Posted on 09/12/2008 7:47:36 PM PDT by 11th_VA
Barack Obama knows it. The election he had in the bag is slipping away.
The selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as John McCain’s running mate has so thrown him off stride, as it has most other Democrats, that all the momentum he had has vanished. He’s getting panicky advice from everywhere. He intends to launch more and sharper attacks, abandoning any pretense of a new and different, more civil campaign.
Democrats know something, and desperation is setting in. They have a novice campaigner who wanders off message. With every advantage in the primaries, Obama couldn’t win the big states — New York, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania — against Hillary Clinton, even when he got to define the rules for running against him. She could never risk alienating the base she’ll need in 2012; John McCain and Sarah Palin have no such constraints — hence the panic.
For a “change” candidate, Obama appears to be a man locked in time, unable to move past criticism, unable to move from the grip of the Democratic left, unable to adapt to the changed reality that the campaign is not the referendum on the war in Iraq or on the administration of George W. Bush that he’d envisioned.
He’s begun to sound dated. Last week, for example, he devoted valuable campaign days — less than two months remain — into explaining a silly “lipstick on a pig” line. The McCain campaign had reacted, accusing him of making the reference to Palin. “I don’t care what they say about me,” Obama responded. “But I love this country too much to let them take over another election with lies and phony outrage and ‘Swiftboat politics.’ Enough is enough,” he said. (The Swiftboat reference is from the 2004 campaign of John Kerry).
The Democratic left is still seething from the Kerry campaign’s loss and is determined to see Bush expelled from the White House in disgrace — the reason it is locked in to making this a referendum on the administration now ending.
It barely worked when the maverick McCain, no darling of the Bushites, got the nomination. With Palin, the Washington outsider, the “third term” argument is plainly absurd. But Obama can’t let go, just as the lefties can’t let go of the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth defeat of Kerry. He can’t move on.
Obama has the habit, too, of reminding voters of their doubts about him, as he did in reminding a Detroit audience that he’s been accused of being less interested in protecting you from terrorists than reading them their rights. And, when he professes love of country as his basis for refusing to allow the McCain campaign to attack his words, he raises questions about why he finds the affirmation of love necessary.
Obama will lose because with less than two months remaining voters won’t be able to get comfortable with him. He can’t stay on message and he can’t avoid sending signals that interfere with the message when he does.
McCain, on the other hand, has been superb going back at least to Obama’s European tour. Mainstream America is comfortable with him and, with Palin’s selection, conservatives who had their doubts are onboard. The GOP is energized and suddenly an unwinnable election is reversed.
Obama got this far by winning small states and Southern states he has no chance of carrying in November. In Georgia, for example, the latest Insider Advantage poll has McCain pulling 56 percent of the vote to 38 percent for Obama, numbers that are not likely to change more than 4 percentage points in November. The undecideds and those who intend to vote for third-party campaigns are at 6 percent.
In this election, voters will decide early. Obama’s been in a yearlong campaign; McCain’s familiar. The two are sufficiently exposed and known for voters to make a decision now.
It’s not over. But it’s getting there — and Obama knows it.
Whoops, skipped the pants and went straight to the head, lol. Good post.
McCain and Palin have no problem staying on message and it is frustrating the Dems.
When I read articles like this in September it must mean the real polling numbers must be something like McCain 60 Obama 40...but the MSM would never allow it.
They do call shotguns “riot guns” for a reason.
I suspect he has never even touched one. Recently, I was in a group being interviewed. One question was, "Have you ever fired a gun?" About half said they had not. "Have you ever held a gun?" Same response.
It was a bit of a culture shock as I grew up in Texas and didn't know anybody who didn't own and use guns. From other questions to the group, I surmised that most of those folks had migrated from the North to the South and were afraid of firearms.
Giving the Presidency of the United States to a rookie Marxist will mark the beginning of the end of the Republic.
“It is as if John McCann is forgotten in all of this too and he is the man that was ballsy and courageous enough to pick her”
I think a few hundred thousand conservatives telling him that it was either her or lose the election made it clear that he had no choice.
Is he trying to copy the sheriff from Blazing Saddles?
Yep - there were the two Hillary states that lost their primary votes.
AND - I recall that Obama won more caucuses, rather than primaries - don’t know the totals, but the cauci contributed significantly to his primary numbers.
AND - the country at large were still enchanted with Obama - the fatigue hadn’t set in yet.
If he loses a squeaker, perhaps. If he gets McGoverned, probably not. If Obama's base is too demoralized to bother voting, I don't think they'll have the energy to riot either.
Wondering what’s the deal with Colorado? RCP has it for Obama on their map.
Have a bunch of east coast lefties invaded?
I’m guessing it’s the environmental whackos, mostly.
“There will be riots if he wins, and riots if he loses.”
I live in the burbs. But white folks who elect to live in the edgy urban environments have noone to blame but themselves and the leaders they help elect. Maybe a few of them will finally figure out what the left is all about.
The only people I will feel sorry for should this happen are the decent members of the black community who will be hiding in their houses or burned out by a bunch of punks. Not only will their communities burn, they will again be tarred with the acts of the identity politics thugs who have been elevated to leadership in their community by a bunch of white leftists.
Correction:
Much better.
These gangs in L.A. don't get their arms from this country. And the Mexican drug cartels gave the go-ahead to kill or assasinate Americans 2 weeks ago. Where there is no fence, several 14' mines linked to trapped Claymores will cause them to think. Just a few. They will die fast. Let the dead bodies stay there.
Defeat is the price they are willing to pay to be rid of the Clinton machine.
A shotgun is an inexpensive and effective self/home protection weapon. I have a 12-ga. Mossberg 500 “Persuader” that I hope to God I never have to point at a human being.
But if I have to, I will.
A bunch of west coast lefties have invaded. McCain can win Colorado, but he needs to campaign hard here.
Time to stock up on some shootin’ irons.
Bought a Rossi .357 medium fram six shooter just this past Thursday. Buying 157 gr JHP +P .38 Specials for it tomorrow (saturday).
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