(CNN) No, hell has not frozen over, but a Buckley is backing a Democrat for president.
Christopher Buckley, the son of the late conservative icon William F. Buckley, said Friday he's decided to back Barack Obama's White House bid, the first time in his life he will vote Democrat.
“It’s a good thing my dear old mum and pup [sic] are no longer alive. They’d cut off my allowance," Buckley, a columnist for the conservative National Review, wrote on the Web site The Daily Beast Friday.
Buckley, who praised McCain in a New York Times Op-Ed earlier this year and defended the Arizona senator's conservative credentials against wary talk-radio hosts, said McCain is no longer the “real” and “unconventional” man he once admired.
"This campaign has changed John McCain," Buckley wrote. "It has made him inauthentic. A once-first class temperament has become irascible and snarly; his positions change, and lack coherence; he makes unrealistic promises, such as balancing the federal budget 'by the end of my first term.' Who, really, believes that?
"Then there was the self-dramatizing and feckless suspension of his campaign over the financial crisis," Buckley added. "His ninth-inning attack ads are mean-spirited and pointless. And finally, not to belabor it, there was the Palin nomination. What on earth can he have been thinking?"
But Buckley made clear he's not just voting against McCain, praising Obama for his "first-class temperament and first-class intellect."
"Obama has in him—I think, despite his sometimes airy-fairy 'We are the people we have been waiting for' silly rhetoric—the potential to be a good, perhaps even great leader. He is, it seems clear enough, what the historical moment seems to be calling for," Buckley wrote.
More info about Obama
Christopher Buckley, the son of the late conservative icon William F. Buckley, said Friday he's decided to back Barack Obama's White House bid, the first time in his life he will vote Democrat.
“It’s a good thing my dear old mum and pup [sic] are no longer alive. They’d cut off my allowance," Buckley, a columnist for the conservative National Review, wrote on the Web site The Daily Beast Friday.
Buckley, who praised McCain in a New York Times Op-Ed earlier this year and defended the Arizona senator's conservative credentials against wary talk-radio hosts, said McCain is no longer the “real” and “unconventional” man he once admired.
"This campaign has changed John McCain," Buckley wrote. "It has made him inauthentic. A once-first class temperament has become irascible and snarly; his positions change, and lack coherence; he makes unrealistic promises, such as balancing the federal budget 'by the end of my first term.' Who, really, believes that?
"Then there was the self-dramatizing and feckless suspension of his campaign over the financial crisis," Buckley added. "His ninth-inning attack ads are mean-spirited and pointless. And finally, not to belabor it, there was the Palin nomination. What on earth can he have been thinking?"
But Buckley made clear he's not just voting against McCain, praising Obama for his "first-class temperament and first-class intellect."
"Obama has in him—I think, despite his sometimes airy-fairy 'We are the people we have been waiting for' silly rhetoric—the potential to be a good, perhaps even great leader. He is, it seems clear enough, what the historical moment seems to be calling for," Buckley wrote.
More info about Obama
This election has me very worried.
So many things to consider. About a year ago I would have voted for Obama. I have changed my mind three times since than. I watch all the news channels, jumping from one to another. But, I feel if you view MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News, you might get some middle ground to work with. About six months ago, I started thinking "where did the money come from for Obama". I have four daughters who went to College, and we were middle class, and money was tight. We (including my girls) worked hard and there were lots of student loans. I started looking into Obama's life.
Around 1979 Obama started college at Occidental in California. He is very open a bout his two years at Occidental, he tried all kinds of drugs and was wasting his time but, even though he had a brilliant mind, did not apply himself to his studies. "Barry" (that was the name he used all his life) during this time had two roommates, Muhammad Hasan Chandoo and Wahid Hamid, both from Pakistan. During the summer of 1981, after his second year in college, he made a "round the world" trip. Stopping to see his mother in Indonesia, next Hyderabad in India, three weeks in Karachi, Pakistan where he stayed with his roommate's family, then off to Africa to visit his father's family. My question - Wheredid he get the money for this trip? Nether I, nor any one of my children would have had money for a trip like this when they where in college. When he came back he started school at Columbia University in New York. It is at this time he wants everyone to call him Barack - not Barry. Do you know what the tuition is at Columbia? It's not cheap! to say the least. Where did he get money for tuition? Student Loans? Maybe.
After Columbia, he went to Chicago to work as a Community Organizer for $12,000. a year. Why Chicago? Why not New York? He was already living in New York. By "chance" he met Antoin "Tony" Rezko, born in Aleppo Syria, and a real estate developer in Chicago. Rezko has been convicted of fraud and bribery this year. Rezko, was named "Entrepreneur of the Decade" by the Arab-American Business and Professional Association".
