Mark Halperin: "Sixteen Underappreciated Advantages Obama Has Over Clinton"

Time's Mark Halperin, writing on that site's 'The Page' blog (see source article for more details):

You have to keep it simple for TV and the attention spans of a lot of people (and news outlets). On CNN you usually get one sentence before they mute you and talk over you, as if all they think you want is a video of the candidate with no sound.

I agree he seems to have a very well organized campaign, and will be able to go the distance to November. You can be the best candidate in the world, but if you don't have the money or the team, you will go down.

That was underlined in the 60 Minutes interview last night. Obama said that he started his campaign being "too professorial" and getting into the details of his plans and everyone was saying "where's that guy who gives the inspiring speeches?" so he went back to inspiring and now they say he doesn't have enough specifics. :-)

Great strategy, I think. And they made sure to say, in what I thought was an excellent interview, that all of the details of his plans are easily and clearly available on his website.

BTW, you can watch the interview here: http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/60minutes/main3415.shtml

Our current prez was able to galvanize his base with the same idea--to keep it simple and try to appeal to them on an emotional level.

We couldn't understand how people would prefer * to Kerry. But some people are easily scared away by stuff they can't understand. Or they don't trust someone they can't identify with, someone who gets into too much detail--something like that. I sometimes wondered if * didn't flub words on purpose, just to seem like one of the guys.

The difference with Obama is that his inspirational message is only the beginning-- there is actually a brilliant mind and competent potential leader there, able to become a great president. With * it was "all hat, no cattle"!

edit: oh and one other thing: Obama's habit of letting us in on what is happening, like the way he said he was too professional so got back to the inspirational stuff is so valuable because we feel like we've been taken into confidence. One of his friends. And the way he talks about what the other campaign is doing and why--just lays it all out there so matter of fact--is so great. It shows that he's comfortable with the process and not afraid to tell it like he sees it. We get the idea that we really know him, that he's got nothing to hide.