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Thursday, March 13, 2008

The Dems Race is Getting Delicious

Well, it certainly is if you are a political opponent. Let's review some of the low...I mean highlights of the last few weeks. First, an Obama supporter referred to Hillary as a monster. (Susan Power who later resigned) Then, the Hillary camp compared Obama to Ken Starr. Then, we had the infamous red phone advertisement attacking Obama's lack of readiness for the White House. To this, Obama advisor Susan Rice responded by saying

neither one is ready to answer the red phone

Then, Hillary, mired in second place, offered Obama the VP post. To which, Obama rightly responded that not only was he winning but if she didn't think he was ready to be President why did she want him as her VP. The festivities ended when Geraldine Ferraro, a Hillary supporter, proclaimed that Obama is only where he is because of his race. Let's not forget SNL making fun of all of them and their media enablers.

Now, I suspect that a Dem that is reading this is just now doing google searches to prove to me that plenty happened besides all of these ugly events. That may even be so, but let's face reality, if people are going to remember anything about the last few weeks it will be one or more of these events, not the latest policy proposal by Obama/Clinton etc.

The biggest problem for the Democrats is that it is still six weeks till the next important primary and six months until the convention. Things will only get juicier and uglier. Here is the rub, as Shakespeare might say, for the Dems. There isn't a dime's worth of difference between either candidate on the issues. The reality is that if the two spend the next five months battling each other over their health care package, their Iraq withdrawal plans, their job's plans, their social agenda, etc. then the winner will be in great position to win in November. They can't do that because there is no substantive difference. Instead they will argue over who is least experienced, least ready to pick up the red phone, and least electable in the fall. There's still plenty of material. After all, the Rezko trial is just getting started, and the Clintons still haven't released their tax returns.

From where I sit, I always saw the danger for the Democrats in two ways: first, the Clintons will stop at nothing to win, and second, there is no difference between the candidates on the issues. Thus, if either is going to win it will be on personality. Now, for a while, Obama was able to do that with his uplifting and inclusive message. Then, Hillary countered and now it is a free for all. More and more, race is becoming an issue in the campaign. The longer it goes the more personal it will get and that will only get more ugly. The Dems are on the brink of turning a heated primary into a train wreck.

Meanwhile, John McCain waits in the wings. While they tear each other up on a personal level, he needs to tear them both up on the issues. Since neither wants to define themselves on the issues, that is what John McCain needs to do. He can...on trade, taxes, spending, the size of government, foreign policy, illegal immigration, and social issues, both are nothing more than boiler plate standard typical liberals. (as we all likely know by now, Obama was voted most liberal Senator in 2007 and that is something you are all likely to hear repeated many times between now and November) Thus, if McCain plays his cards right, they will tear each other up personally while he tears both of them up on the issues. By the time either comes out of the convention, the will be so bloodied no one will recognize them, and no one will have any reason to vote for either of them.

Like, I said the Dems race is getting delicious...

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

How bad might the Dem race get? Watch this :-). Hillary vs. Barack.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5C50gj5CDrU

Anonymous said...

Mr. Obama wishes to be insulated from the tacit culpability emanating from his association with Reverend Wright's weekly fare because he had not been in church the day that his pastor of 20 years spewed vicious, hateful, paranoid nonsense about our country. This is beyond disingenuous; this is utter nonsense. The arrogance that asks us to accept this is much the same as that which brought us "I didn't inhale". It is fortuitous however that we are now getting a glimpse of who Barack Obama really is: the spiritual son of Reverend Wright.

mike volpe said...

I think the biggest problem eminating for Obama is that his biggest critics so far are Juan Williams and Larry Elder. If this fiasco turns into a fight between moderate and extreme African American leaders, that would be the worst thing that could happen to his campaign.

Anonymous said...

Russert asks Obama supporter: what has he done? Silence. Russert could ask Hillary, "What have you (not Bill, not the partnership) done?" Answer: "Oh, I've named a few government buildings. And, I voted for a (succeeding) Iraq war that I now regret voting for because of the Dem left." Folks, admit that these two are are best that the Dems can offer and then just make up your mind to vote for someone else in November.