About two years later, Obama entered Harvard Law School. Do you have any idea what tuition is for Harvard Law School? Where did he get the money for Law School? More student loans? After Law school, he went back to Chicago. Rezko offered him a job, which he turned down. But, he did take a job with Davis, Miner, Barnhill Galland. Guess what? They represented "Rezar" whic h Rezko's firm. Rezko was one of Obama's first major financial contributors when he ran for office in Chicago.
In 2003, Rezko threw an early fundraiser for Obama which Chicago Tribune reporter David Mendelland claims was instrumental in providing Obama with "seed money" for his U.S. Senate race. In 2005, Obama purchased a new home in Kenwoood District of Chicago for $1.65 million (less than asking price). With ALL those Student Loans - Where did he get the money for the property? On the same day Rezko's wife, Rita, purchased the adjoining empty lot for full price.
The London Times reported that Nadhmi Auchi, an Iraqi-born Billionaire loaned Rezko $3.5 million three weeks before Obama's new home was purchased. Obama met Nadhmi Auchi many times with Rezko. Now, we have Obama running for President. Valerie Jarrett, was Michele Obama's boss. She is now Obama's chief advisor and he does not make any major decisions without talking to her first. Where was Jarrett born? Ready for this? Shiraz, Iran! Do we see a pattern here? Or am I going crazy?
On May 10, 2008 The Times reported, Robert Malley advisor to Obama was "sacked" after the press found out he was having regular contacts with "Hamas", which controls Gaza and is connected with Iran. This past week, buried in the back part of the papers, Iraqi newspapers reported that during Obama's visit to Iraq, he asked their leaders to do nothing about the war until after
he is elected, and he will "Take care of things".
Oh, and by the way, remember the college roommates that where born in Pakistan? They are in charge of all those "small" Internet campaign contribution
for Obama. Where is that money coming from? The poor and middle class in
this country? Or could it be from the Middle East?
And the final bit of news. nb sp; On September 7, 2008, The Washington
Times posted a verbal slip that was made on "This Week" with George Stephanapoulos.
Obama on talking about his religion said, "My Muslim faith". When questioned, "he made a mistake". Some mistake.
See more: Obama
So many things to consider. About a year ago I would have voted for Obama. I have changed my mind three times since than. I watch all the news channels, jumping from one to another. But, I feel if you view MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News, you might get some middle ground to work with. About six months ago, I started thinking "where did the money come from for Obama". I have four daughters who went to College, and we were middle class, and money was tight. We (including my girls) worked hard and there were lots of student loans. I started looking into Obama's life.
Around 1979 Obama started college at Occidental in California. He is very open a bout his two years at Occidental, he tried all kinds of drugs and was wasting his time but, even though he had a brilliant mind, did not apply himself to his studies. "Barry" (that was the name he used all his life) during this time had two roommates, Muhammad Hasan Chandoo and Wahid Hamid, both from Pakistan. During the summer of 1981, after his second year in college, he made a "round the world" trip. Stopping to see his mother in Indonesia, next Hyderabad in India, three weeks in Karachi, Pakistan where he stayed with his roommate's family, then off to Africa to visit his father's family. My question - Wheredid he get the money for this trip? Nether I, nor any one of my children would have had money for a trip like this when they where in college. When he came back he started school at Columbia University in New York. It is at this time he wants everyone to call him Barack - not Barry. Do you know what the tuition is at Columbia? It's not cheap! to say the least. Where did he get money for tuition? Student Loans? Maybe.
After Columbia, he went to Chicago to work as a Community Organizer for $12,000. a year. Why Chicago? Why not New York? He was already living in New York. By "chance" he met Antoin "Tony" Rezko, born in Aleppo Syria, and a real estate developer in Chicago. Rezko has been convicted of fraud and bribery this year. Rezko, was named "Entrepreneur of the Decade" by the Arab-American Business and Professional Association".
About two years later, Obama entered Harvard Law School. Do you have any idea what tuition is for Harvard Law School? Where did he get the money for Law School? More student loans? After Law school, he went back to Chicago. Rezko offered him a job, which he turned down. But, he did take a job with Davis, Miner, Barnhill Galland. Guess what? They represented "Rezar" whic h Rezko's firm. Rezko was one of Obama's first major financial contributors when he ran for office in Chicago.
In 2003, Rezko threw an early fundraiser for Obama which Chicago Tribune reporter David Mendelland claims was instrumental in providing Obama with "seed money" for his U.S. Senate race. In 2005, Obama purchased a new home in Kenwoood District of Chicago for $1.65 million (less than asking price). With ALL those Student Loans - Where did he get the money for the property? On the same day Rezko's wife, Rita, purchased the adjoining empty lot for full price.
