Ouch
- 04.17.2008 - 6:23 AMSometimes a candidate has an off debate night. Sometimes he leaves his best lines out on the stump. But a performance as bad as Barack Obama’s, this late in the campaign before a critical primary is unusual. And don’t take our word for it: Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch and ouch. The most devoted Obamaphile sums it up:
It was a lifeless, exhausted, drained and dreary Obama we saw tonight. I’ve seen it before when he is tired, but this was his worst performance yet on national television. He seemed crushed and unable to react. This is big-time politics and he’s up against the Clinton wood-chipper. But there is no disguising the fact that he wilted, painfully. . . .Obama has to survive and even thrive under this assault if he is to win. He failed tonight in a big way. And so this was indeed a huge night for the Republicans, and the first real indicator to me that Clinton is gaining in her fundamental goal at this point: the election of John McCain against Barack Obama. How else will she rescue the Democrats from hope?
And the post-debate fact-checking on guns and Bill Ayers is not helping matters. In short, the media may now be off Snobgate, but they will spend the next few days on “What The Heck Went Wrong?” analysis.
With all the geshrying over how hard the questions were, one wonders what the Obama supporters and media fan club think a general election would look like. Did they really believe that Bill Ayers would not come up? Did they think no 527 ads would mention the flag pin? Was the media not going to ever mention Reverend Wright again?
This only seems to confirm Hillary Clinton’s argument that Obama is unprepared to take the scrutiny which will come with the nomination. The more they holler “Foul!” the more Clinton will say “Told ‘ya so.”
Her audience, don’t forget, is not just Pennsylvania voters but lots of superdelegates who watch the debate and read the coverage. Harold Ickes, Clinton’s superdelegate persuader-in-chief, now will have something new to talk to them about.
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April 17th, 2008 at 7:21 AM
Beyond Pennsylvania and the superdelegates, this debate is a good game film for the McCain camp. Every answer Obama gave, even the ones considered to be acceptable, goes into the files for possible later use. He’s already muddying his position on Jeremiah Wright and guns. Next it might be a “clarification” on Bill Ayers.
It also bursts the balloon that Obama is a great debater. He’s effective only as long as no one goes after him. He’s also slow to recognize his mistakes and correct them, since he doesn’t see them as weaknesses on his part.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:09 AM
In a speech to Jewish community leaders in Philadelphia this week, Obama said, “I’m a pretty darn good politician. And I can give a pretty good speech and I can connect and inspire the American people in ways that I think will become apparent. I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t pretty good at mixing it up.”
That’s a fair comment to make, but he certainly did not follow through last night.
The super delegates are taking notes.
April 17th, 2008 at 10:07 AM
Of course the explanation is that the campaign has taken its toll on poor Obama, not that he has not defense to his weasly handling and checkered background.
No, Obama wasn’t exposed, he is still the messiah, unfortunately for the flock, the new christ just had to spend a little time on the cross last night due to Pointius Clinton, judas stephanapolis and the despicable Charlie Gibson.
There must have been some other explanation other than for the first time in his life, Obama actually had to answer questions for which he has never given satisfactory answers.
Of course, we can expect the next great Obama speech calling for a national dialog on religion, which he will promptly refuse to engage in.
Cheer up Barack, it was just over 2008 years ago that another messiah had a bad week, and now he is followed by billions.
April 17th, 2008 at 10:13 AM
If Obama can’t handle a debate, how is he going to handle a press conference with a hostile press corps? How is he going to handle himself in hardball negotiations with Congress, or with a foreign dictator? As Josh Lyman noted in The West Wing, getting elected is the easy part.
Obama is not ready for national politics. Worse, he doesn’t even realize that he’s not ready. He’s spent his career avoiding this. “How did this happen?” is a question the Democrats will have to address after the campaign, but the big question for now is what they’re going to do about the nomination.
April 17th, 2008 at 10:28 AM
Diane,
That’s the biggest question for the Democratic Party. How did they let an amateur, never seriously challenged in electoral politics before, and a man with no resume to speak of at the national or state level, become their leading candidate for the Presidency? The party bench is so weak that the only people willing to take this media creation on were the Bonnie and Clyde of the Democratic Party - the Clintons.
There are some sane, accomplished centrist Democrats left in the party (Lieberman walked out in disgust) who have supported Hillary, no doubt because they view the behavior of the party elites as yet another example of lemmings throwing themselves off the cliff. If McCain wins look for the Rendels, the Feinsteins, moderate blacks like Stephanie Tubbs and Andrew Young and others to hold these people to account. Isn’t it about time that somebody push Teddy Kennedy onto his 401K plan and just retire the destructive Kennedy’s altogether from party life. More of the Obama smoke and mirrors campaign is the result of Kennedy’s machination than people realize, just as Kerry’s campaign was, with the same result likely.
April 17th, 2008 at 10:28 AM
Diane is right. Barry O has spent 45 years skating through life without anything being too difficult. Now when things look tough, he and the Obamaniacs throw tantrums.
This pleases me greatly.
April 17th, 2008 at 10:51 AM
As a viewer I was lifeless, exhausted, drained and dreary too. I understand that the game must be played but when ABC had a chance to get the candidates to illuminate their positions and ideas, ABC punted.
April 17th, 2008 at 11:18 AM
Last nite’s debate was a disaster for Obama, he needed to change the script, instead he showed his weakness as the general election candidate. Seriously, if Barack is WHITE with 3 yrs of senatorial record, connections with Wright and Ayers, questionable real estate deal, would he even get thru the first round of dems primary?? How did the dems get to this? Hillary can’t win the nomination with the pledged delegates, the Supers can change that but imagine the response from the Obamaphiles…they will scream this country is racist, the dem party establishment is racist, they stole the nomination from Obama..on and on..so I don’t think Hillary has a chance here…and if this is the case then the dems are stuck with a weak candidate for the general election.
April 17th, 2008 at 11:44 AM
“Hillary can’t win the nomination with the pledged delegates, the Supers can change that but imagine the response from the Obamaphiles…they will scream this country is racist, the dem party establishment is racist, they stole the nomination from Obama..on and on..so I don’t think Hillary has a chance here…and if this is the case then the dems are stuck with a weak candidate for the general election.”
Ooooooohooohooohoohh! Eh-x-cellent!
April 17th, 2008 at 12:27 PM
With all the geshrying over how hard the questions were, one wonders what the Obama supporters and media fan club think a general election would look like. Did they really believe that Bill Ayers would not come up? Did they think no 527 ads would mention the flag pin? Was the media not going to ever mention Reverend Wright again?
Yes. That’s what inexperience and “not ready” means. Running for and being president is not the same as activism in Chicago.
“I’m a pretty darn good politician. And I can give a pretty good speech and I can connect and inspire the American people in ways that I think will become apparent. I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t pretty good at mixing it up.”
Evidence that his concept of the presidency is talking, making speeches. Which is validated by the fact that he has done nothing up to date except talk (about hope and change),including in the senate.
oao
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