"Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it." -- Saul Alinsky
In his economic speech in Cleveland [sic, Parma], President Obama mentioned House Minority Leader John Boehner by name seven times -- a striking change from the president's speech in Milwaukee Monday in which he referred to Boehner only as "the man who thinks he's going to be Speaker." With the Democrats' hold on the House of Representatives in deep jeopardy, the president has apparently decided to make the campaign in part a personal showdown between himself and Boehner. It's a risky strategy, one that elevates a House minority leader to an eye-to-eye level with the President of the United States. And by personalizing the conflict with Boehner, it also casts the coming elections as a referendum on Obama's performance at a time when Democrats would prefer a series of more local contests.
