Underestimating Obama

I really got a kick out of this Op-ed - it's like he's been peeking in here or something.

B-)




BOYISH CHARM Senator Obama sits waiting to speak at a rally in Elko, Nev., yesterday.


The fashion among Barack Obama fans is to worry that he is about to lose. The fluttering poll numbers supposedly tell the story. All John McCain had to do was trot out a snappy, poised, non-male running mate, and the Obama fairy tale was over. Insert here assorted pious ruminations about how Senator Obama had a nice run, but in the end America just "wasn't ready" because of ... need I go on?

I'm not with it. Once again, Mr. Obama is being underestimated even by people who worship him. Think about it. Polls are nice, but quite a bit of election history is about their often fitful relationship to what actually happens. What we do know is that most people are not political junkies and only decide their vote at the last minute. This is far from the last minute.

Plus, vice presidential candidates do not determine elections. Even when they have been charismatic and/or interesting, it is impossible to imagine that they determined the presidential candidate's victory — think about Lyndon Johnson and John Kennedy. And the taller candidate usually wins. John Kerry was an exception, but we will all agree that Mr. Obama has assorted plusses over him.

And crucially, we have debates coming. Cassandras about Mr. Obama talk as if all we had left until November was cable channel dust-ups over nonsense.

Or, one is supposed to mutter about how Mr. Obama has been less effective in debates than when speaking alone. Doubtless something was especially off in his Saddleback encounter: he played the professor examining all sides while Mr. McCain came off as the man with the vision thing.

But what is it with this idea that what we have seen in Mr. Obama is what we will always get? Whence the conviction that he has not been amply informed that he needs to punch up his speaking skills in the debate setting? And where is the coherency in an assumption — or even a fear — that someone so gifted with words would not be up to the task? It's as if he were training in jai alai or the sitar.

Again and again Barack Obama confounds the expectations of people speaking from what they regard as informed wisdom. Iowa. New Hampshire, where whites did not vote for Hillary Clinton after claiming to be for him. Getting past the Reverend Wright imbroglio and winning the nomination.

But here we are, once again supposing that this is a man who cannot cope, cannot really cut the mustard. The Obambi myth never dies — even among his fans.

More at link

http://www.nysun.com/opinion/underestimating-obama/86083/

SEXIST!!!

... she's checking out his booty.

Not that I'd blame her.

Oh sorry ....... lemme snap out of it ......... it's the issues ...... she's checking out his issues.

Hmmmm...

:evilgrin:

:9

on edit: it looks like all the ladies are. can't blame'em.

That's a tiny town, I was born in Elko...

I agree that Obama is unflappable under pressure and that is one of his strenths, but Republicans have proven in the past that they can attack Democrats on their strengths and win. Just ask John Kerry.

Obama had to push back against McCain/Palin asap. If he didn't, he would look weak and voters hate weak leaders more than lying ones. It really helps when your opponent makes major gaffes, like baldface lying, but if you are not ready to take advantage of their gaffes you miss opportunities to bury them. Based on the slow response and missed opportunites to McCain/Palin post RNC convention, it looked like the Obama campaign was caught by surprise by Palin's nomination to the VP post. Obama has recovered and his ad attacks now are more aggressive than last week.

Still I'd like to see the Obama ads use more of a storyline or narrative when discussing the issues and differences between him and McCain. "Howard and Louise" work well for Republicans in sinking Hillary's Healthcare campaign. Why couldn't they be used to sink McCain's campaign? Per Thom Hartmann and many others, the human brain is wired to listen to stories, not laundry lists of issues or reasons not to support the other guy. Stories elicit emotional responses in the viewer and that is what Obama needs to do.

Praising Obama. Australia, New Zealand, and UK posters on a progressive women's board have all been Baracking the Vote. They are positive he is a shoe in. They are so excited that the Bush regime will end. Australia and UK are quite vocal that they got rid of their Pro-Iraq/Pro-Bush elected officials and we are just destined to join the celebration.

I hope they are right.

Can we trade the 'pukes for them? Swap populations maybe?

I thought the same thing in 2004. But, I do agree with this op-ed. What I know is local, and in Indiana, something very strange and wonderful is happening. I think people are waking up. I hope.

to see what they all see.

It looks like it's just a rope.

:shrug:

"doubting" thing after all the history involved in getting this far?

Some people just like to complain even though they couldn't do 1/2 as well.