO SEE WHAT SARAH'S CAMPAIGN SLOGAN SHOULD BE...

Sarah Palin has many "secret weapons," especially her beautiful family that will enable her to upset Barack Obama.

One friend recently spoke about the need to use word "you" in making financial appeals for Sarah, Ron is absolutely right. Make our messages about what you (the reader) can do to make this a better, safer country . . . about what "you" can do to exert a great deal on influence on where our country (key phrase itself) can go in the future, and about how our children and our grandchildren can have as good or better lives than we (another key word) did.

Recently, some Republican types have been talking about "moral hazard," which basically means taking money from productive types and giving it to unproductive types. AVOID phrases like "moral hazard," which are business school and Beltway jargon. Also avoid any references to "fiscal responsibility" and other traditional GOP nonsense. Anything that has a hint of pomposity should not be used -- ever.

Make your message very personal and very simple. Sen. McCain's "generational warfare" is another bad phrase, frankly. Why didn't he say we're spending too much and sending the bill to our children and grandchildren?

One reason Tom Brokaw was so successful was that he used Reaganesque language. He read the news as if he were our next-door neighbor talking in colloquial American language. Everything was pegged in terms of what it meant to the viewer. He made it seem he was talking directly to each one of us. That should be our goal in communications about Sarah.

I've suggested as Sarah's campaign slogan: "Sarah . . . She's One of Us." The keys: it's very short; it uses three pronouns. Maybe it might go better as: "Sarah . . . one of us." Or a graphic of Sarah and the words "One of Us!" Clearly, we need to link Sarah to us, the American people. (The implication is that if she's one of us, Obama is somehow NOT one of us.)

As Ron D. suggested, we really have to focus on what is going to produce emotional responses and reinforce the notion that we aren't helpless in the face of the Obama juggernaut.

We also have to decide which are the powerful images and symbols that are going to evoke emotions and attract people to Sarah. Two of my favorite images are below. They're powerful becaues they speak to our deepest feelings as parents and pro-family people. (Note: I want every mother and father that doesn't vote for Sarah to feel guilty.)