Posted on 10/19/2008 8:29:33 PM PDT by Harry Wurzbach
DENVER -- Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell captured the jitters of the Democratic Party today when he conceded that for all Barack Obama's gifts, "he's not exactly the easiest guy in the world to identify with" and urged the presumptive nominee to start punching back against Republican attacks.
In a wide ranging interview, Rendell insisted that while Obama still has not won over perhaps 30 percent of Hillary Rodham Clinton's voters, he will have locked down 95 percent of them by midnight tonight, after Clinton speaks to the Democratic National Convention here. But Rendell, a strong Clinton supporter during the primaries, made it clear he thinks Obama still has work to do with the white, working class voters who backed her.
"With people who have a lot of gifts, it's hard for people to identify with them," the governor said. "Barack Obama is handsome. He's incredibly bright. He's incredibly well spoken, and he's incredibly successful -- not exactly the easiest guy in the world to identify with."
For a politician cut from a rougher cloth, Rendell may have offered a back-handed compliment when he compared Obama to Adlai Stevenson, the failed Democratic candidate from the 1950s who captured the imagination of American intellectuals but not the electorate at large.
"He is a little like Adlai Stevenson," Rendell mused. "You ask him a question, and he gives you a six-minute answer. And the six-minute answer is smart as all get out. It's intellectual. It's well framed. It takes care of all the contingencies. But it's a lousy soundbite."
(Excerpt) Read more at voices.washingtonpost.com ...
Anyways, the Stevenson comparison, though I generally despise Rendell, was dead on. Not sure why he dropped that one at the convention. It's quite true, but it's not something you do unless you're trying to please a certain junior Senator from NY. Anyways, here's the point. Obama cannot connect with the people. He's too smart for them. They just have to trust in his wisdom and powers which elude mere mortals. Just like a certain other Illinois politician who came before him. The more I think about this election in terms of the general likability of each candidate and their ability to relate to the average Joe, the more it makes sense, and the more the outcome seems apparent.
Obama is, let's face it, a nerd. Dude is goofy. He can't pull off being interested in normal things that guys are interested in, like say, football, cars, women, grilling, etc...He's more worried about picking up some arugula and God knows what else down at the local Whole Foods. Instead of sports he's thinking about Niebuhr or whatever else runs a tingle up Brooks' leg.
Yes, he can give a good speech. Well, that's great. Could the average American male see themselves enjoying time spent with The One? Probably not. But is that not part of the deal? We're going to spend a lot of time with one of those two for the next 4 years.
I think most Americans would rather hang out with McCain. McCain's done sh!t in his life, not just talked about it. Plus he most likely doesn't have to fake enjoying football, grilling parts of dead animals, and believing in God.
Look at the presidential contests beginning with the one 56 years ago. Each time, I would argue, Americans selected the guy they could relate to more. The non-nerd or the less nerdy.
Obama is Stevenson. While McCain is not Ike, he carries the same basic qualities, clear love of country, service to his country, being his own man, etc...At the end of the day, McCain fills that presidential role better than yet another brilliant Democrat faux-academic presidential candidate.
Please stop spamming that in every thread.
Thank you.
Adlai Stevenson: a two time loser.
You’re welcome.
We’ll do it in every other thread, and it isn’t spam.
I don’t think that was a ringing endorsement for Obama out of Rendell — same thing with the OH Dem Governor. :)
Ed Rendell continues to underwhelm with his raw enthusiasm for 0bama. I wonder how bad the internal polls really are?
Those Democrat Nerds are the worse, starting with Woodrow Wilson who laid the ground work for Hitler and WWII
Yeah. America doesn’t want a professor for their president. They want someone who won’t raise their taxes and will keep the country safe.
The last law school lecturer to be president ended up setting the stage for 9/11.
Again, Obama is the perfect candidate for like several groups which comprise the Democrat far-left base. Blacks, academics, students, entertainers, and journalists. Each group is nuts about him. If you were trying to create a candidate to win a Democrat presidential nomination, I don’t think you could come up with someone better. But this dude does not connect with the regular American non-moonbat people. Anytime he tries to show emotion, or to show his faith or his patriotism, or whatever else, it comes across incredibly fake and contrived. He’s perfect for those who roam around college campuses for decades.
Perfect analysis! You are correct he doesn’t connect with regular red, white, and blue Americans. Seems we are something for him to walk on as we don’t meet his standards of elitism.
Well I hope the comparison holds up, as in HE LOSES
You are so correct. Then you had FDR, who changed my grandfather to a lifelong Republican activist. He was a farmer and FDR was the first Dem he never voted for because of all the handout programs he promised. He was conservative and didn’t know it back then. I can still remember him talking about how FDR made the depression last longer with all his giveaways. Grandpa was right!
Are the dimocrats eating their own?
This is really Rendell against Obamanation, or does he come out later and say nice things.
I guess he just talking about the Hillary PUMAS.
If I had to guess, I’d say they’re probably pretty bad for Pennsylvania. Virginia seems so weird. How could a state change that much in 4 years? We might just see PA and VA flip from ‘04. Of course, I may just be misled by the hype about Obama in VA.
I’d take that trade though. That’d be a net +8 electoral vote pickup.
Not only a two time loser, he was a two time landslide loser. (55%-44% 1952 and 57%-41.5% 1956)
Way to date himself. What percentage of the electorate has actually heard of Adlai Stevenson? And what percentage of those people could tell you a thing about him?
that doesn’t even make sense.
obamao and stevenson have not much in common, but a political party name that has evolved.
*FDR made the depression last longer with all his giveaways.*
Ain’t that the truth.
A good book on the subject, “FDR’s Folly How Roosevelt and His New Deal Prolonged the Great Depression” by Jim Powell
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