The London Times reported that Nadhmi Auchi, an Iraqi-born Billionaire loaned Rezko $3.5 million three weeks before Obama's new home was purchased. Obama met Nadhmi Auchi many times with Rezko. Now, we have Obama running for President. Valerie Jarrett, was Michele Obama's boss. She is now Obama's chief advisor and he does not make any major decisions without talking to her first. Where was Jarrett born? Ready for this? Shiraz, Iran! Do we see a pattern here? Or am I going crazy?
On May 10, 2008 The Times reported, Robert Malley advisor to Obama was "sacked" after the press found out he was having regular contacts with "Hamas", which controls Gaza and is connected with Iran. This past week, buried in the back part of the papers, Iraqi newspapers reported that during Obama's visit to Iraq, he asked their leaders to do nothing about the war until after
he is elected, and he will "Take care of things".
Oh, and by the way, remember the college roommates that where born in Pakistan? They are in charge of all those "small" Internet campaign contribution
for Obama. Where is that money coming from? The poor and middle class in
this country? Or could it be from the Middle East?
And the final bit of news. nb sp; On September 7, 2008, The Washington
Times posted a verbal slip that was made on "This Week" with George Stephanapoulos.
Obama on talking about his religion said, "My Muslim faith". When questioned, "he made a mistake". Some mistake.
See more: Obama
The strategy appears clear: McCain will raise the question to hammer Obama on policy, as he did today on the Democrat's ties to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and hits on taxes, spending and health care. Meanwhile, Sarah Palin will do the dirtier work of using it to hit him on his past associations, notably with Bill Ayers. And should a third party appear on the landscape in the next month, they can go even further.
See more: Obama
There is no doubt in any sane person's mind. Senator McCain is bad enough and then to compound his problems, he selects a fundamentalist, who wants creationism in our schools, censorship in our libraries and federal agents snooping about, making sure a woman's right to privacy, would not be exercised !! This is the ticket to Nowhere and the Republican's think, by character-assassination, they can fool the American electorate, again, to vote for incompetents and unqualified candidates. I believe their lies and distortions will only enrage the electorate to elect the Democratic ticket, a ticket that represents all of the people, not just the Corporations and their lap-dogs, the Lobbyists, such as Phil Gramm, the " Whiner " !! Senators Obama and Biden will reverse the disastrous terms of the Bush-Cheney Regime and restore our government's concerns for the average citizens. The business of America is not business, it is the common welfare of its citizens, all of its citizens !!!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS,
ING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.
More info about Obama
.The title of the article when it first appeared on the web last night was, Obama Had Met Ayers, but the Two Are Not Close. That was quickly changed to, Obama and the s Bomber: A Look Into Crossed Paths. Perhaps the first headline made the papers agenda a bit too obvious. Even so, the new title simply parrots the line of Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt that the two first met through an early education project and since have simply encountered each other occasionally in public life or in the neighborhood. Or, as New York Times reporter Scott Shane puts it at the head of his article, since an initial lunchtime meeting in 1995, their paths have crossed sporadically...at a coffee Mr. Ayers hosted for Mr. Obamas first run for office, on the schools project (i.e. the Chicago Annenberg Challenge) and a charitable board, and in casual encounters as Hyde Park neighbors.
There is nothing about Barack Obama delivering hundreds of thousands of dollars over a period of many years to fund Bill Ayers radical education projects, not to mention many millions more to benefit Ayers radical education allies. We are talking about a substantial and lengthy working relationship here, one that does not depend on the quality of personal friendship or number of hours spent in the same room together (although the article greatly underestimates that as well).
Shanes article buys the spin on Ayers supposed rehabilitation offered by the Obama campaign and Ayers supporters in Chicago. In this view, whatever Ayers did in the 1960s has somehow been redeemed by Ayers later turn to education work. As the Times quotes Mayor Daley saying, People make mistakes. You judge a person by his whole life. The trouble with this is that Ayers doesnt view his terrorism as a mistake. How can he be forgiven when hes not repentant? Nor does Ayers see his education work as a repudiation of his early radicalism. On the contrary, Ayers sees his education work as carrying on his radicalism in a new guise. The point of Ayers education theory is that the United States is a fundamentally racist and oppressive nation. Students, Ayers believes, ought to be encouraged to resist this oppression. Obama was funding Ayers small schools project, built around this philosophy. Ayers radicalism isnt something in the past. Its something to which Obama gave moral and financial support as an adult. So when Shane says that Obama has never expressed sympathy for Ayers radicalism, hes flat wrong. Obamas funded it.
