Herbert: Obama Has Dems Worried About a 'Debacle in November'

NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Bob Herbert: voice of reason? On economics and the role of government, no. On the dynamics of the Dem nomination race? Actually, yes. In both his TV appearances and columns, Herbert, an Army veteran who grew up largely in a comfortable New Jersey suburb, comes across as more clear-eyed and down-to-earth, less angry and ideological, than his NY Times confreres like Paul Krugman or Frank Rich.

Take Herbert's column of this morning, Heading Toward the Danger Zone. My sense is that, at heart, Herbert backs Obama. But that doesn't deter the columnist from offering an unblinking assessment of the very perilous electoral path on which Obama finds himself. Let's work backwards from Herbert's stunning conclusion [emphasis added]:

One of Senator Obama’s favorite phrases is “the fierce urgency of now.” There is nothing more fiercely urgent for him right now than to reassure voters and superdelegates that an Obama candidacy will not lead to a Democratic debacle in November.

[jmaroneps37]

Wow!!!!! Now who would have THUNK this? Why this IS a democrat year right? I mean the democrats really only had to pick a name out of the phone book to be the next POTUS, right? All of this is sooooooooo confusing! Next I'll bet someone starts calling the presumptive democrat candidate barack mcgovern! Oh, I forgot, that's already been done!

Look the rat is done for at the top of the ticket. It is now our task to work as hard as we can to elect a conservative backbone for the man who will win.

[Savage Beast]

“the fierce urgency of now”

Sounds to me like he can't find the key to the bathroom.

[6SJ7]

I mean the democrats really only had to pick a name out of the phone book to be the next POTUS, right?

That probably would have worked out better for them. Obama is looking like a one night stand the morning after.

[Savage Beast]

"...this still leaves us with McCain."

Rejoice. It's not Hillary, Bill, Obama, Gore, Kerry, or Edwards.

[SE Mom]

What’s most interesting about this piece is that it was written in the first place! Herbert sees exactly what’s happening- but it’s startling that he decided to publish his insights.

This election is like none other..

[Savage Beast]

The Democrats' best hope is that the Republicans will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory--something for which they have a remarkable talent.

We must accept McCain and focus our resources on electing Republicans to Congress.

[nyyankeefan]

Herbert: Obama Has Dems Worried About a ‘Debacle in November’...

this is SOOOO not true......b. HUSSEIN has hope and wants change.....what else is needed????

[libstripper]

I think there is justified cause for their concern but Village-Idiot-John-McCain is working hard to ensure a democrat victory no matter how screwed up they are.

Oh, so true. The NC Republican party's on to something that totally escapes McLame. They're showing Obama's anti-patriotic and anti-American through his long and affectionate association with the anti-patriotic and anti-American Wright. Once that's established, really pretty easy to do, then tying local DemonRats to Obama legitimately applies the same stink to them. Hence, there's a chance for down ticket victories we otherwise wouldn't have. The DemonRats did it very effectively to us in 1964 with Goldwater and we should do it to them now, unless McLame would really rather have a DemonRat House and Senate.

[ChildOfThe60s]

Above all, though, Herbert blames Obama for his unwillingness to fight. As the columnist puts it: "there is such a thing as being too cool."

I disagree on this point. Obama has demonstrated that when confronted with (even moderately) difficult questions he simply doesn't have to ability to deal with them. That's not too much cool.

[TomGuy]

Obama: "fierce urgency of now"

Obama: "I am the one I have been waiting for"

Pogo: "We have met the enemy, and he is us.

[Izzy Dunne]

Give us the best of both worlds, don’t nom. either one of them.

Are you a Gore fan?

;->

[TomGuy]

McCain is the perfect candidate to attract those Democrat and Independent votes, but he keeps doing so much to alienate the conservatives that he might manage to lose the election anyway.

McCain has reached across the aisle so many times that he is more comfortable being across the aisle, and it shows, and it could be the factor that sinks his boat for the Oval Office.

But, allot of the party faithful* will hold their noses and vote for him. Those who do, deserve what they get.


===

*party faithful:

==They are the same one who will ignore that McCain wanted to jump parties after his 2000 primary defeat. But, he still has the R, so he must be okay.

==They will ignore that McCain had his staff reach out to Kerry to be Kerry's VP in 2004. But, he still has the R, so he must be okay.

[No wonder the Republican Party is called the Party of Stup..... ]

[Ditter]

Excellent column Mark! I wish Rush had not instigated Operation Chaos. hillary would be shut out by now and nObama would still be screwing up and destroying the dems chances in Nov.

[popdonnelly]

This campaign has united the country. Both Dems and Republicans are worried about a debacle in November.

[italianquaker]

“The big issue in this campaign is the economy and jobs. But if you were to ask most voters how Senator Obama plans to fight for them on this crucial matter, you’re likely to get a blank stare”

The money quote and you can substitute the blank stare for all his other “policies” except raisng taxes

[hinckley buzzard]

Village-Idiot-John-McCain is working hard to ensure a democrat victory no matter how screwed up they are.

Charles Krauthammer took him apart on Fox last night. He ended up questioning MCain's sanity, maybe at best only half-joking.

I have maintained for years that McCain is psychologically damaged from his POW days. It will continue to be manifested in the kind of inconsistent, self-defeating "un-forced errors" such as he has been making this week. By the time Obama/Clinton get to him he may have self-destructed and made himself a laughingstock.

This election just sucks.

[hinckley buzzard]

Actually, it was Martin Luther King. Nothing Obama says is original. But at least he's moved on from plagiarizing Malcolm X and Deval Patrick.

At least plagiarizing King is poetic justice since King plagiarized about half his doctoral dissertation.

[Crawdad]

As the columnist puts it: "there is such a thing as being too cool."

I'm sorry, but that quote reminds me of the 'Happy Days' episode where the other characters began to wonder why they feared Fonzie. No one had ever seen him beat anyone up. The only evidence they had that he was really tough was a rumor he roughed up a guy in another town.

[hinckley buzzard]

Obama has demonstrated that when confronted with (even moderately) difficult questions he simply doesn't have to ability to deal with them.

True. Like most pampered princes he becomes irritated and snippy when crossed. It comes from years of indoctrination in an ideological bell jar, in his case a jar full of marxist assholes, where opposition is simply not tolerated and need not be debated.

[oldbill]

“the fierce urgency of now.”
“Bladder control commercial.”

---

My God! - You’ve got it! Add in “Change we can believe in” and “We are the change we have been waiting for” and it all becomes clear:

We are being set up for an extended diaper/Depends commercial!!