DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - Now that Obama has declared victory... Why is he so weak?

**prowsnobswend** · 05-21-2008, 08:58 PM

Originally posted by DanS
I've thought for a while now that Obama is a strong candidate. But it seems odd that he was blown out in a state like Kentucky. Couldn't carry California. Couldn't carry Texas. Couldn't carry Pennsylvania. All the while he was the presumptive nominee.

Weak. The campaign hasn't really started. Hillary is still in the public eye, and the fight for the Democratic nomination is still the story. Obama can't campaign against Hillary on grounds of things like Iraq and Katrina, because she wasn't primarily responsible for them (even though she voted for the war, she wasn't a member of the party that was pushing it).

When Obama goes against McCain full time it will be broadside after broadside aimed at Republican incompetence. If Obama was running against the McCain of 2000, he would probably lose. However, he's running against a McCain who has spent the last 8 years soiling his own trousers by associating himself with possibly the worst administration in US history.

My suspicion is that this is going to be a different kind of election. Since Nixon, the Republican strategy has been to appeal (overtly or covertly) to one portion of the population against another. The Democrats used to do this as well. But that kind of group politics is less effective than it used to be, due to the increasing fragmentation of American society. The fact that campaigns based on it have become ever more poisonous is evidence that it takes more and more to get it to work. If McCain wins this time, the campaign will probably be the filthiest in living memory. Unfortunately for him, the one thing that does seem to unite a majority of Americans right now is a loathing for the current administration.

People forget that Bush originally campaigned as a centrist Republican, and most people thought he would be like his father (who was a fairly inoffensive and competent President). If 9/11 had never happened, he would likely have been dumped in 2004 if he'd tried to carry on as he has. He's been living off of 9/11 for most of his presidency, and it is no longer working very well. You can only get so far when your policies are direct denials of objective facts.

You only need look at Poly. Many posters who were dyed in the wool conservatives 5 years ago have now moved left towards the right wing of the democrats (Imran is the obvious example - Ted also went from being a Republican to being a radical leftist). The only tories left here tend to be the fanatics and elderly people like Ming and rah, who can be excused on grounds of advancing senility.

05-21-2008, 08:58 PM	#6
prowsnobswend Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 412 Senior Member	Originally posted by DanS I've thought for a while now that Obama is a strong candidate. But it seems odd that he was blown out in a state like Kentucky. Couldn't carry California. Couldn't carry Texas. Couldn't carry Pennsylvania. All the while he was the presumptive nominee. Weak. The campaign hasn't really started. Hillary is still in the public eye, and the fight for the Democratic nomination is still the story. Obama can't campaign against Hillary on grounds of things like Iraq and Katrina, because she wasn't primarily responsible for them (even though she voted for the war, she wasn't a member of the party that was pushing it). When Obama goes against McCain full time it will be broadside after broadside aimed at Republican incompetence. If Obama was running against the McCain of 2000, he would probably lose. However, he's running against a McCain who has spent the last 8 years soiling his own trousers by associating himself with possibly the worst administration in US history. My suspicion is that this is going to be a different kind of election. Since Nixon, the Republican strategy has been to appeal (overtly or covertly) to one portion of the population against another. The Democrats used to do this as well. But that kind of group politics is less effective than it used to be, due to the increasing fragmentation of American society. The fact that campaigns based on it have become ever more poisonous is evidence that it takes more and more to get it to work. If McCain wins this time, the campaign will probably be the filthiest in living memory. Unfortunately for him, the one thing that does seem to unite a majority of Americans right now is a loathing for the current administration. People forget that Bush originally campaigned as a centrist Republican, and most people thought he would be like his father (who was a fairly inoffensive and competent President). If 9/11 had never happened, he would likely have been dumped in 2004 if he'd tried to carry on as he has. He's been living off of 9/11 for most of his presidency, and it is no longer working very well. You can only get so far when your policies are direct denials of objective facts. You only need look at Poly. Many posters who were dyed in the wool conservatives 5 years ago have now moved left towards the right wing of the democrats (Imran is the obvious example - Ted also went from being a Republican to being a radical leftist). The only tories left here tend to be the fanatics and elderly people like Ming and rah, who can be excused on grounds of advancing senility.
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