Obama was perfectly aware of Ayers radical views, since he read and publically endorsed, without qualification, Ayers book on juvenile crime. That book is quite radical, expressing doubts about whether we ought to have a prison system at all, comparing America to South Africas apartheid system, and contemptuously dismissing the idea of the United States as a kind or just country. Shane mentions the book endorsement, yet says nothing about the books actual content. Nor does Shane mention the panel about Ayers book, on which Obama spoke as part of a joint Ayers-Obama effort to sink the 1998 Illinois juvenile crime bill. Again, we have unmistakable evidence of a substantial political working relationship.
See more: Obama
There is nothing about Barack Obama delivering hundreds of thousands of dollars over a period of many years to fund Bill Ayers radical education projects, not to mention many millions more to benefit Ayers radical education allies. We are talking about a substantial and lengthy working relationship here, one that does not depend on the quality of personal friendship or number of hours spent in the same room together (although the article greatly underestimates that as well).
Shanes article buys the spin on Ayers supposed rehabilitation offered by the Obama campaign and Ayers supporters in Chicago. In this view, whatever Ayers did in the 1960s has somehow been redeemed by Ayers later turn to education work. As the Times quotes Mayor Daley saying, People make mistakes. You judge a person by his whole life. The trouble with this is that Ayers doesnt view his terrorism as a mistake. How can he be forgiven when hes not repentant? Nor does Ayers see his education work as a repudiation of his early radicalism. On the contrary, Ayers sees his education work as carrying on his radicalism in a new guise. The point of Ayers education theory is that the United States is a fundamentally racist and oppressive nation. Students, Ayers believes, ought to be encouraged to resist this oppression. Obama was funding Ayers small schools project, built around this philosophy. Ayers radicalism isnt something in the past. Its something to which Obama gave moral and financial support as an adult. So when Shane says that Obama has never expressed sympathy for Ayers radicalism, hes flat wrong. Obamas funded it.
Obama was perfectly aware of Ayers radical views, since he read and publically endorsed, without qualification, Ayers book on juvenile crime. That book is quite radical, expressing doubts about whether we ought to have a prison system at all, comparing America to South Africas apartheid system, and contemptuously dismissing the idea of the United States as a kind or just country. Shane mentions the book endorsement, yet says nothing about the books actual content. Nor does Shane mention the panel about Ayers book, on which Obama spoke as part of a joint Ayers-Obama effort to sink the 1998 Illinois juvenile crime bill. Again, we have unmistakable evidence of a substantial political working relationship.
See more: Obama
Vets for Freedom has emerged as one of the bigger players in this election.
The group, which bills itself as the nation's largest group of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, has spent more than $5 million on TV ads, chairman Pete Hegseth said.
The Vets ad, titled "Skipped," says Obama missed nearly half the Senate's votes but showed up "to vote against emergency funding for our troops."
Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt called the ad "a despicable distortion" of Obama's record.
Obama and McCain each have voted for bills that include troop funding. Obama said he opposed one such bill in May 2007 because it did not set a timetable for removing U.S. troops from Iraq.
The group operates under a section of the tax code that does not require it to identify its donors. The donors who appeared on the most recent IRS statement for a now-defunct arm of the group included several major GOP contributors, such as Virginia developer Bob Pence.
See more: Obama
The group, which bills itself as the nation's largest group of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, has spent more than $5 million on TV ads, chairman Pete Hegseth said.
The Vets ad, titled "Skipped," says Obama missed nearly half the Senate's votes but showed up "to vote against emergency funding for our troops."
Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt called the ad "a despicable distortion" of Obama's record.
Obama and McCain each have voted for bills that include troop funding. Obama said he opposed one such bill in May 2007 because it did not set a timetable for removing U.S. troops from Iraq.
The group operates under a section of the tax code that does not require it to identify its donors. The donors who appeared on the most recent IRS statement for a now-defunct arm of the group included several major GOP contributors, such as Virginia developer Bob Pence.
See more: Obama
- Mood:
good
MATTHEWS: Welcome back to Hardball. And the latest pollster.com -- that's the nationwide average of polling -- shows Barack Obama leading John McCain by five points nationally and, more importantly, it seems like it's opening up there. A new Time magazine poll now shows Barack also leading McCain by 50 to 43 among likely voters, a seven-point edge. That would be -- before the convention, that was five.
Right now, a poll by the Associated Press also has Obama up by seven points, 48-41. And a new Pew Research Center poll finds Obama leading McCain 49-43. It's all interesting, guys. We have, joining us, Charlie Cook, right now, and our own Chuck Todd. Chuck's out in St. Louis already getting ready for the big debate tomorrow night. Chuck, you first -- what do you make of these polls? Is this just the -- is this the economic backdrop that's helping Barack?
