"The Strategy"---How to Decrease Noynoy's chances without even trying

Joseph Estrada is beatable. Yes, he is. He's performing yes, and his ratings show consistency--between 12-18% (both Pulse and SWS). So, better engage him and prop him up as the "man to beat", instead of Manny Villar (consistently getting between 20-28%) and Noynoy Aquino (consistent between 30%-41%).

Apart from their ratings, Estrada is basically positioned as "anti-FVR". What better analogy (in fact, some say anomaly) than to prop up an "Estrada vs. Gibo" battle come May 2010? That would surely make Gibo a virtual winner in the polls, since people behind Gibo presumes that there is a considerable number of anti-Erap people in civil society and in the middle class who'll make the jump should Villar's and Noynoy's ratings drop. That also will diminish the impression that next year's elections will basically be a fight between traditional political parties Nacionalista and Liberal. The consequence is devastating for trapos, since that will surely end the "tyrannical" dominance of Lakas-Kampi-CMD in the Philippine political scene.

So that's the "strategy"---create an atmosphere where people believe that Noynoy's ratings are "slipping" away and being "eaten up" by Estrada. Manny Villar's ratings---just leave them be since he'll suffer the dreaded "Mitra's fate" anyway (Mitra's fate is when a very strong political organization whithered in the final stretch and suffered defeat in the hands of a small political machinery. This happened in the candidacies of former Speakers Ramon Mitra and Jose de Venecia Jr.).

Fighting Estrada is easier than fighting Noynoy's since the Liberal party bet enjoys the support of cause-oriented groups and civil society (meaning, middle class). And Noynoy is actually "beatable" since he does not have the widest of networks and has limited logistics or resources.

Beating him by spreading rumours and using surveys just might do the trick---it's not that costly and is effective. Yet, it may backfire. And I dein say why here. Let the political magicians figure it out.