Anonymous said...

Here is why the dems will take the white house in the general.
1. This is a contest for the democratic nomination, NOT the general election.

McCain has not only been involved in a few scandals, but he has flip-flopped on issues and used enough double talk to become the standard. There’s video’s all OVER You tube depicting him saying on thing at one moment and then another thing another time.

2. Bush endorsed him.

America does not want another Bush, he has the lowest approval ratings ever of a President. On top of that, The race for the Republican nomination in 2000 left McCain and Bush at ends with each other and that will all come back to haunt him.

Whether it is Hillary, Obama, or both… they will completely walk all over McCain. They’ve raised more money, have a better message, and stick to what they say.

It’ll be good to get the Dems back in the White house next year… this country could not withstand another 4 years of Republican tyranny!


Thanks!

Brian 

mike volpe said...

Brian, you made a couple of correct points, however much of what you said is totally nonsensical, and that even goes for what you said accurately.

Let's start with what was right. You are correct that it is only March and the election is months away. You are also right that the Dems are raising a lot more money. Those two factors are in the favor of the Dems.

It is of course dicey to predict anything that will happen eight months in the future, so predicting the election now is fool's gold.

That said, claiming that McCain is a chronic flip flopper is a bit ridiculous. Flip flopping is a sign of an individual with no principles or political courage. If this debate is about who has more principles and political courage, then that is a debate McCain would have every day of the week and five times on Sunday. Hillary has had nearly ten positions on the Iraq War. She still can't make up her mind where she is on driver's licenses for illegals. She has a reputation for political calculation. Obama can't flip flop on a position because first you have to take one.

I don't which scandals McCain has been involved with but is that really something the Democrats want to match up on. Do I really need to recount the scandals that Hillary has had? Obama has plenty of problems with Rezko and he may not survive the current scandal with his reverend.

Yes, Bush has endorsed him. What did you think the Republican President was going to do for the Republican nominee. If you think McCain is going to have trouble being his own man, and carving his own niche, you just don't know McCain very well.

I think at one point you said they have a better message and stick to what they say. What message is that exactly? I don't know because in the last three months the only thing they have been debating is race, sex and who is less experienced.

If you think Hillary sticks to what she says, you obviously have never heard Hillary's positions on anything. They both have not only promised to withdraw from Iraq immediately and also couldn't promise that they would be fully withdrawn from Iraq before the end of their first term. Obama seems to have said one thing to voters on NAFTA and something totally different to Canadian diplomats. Like I said before, Hillary has had so many positions on Iraq we have all lost track.

As for their message, which message is that? Is it the message of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in Iraq? Is it the one about raising taxes and increasing government? Is it the message of a radical social agenda that not only includes partial birth abortion for both but something even more obscene for Obama? Is it the protectionist free trade message? Is it socialized medicine? You can't merely say they have a better message without spelling out that message and maintain any credibility...

Anonymous said...

What I keep coming back to is why is it a bad thing that there is an actual political contest going on for the democratic nomination? When I read the title of the article I was hoping someone would be finally pointing out that we're being treated to a political contest worhty of it's historic importance.

But yet again it's the same wearisome comentary that John McCain's only hope is if the Dems implode under the weight of the press coverage.

Look at today's commentary on RCP for a clue about how this is going to unfold:

9 Headline articles about Obama/Clinton/FLA/MI. One about John McC.

And to find out about John's trip to Irag you have to look at the sidebar!!!

Even when NOTHING is happening in the Dem race John McCain is irrelevant what makes you think anything is going to change when the general election is going on?

mike volpe said...

It isn't a bad thing to have a long primary process. It depends on what the issues are. If they were debating health care, taxes, Iraq, etc. I would agree that this would ultimately be a good thing for everyone in the Democratic party, however they can't debate those issues because they are the same for both candidates. If they are going debate race, gender and lack of experience for the next four months that is a problem.

It is true that most of the headlines are about Obama and Clinton however what are those headlines. Most of them have to do with Pastor Wright, and some have to do with the bitter fight they are having. If they are tearing each other up personally for the next four months, those aren't the headlines they want.