TODD: Well, I think it's a combination of the economic backdrop and the debate. He didn't have a bad debate performance. I think, while he was judged as not winning that debate, I think, nobody thought he lost it, but nobody thought he won it going away either -- that it was somewhat of a draw. I think when you combine it with the economic stuff, he presented himself to a lot of voters, it looks like, as a plausible president, 'cause you're seeing a -- this is a shift. It was adrift before the debate.
MATTHEWS: Yeah.
TODD: This seems to be a steady movement now. He's ahead in pretty much every swing state where there has been a reasonably good poll. There's not a lot of good state polling that goes on these days, but even in the reasonably good ones, you're seeing Obama -- and in some of these states with a substantial lead.
MATTHEWS: Charlie.
More info about Obama
Right now, a poll by the Associated Press also has Obama up by seven points, 48-41. And a new Pew Research Center poll finds Obama leading McCain 49-43. It's all interesting, guys. We have, joining us, Charlie Cook, right now, and our own Chuck Todd. Chuck's out in St. Louis already getting ready for the big debate tomorrow night. Chuck, you first -- what do you make of these polls? Is this just the -- is this the economic backdrop that's helping Barack?
TODD: Well, I think it's a combination of the economic backdrop and the debate. He didn't have a bad debate performance. I think, while he was judged as not winning that debate, I think, nobody thought he lost it, but nobody thought he won it going away either -- that it was somewhat of a draw. I think when you combine it with the economic stuff, he presented himself to a lot of voters, it looks like, as a plausible president, 'cause you're seeing a -- this is a shift. It was adrift before the debate.
MATTHEWS: Yeah.
TODD: This seems to be a steady movement now. He's ahead in pretty much every swing state where there has been a reasonably good poll. There's not a lot of good state polling that goes on these days, but even in the reasonably good ones, you're seeing Obama -- and in some of these states with a substantial lead.
MATTHEWS: Charlie.
More info about Obama
- Mood: good
My husband and I voted today in Cincinnati, Ohio. The process was well explained and simple and there were plenty of trained workers on hand to help. I would definitely vote early again, given the opportunity.
I voted at 1:05 p.m.; ran over during lunch break (I work downtown); I was out by 1:40 p.m... It all went smoothly and I hope everyone makes an honest effort to get out early and vote and help deliver this state for Barack and Joe.
It was a piece of cake! There quite a few people there, they seemed very excited and relieved that the day had fianally arrived when they could cast their vote for Obama!I went to Franklin County's early voting site at Veteran's Memorial. There were no long lines, the poll workers were helpful, and it was nothing but a positive experience. It sounds odd, but I thought that by voting early I'd be missing out on the experience and excitement of casting my vote on November 4th. Voting early turned out to be an energizing experience that I would do over again if I had the chance. I was able to cast a paper ballot in person and even received the 'I voted today' sticker.
See more: Obama
I voted at 1:05 p.m.; ran over during lunch break (I work downtown); I was out by 1:40 p.m... It all went smoothly and I hope everyone makes an honest effort to get out early and vote and help deliver this state for Barack and Joe.
It was a piece of cake! There quite a few people there, they seemed very excited and relieved that the day had fianally arrived when they could cast their vote for Obama!I went to Franklin County's early voting site at Veteran's Memorial. There were no long lines, the poll workers were helpful, and it was nothing but a positive experience. It sounds odd, but I thought that by voting early I'd be missing out on the experience and excitement of casting my vote on November 4th. Voting early turned out to be an energizing experience that I would do over again if I had the chance. I was able to cast a paper ballot in person and even received the 'I voted today' sticker.
See more: Obama
Well, hopefully the numbers will come back down. Nevertheless, during the summer, Obama lost a 3 to 4 point lead, by going from a 5 to 6 point lead to a 1 to 2 lead (and now, of course, behind, but hopefully this will even back out in the next week.)
I think that the Obama campaign is doing the best ground game so far, but the media air game, is getting away from them.
It is probably too late now, but it seems to me one of the keys of the media air game, is to execute a strategy for a week, see if it moves the polling numbers. If it doesn't, do something else. If it does work, do a new variation of the same thing.
Too much 'confirmation bias' without evidence (be it Penn's microstrategy, or Axelrod's "we have a strategy and we are sticking with it"), ends up simply failing.
You need to look at the media campaign with a ruthless, marketer's eyes. It's working or not - if not, do something else.
In McCain's camp, they went from earlier poverty tours, experience ads - which had no effect on moving the polling numbers - to these snide smears on Obama - which did move the numbers.
That's a very results oriented focus for the media wars - and I want to see evidence that the Obama campaign - not to mention commenters - use that approach, rather than advance their various pet media theory about "what works".
