Reply #4: Another simple fact to keep in mind. [View All]

Political competition in this nation is a perpetual war for the allegiance of the middle.

And yes, that is on topic. I can't believe how many people on this board are actually under the rather clueless impression that the main thrust of things like the Warren invitation, or the Gates appointment, is to win over the far right wing of the nation. It's just sad... like people think Obama has suddenly turned brain dead and thinks the most conservative 20 or 30% of the nation are suddenly going to switch sides and become his base or something.

A small percentage of them may be swayed, but the primary audience for these kinds of gestures is the INDEPENDENTS. When you reach across the aisle, who do you have to reach very emphatically ACROSS in the political spectrum, leaving little to no doubt that they are very firmly in the demographic range you will work with relatively comfortably? You'd think this was Quantum Mechanics or something the way so few people seem to get how things work.