Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Doomed from the start

Maggie's Farm has "Why Obama cannot win the election": "The point is that Obama is not a man - he's a boy. He's an Icarus who bought his own hype."

George Will has been making the rounds and taking note that in 1980 Ronald Reagan needed to present himself as an "acceptable alternative" to Jimmy Carter. According to Will, the turning point was the final Presidential debate only a week before the election when Carter's small lead in the polls vanished. It's hard to believe that Reagan - governor of the largest state in the Union - needed to pass some minimum threshold for executive office.

Well, Obama is no Reagan. To quote George Will once again, he has the thinnest resume of any major party nominee since Wendell Willkie, and a long line of non-achievements. Of course I'm biased, but I doubt Obama can convince America he's ready for the Oval Office. After three more months of airy "this is your moment" platitudes, dive-to-the-middle policy shifts and empty rhetoric, Obama's act isn't going to play in Peoria anymore.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can't begin to tell you how much we're enjoying this resurgent optimism.

"The audacity of hope." Embrace it. Own it.

Eric said...

Yeah, it's fun! Especially since Gore and Kerry both had (small) leads in the summer that vanished by election time.

Obama better hope this comes down to a slam poetry deathmatch.

Eric said...

Is it Labor Day yet?

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/09/14/tracking.poll/index.html

Anonymous said...

Fun, fun, fun! Remember when Gore and Kerry had $100 million money advantages? And when their dynamic speaking styles drew unprecedented crowds? Even though they were bent under the legacy of a historically unpopular incumbent? Coming off the Republicans scoring a 100% midterm election wipeout? Followed by further Democratic losses in deep blue districts? And when the fastest-growing voter bloc was voting red, red, red? And when the GOP had taken a big edge in voter registration, because the Democratic brand was poison?

Gasp! The parallels are downright EERIE!

Anonymous said...

Get real. Wilkie had tons more experience than Obama.

Anonymous said...

It's such a shame that Barack Obama isn't an "experienced executive" the way any Governor of Texas is, with all the proclamation-issuing power that mighty office holds.

Ah, if only Obama could have declared a statewide "Jesus Day." THEN he'd have the right stuff to lead the free world.

Anonymous said...

"You can't put your faith in polls... unless McCain is winning one! Those polls ROCK!"