More info about Obama
- Mood: good
CenteredPolitics.com
The choice of Senator Joe Biden, all about shoring up Obama weaknesses, represents a continuation of a defense minded strategy that has marked the early weeks of the General election campaign. But we have now reached the end of the beginning. The convention marks the beginning of the end of this 2 year campaign, and the question becomes, can team Obama – Biden go on offense? Beyond responding to McCain’s strategic moves, can Obama and Biden, with help from the whole Democratic Party including both Clintons, lay out a compelling vision of America under 4 years of Obama, Biden leadership and connect with voters on all levels. If they do the Democratic ticket could open up enough of a lead to sustain the anticipated McCain counter attack, and more importantly, any unanticipated attack, stumble, or change in the strategic landscape.
When winning is not good enough
Barack Obama and Joe Biden have a good chance of winning the election, but for Democrats who believed the same about John Kerry in 2004 and lived through the stolen election of 2000, “a good chance” is far from good enough. At the elite level, coaches do not prepare their sports teams to win games, but rather to dominate the field of play. Teams that are winning can still lose or have the game ripped away by dirty play or a bad referees’ decision.
In any sport the great champions seek to enter the field having already won through superior preparation that allows them to get ahead at the start and put the contest away early. That way they cannot be dropped by a buzzer-beater 3-pointer, KO’ed by a punch below the belt, or reversed by the referees on replay. Democrats have come to love the new Al Gore, and cry a little bit every time HBO shows “Recount” but Dude, it should never have been that close. By winning the starting job as Democratic nominee, Barack Obama, accepted the responsibility to do his best to lead the team to victory and the team’s goal for this election should be this sort of dominance.
And, it must be said, both Barack Obama’s race and novelty raise fears that he could be vulnerable to political attack. For Democrats to have anything short of night terrors, Obama needs to do in the General Election what he was able to do to secure the Democratic Nomination, and that is to get far enough ahead that he is able to weather a storm like Jeremiah Wright and still prevail. That translates into a need to be well ahead by the end of the Democratic Convention.
Offense fills the seats but defense wins championships
From the outside, one can look at the Obama campaign and see the makings of a pretty good defensive strategy at work. Nearly everything the campaign has done since securing the nomination can be explained as a reaction to McCain’s moves, and more often, anticipated McCain moves. David Plouffe, David Axelrod and the team seem to have spent a lot of time playing the other side’s chess pieces, imagining the campaign they would run against Obama and the closing arguments they would make if they were scripting McCain, and then they have moved, sometimes decisively and at a short term loss of good press, to take away McCain’s options.
If McCain had hoped to paint Obama as inexperienced on the world stage and taunted Obama to visit Iraq, so he did. Many Democrats have been nervous, that even though he received great press and drew large crowds, his poll numbers failed to advance. This may be misplaced fear. They did not send the candidate to Europe in order to gain votes in Middle America in July, but rather in order to reduce McCain’s strategic options in October.
If McCain wanted to assert that Obama’s plan amounted to “retreat and surrender” in Iraq, team Obama had another response. The campaign seemed to have made the calculation that it did not want to take a hard and fast commitment to remove troops from Iraq within 16 months into the debates, so he created some wiggle room by emphasizing his earlier commitment to “be as careful getting out as we were careless getting in” even though the apparent shift angered many of the “netroots.”
Not long after this Obama traveled to Bagdad and Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki endorsed the idea of a timetable for U.S. withdrawal. This may not have been due to Obama’s strategy but it sure seems to have reduced McCain’s options on this issue that had been quite central to his expected strategy.
A similar story can be told when it comes to oil drilling where the Democrats may have pulled off some effective jujitsu after struggling to find an effective response to the Republican position. Obama lead by following. Obama’s endorsement of the approach of a bi-partisan group of Senators and Representatives who would allow new offshore drilling under some circumstances has placed him squarely in the middle ground on energy. After weeks of calling Obama, “Dr. No” McCain now must either choose to join Obama in the compromise, or reject progress on the issue in the near term.
We want touchdowns!
But as much as there is to respect in Team Obama’s moves over the last few weeks the low single-digit national poll leads, with some polls showing him trailing, are disconcerting. The campaign is blunting McCain’s attacks but it has not been successful in moving the ball downfield, and articulating a compelling vision of what America would be like under Democratic control of the White House. With the announcement of Joe Biden as the Vice Presidential nominee, the Obama campaign continues this strategy. Biden’s policy vision was not compelling enough to win him delegates to this convention, but he is gold start when it comes to shoring up Obamas weakness when it comes to experience, foreign policy gravitas, and appeal to working class, Catholic voters in middle-America. For team-Obama to bring in Biden, it is like a good defensive football team trading to bring in a pro-bowl linebacker.
