If you are a Leni lover or supporter, it is time to panic.
The likelihood that Leni Robredo will lose the election is slowly establishing. Listen to the interview of Christian Esguerra of Serg Osmeña on ANC After the Fact show (Feb. 21, 2020). Osmeña pointed to a strategic weakness. Watch the replay on YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVGkb3bQ2zQ. The statement starts from 54.39 minutes. Here is the transcription:
Esguerra: OK but in this case, what do you see in the Leni Robredo campaign which you think is not exactly working and perhaps needs tweaking?
Osmeña: Because they are not hitting Bongbong, I mean they are not hitting the father. They should hit the father not Bongbong…
Osmeña pointed at the strategic mistake in Leni’s messaging. Call it a classic barking at the wrong tree scenario. It is the failure to counteract the complex messaging employed by the Bongbong Marcos camp. The complexity goes as (1) painting the false narrative of the country’s grandeur during Marcos’s dictatorship. (2) Bongbong used this false claim to entice the gullible masses of a revival. (3) Anticipating a retort, the communication scheme allows Bongbong to assert his non-involvement. A very clever scheme that is laborious to debug. The implication is Leni’s organization is not capable.
Now, is there a way out of this condition for Leni? Yes, often seen in sports are come from behind wins–a seemingly overwhelming lead ends in a loss by the final whistle. However, the necessary condition is for the campaign organization to shape up.
Red Lion Oratory 