The "post-partisan" era heralded by Barack Obama and his supporters may permanently alter traditional party loyalties and perceptions, or it may end up a unique and ephemeral political moment.

What we do know is that the playbook that was so effective for President Bush and congressional Republicans in 2004 -- one that stressed hard partisan messages aimed at revving up the base -- isn't going to cut it this time.

Voters are more frustrated than ever with politics, making it harder than ever for traditional campaign advertising to burn through. This doesn't mean campaign advertising won't work. It just means that campaigns need to adapt to their new environment.

McCain seems either unable or unwilling to work with the assets that he already has.

Candidates need to show that they empathize with voters' frustration. One way to do this is to get away from the grainy attack ad with the ominous voice spouting the same old partisan attacks: i.e., Democrats will raise your taxes, Republicans will cut off Granny from Social Security.

Some candidates seem to get that this year. Others, it seems, still don't.

Put Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota in the "get it" category. As a GOP incumbent in a blue state, he knows he's running into a serious headwind. He also has a relatively well-known and well-funded Democratic opponent, comedian Al Franken. While Franken has lots of baggage, simply coming out of the box with harsh attack ads would likely fall flat. Instead, Coleman started by introducing us to a bowler and his buddies (subscription) who serve as proxies. They both make the case for Coleman and dole out the attacks on Franken.

When Coleman makes an appearance in the ads, it's as the dutiful husband (taking out the garbage for his wife, for example) or the empathetic senator who feels Minnesotans' pain over high gasoline prices. His campaign is hoping that the contrasts in personality -- Coleman's "Minnesota nice" versus Franken's more aggressive style -- will resonate with voters. This isn't to say that Coleman has this race in the bag. But he seems quite willing to adjust his campaign style and rhetoric to the current environment.

John McCain, meanwhile, seems either unable or unwilling to work with the assets that he already has. His well-established image as a maverick and a moderate gives him credibility with voters that so many other GOP candidates lack. He doesn't need to run a base-focused Bush '04 campaign (nor can he, given his tepid support among social conservatives).

But his ads don't reflect that maverick model. Instead, his attacks on Obama, whether for skipping a planned visit with U.S. troops in Germany or opposing oil drilling, look like the same sorts of attack ads we would have seen in '04. Some have criticized them as being too mean, making McCain look like a crank. But it seems the bigger issue is that they fail to show a clean break from Bush. This isn't to say that he needs to run a campaign full of puffy and sweet images. But he needs to be more creative in exploiting Obama's weaknesses; he needs to connect with voters where they are now. His current ads may simply turn them off.

Many are using the '80 Reagan-Carter race as the historical model for this presidential campaign. Unless McCain changes his strategy, Obama may be able to ride Reagan's infamous "there you go again" mantra to victory.