In nominating Obama Democrats thought they were selecting the 1989 San Francisco 49ers who beat Denver 55 to 10 in Super Bowl XXIV, not the 1990 Giants who beat the Buffalo Bills 20 to 19 on a missed field goal ending Super Bowl XXV. We need to be far ahead because we do not know what surprises or dirty tricks are in store and we cannot let this come down to a decision in this Supreme Court. We already know how that would come out.
More info about Obama
The choice of Senator Joe Biden, all about shoring up Obama weaknesses, represents a continuation of a defense minded strategy that has marked the early weeks of the General election campaign. But we have now reached the end of the beginning. The convention marks the beginning of the end of this 2 year campaign, and the question becomes, can team Obama – Biden go on offense? Beyond responding to McCain’s strategic moves, can Obama and Biden, with help from the whole Democratic Party including both Clintons, lay out a compelling vision of America under 4 years of Obama, Biden leadership and connect with voters on all levels. If they do the Democratic ticket could open up enough of a lead to sustain the anticipated McCain counter attack, and more importantly, any unanticipated attack, stumble, or change in the strategic landscape.
When winning is not good enough
Barack Obama and Joe Biden have a good chance of winning the election, but for Democrats who believed the same about John Kerry in 2004 and lived through the stolen election of 2000, “a good chance” is far from good enough. At the elite level, coaches do not prepare their sports teams to win games, but rather to dominate the field of play. Teams that are winning can still lose or have the game ripped away by dirty play or a bad referees’ decision.
In any sport the great champions seek to enter the field having already won through superior preparation that allows them to get ahead at the start and put the contest away early. That way they cannot be dropped by a buzzer-beater 3-pointer, KO’ed by a punch below the belt, or reversed by the referees on replay. Democrats have come to love the new Al Gore, and cry a little bit every time HBO shows “Recount” but Dude, it should never have been that close. By winning the starting job as Democratic nominee, Barack Obama, accepted the responsibility to do his best to lead the team to victory and the team’s goal for this election should be this sort of dominance.
And, it must be said, both Barack Obama’s race and novelty raise fears that he could be vulnerable to political attack. For Democrats to have anything short of night terrors, Obama needs to do in the General Election what he was able to do to secure the Democratic Nomination, and that is to get far enough ahead that he is able to weather a storm like Jeremiah Wright and still prevail. That translates into a need to be well ahead by the end of the Democratic Convention.
Offense fills the seats but defense wins championships
From the outside, one can look at the Obama campaign and see the makings of a pretty good defensive strategy at work. Nearly everything the campaign has done since securing the nomination can be explained as a reaction to McCain’s moves, and more often, anticipated McCain moves. David Plouffe, David Axelrod and the team seem to have spent a lot of time playing the other side’s chess pieces, imagining the campaign they would run against Obama and the closing arguments they would make if they were scripting McCain, and then they have moved, sometimes decisively and at a short term loss of good press, to take away McCain’s options.
If McCain had hoped to paint Obama as inexperienced on the world stage and taunted Obama to visit Iraq, so he did. Many Democrats have been nervous, that even though he received great press and drew large crowds, his poll numbers failed to advance. This may be misplaced fear. They did not send the candidate to Europe in order to gain votes in Middle America in July, but rather in order to reduce McCain’s strategic options in October.
If McCain wanted to assert that Obama’s plan amounted to “retreat and surrender” in Iraq, team Obama had another response. The campaign seemed to have made the calculation that it did not want to take a hard and fast commitment to remove troops from Iraq within 16 months into the debates, so he created some wiggle room by emphasizing his earlier commitment to “be as careful getting out as we were careless getting in” even though the apparent shift angered many of the “netroots.”
Not long after this Obama traveled to Bagdad and Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki endorsed the idea of a timetable for U.S. withdrawal. This may not have been due to Obama’s strategy but it sure seems to have reduced McCain’s options on this issue that had been quite central to his expected strategy.
A similar story can be told when it comes to oil drilling where the Democrats may have pulled off some effective jujitsu after struggling to find an effective response to the Republican position. Obama lead by following. Obama’s endorsement of the approach of a bi-partisan group of Senators and Representatives who would allow new offshore drilling under some circumstances has placed him squarely in the middle ground on energy. After weeks of calling Obama, “Dr. No” McCain now must either choose to join Obama in the compromise, or reject progress on the issue in the near term.
We want touchdowns!
But as much as there is to respect in Team Obama’s moves over the last few weeks the low single-digit national poll leads, with some polls showing him trailing, are disconcerting. The campaign is blunting McCain’s attacks but it has not been successful in moving the ball downfield, and articulating a compelling vision of what America would be like under Democratic control of the White House. With the announcement of Joe Biden as the Vice Presidential nominee, the Obama campaign continues this strategy. Biden’s policy vision was not compelling enough to win him delegates to this convention, but he is gold start when it comes to shoring up Obamas weakness when it comes to experience, foreign policy gravitas, and appeal to working class, Catholic voters in middle-America. For team-Obama to bring in Biden, it is like a good defensive football team trading to bring in a pro-bowl linebacker.
In nominating Obama Democrats thought they were selecting the 1989 San Francisco 49ers who beat Denver 55 to 10 in Super Bowl XXIV, not the 1990 Giants who beat the Buffalo Bills 20 to 19 on a missed field goal ending Super Bowl XXV. We need to be far ahead because we do not know what surprises or dirty tricks are in store and we cannot let this come down to a decision in this Supreme Court. We already know how that would come out.
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- Mood: good
So last week it was lipstick, this week its waffles, next week well be talking about wolves, lions, tigers and bears. Then well be wondering why Palin always wears red shoes. Then well make Michelle Obama and Cindy Mccain have a brownie bake off. In the interim, well get our Presiential debate analysis from Saturday Night Live and people will debate the colors of the ties that McCain and Obama wear. Then well have a poll to see which of the candidates people want to have pizza and beer with.
All the while the price of gas is going to head to $6 and this hurricane season isnt even remotely over. People are getting blown up by remote control in Afghanistan OH YEAH and in case yall missed it, RUSSIAN BOMBERS have landed in Venezuela ie the western hemisphere. For those of you who arent students of US History, that aint a good thing. Did I mention that we just mortgaged future generations up to their eyeballs in DEBT by bailing out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? Oh yeah its a new week so that means another bank will be failing any day now. Is it November 4th yet???
So now you know that I know and I know that you know about the waffle mix and we have now promoted this obscure little culinary enterprise that no one knew or cared about 24 hours ago. Tomorrow John McCain will be asked to condemn the waffle mix and Barack Obama will say something to the effect of hes not paying attention to waffles, hes paying attention to the American people and the fact that rising inflation is making it harder for them to put waffles on the table. Rinse and repeat.
Oh yeah, they have their own Obama Waffle blog and are reveling in the .
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Obama is the most condescending candidate Ive ever seen in Presidential politics. He always tries to put his hand on some ones back when hes standing next to them, whether it be Clinton or McCain.
Obamas also the phoniest candidate Ive ever seen in Presidential politics. I remember the get out of Iraq now rants but I havent heard them in a while. Soon hell be offshore drillings biggest fan. Whats wrong with Federal money for elections? Not enough? Oddly enough, W. Bush, the man Obama loves to hate, is the only person who raises the kind of money Obama raises. When looking for Deep Throat you gotta follow the money.
Palin hit the issue on the head; Wheres Hillary Clinton? How did Obama ever reject the Clintons? I guess Obama doesnt have enough experience to make the tough decisions. He even called them and now he needs their help in campaigning.
Bumbling Obama. Slick and condescending but Bumbling Obama nevertheless.
Saturday Night Live sure has their work cut out for them.
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Obamas also the phoniest candidate Ive ever seen in Presidential politics. I remember the get out of Iraq now rants but I havent heard them in a while. Soon hell be offshore drillings biggest fan. Whats wrong with Federal money for elections? Not enough? Oddly enough, W. Bush, the man Obama loves to hate, is the only person who raises the kind of money Obama raises. When looking for Deep Throat you gotta follow the money.
Palin hit the issue on the head; Wheres Hillary Clinton? How did Obama ever reject the Clintons? I guess Obama doesnt have enough experience to make the tough decisions. He even called them and now he needs their help in campaigning.
Bumbling Obama. Slick and condescending but Bumbling Obama nevertheless.
Saturday Night Live sure has their work cut out for them.
More info about Obama
by John McCormick
Igor Vovkovinskiy may be Sen. Barack Obama's biggest fan.
At 7-feet, 8-inches tall, Vovkovinskiy has long drawn attention in Rochester, Minn., where he has lived for almost two decades. As one of the world's tallest men, he now often wears a T-shirt that says, "World's Biggest OBAMA fan."
A volunteer for Obama's presidential campaign, Vovkovinskiy, 25, wants to shake the Illinois Democrat's hand.
Vovkovinskiy almost managed that two years ago at a political rally in Rochester, according to a new story in the Post-Bulletin newspaper.
"As Vovkovinskiy extended his hand, Obama walked right by him, never making eye contact," the newspaper reported.
Vovkovinskiy told the paper he suspects the senator was ignoring him.
"I'm still thinking he was ignoring me," Vovkovinskiy said. "I want him to come back here and shake my hand."
With polls showing Obama leading in Minnesota, that may or may not happen before November 4.
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