Mother Jones - Comments for "Obama's Game Plan"

Obama is also going for a big mandate geographically. In concert with Howard Deans 50-state strategy, Obama is spending and campaigning in states that we thought of as deep red. He might win Indiana, for god's sake!

oops. I'm "anonymous" from the line above.

He is, at least potentially, the most dangerous politician they've ever faced.

We'd better make sure he doesn't fly anywhere with Paul Wellstone.

Kevin - I think the attack on Kerry was a little bit more nuanced. It wasn't that Bush just attacked Kerry's character. It was that he sold the idea that Kerry is a flip-flopper and thus his POLICIES are irrelevant because you can't trust what he says. The Bush meme was that the american public had a choice between a jovial redneck who would at least do what he said and a Massachuesetts liberal who would change his policies as the political winds blew.

Given the choice, the country *barely* voted to stay the course with the guy who they could trust in - even if they didn't agree with everything that he stood for.

McCain *doesn't* have that edge which is why Obama is so much more dangerous. Not only was his speech last night truly awesome, he was believable - he came across as trustworthy. And with the 2008 McCain not even resembling the 2006 McCain, I have a feeling Obama is going to win a landslide.

"This is why conservatives have so far been apoplectic about his speech tonight: if he continues down this road, and wins, they know that he'll leave movement conservatism in tatters. He is, at least potentially, the most dangerous politician they've ever faced."

I remember feeling that way in 1992. But the conservatives found Clinton's two Achilles' heels:
1) his sex life
2) the media
( the media establishment did not take to an Arkansas hick was was so clearly smarter than they were and the upper echelons contained a lot of people who's taxes got raised)

Obama does not appear to have either of these problems, but Billy Ayers and Jeremiah Wright are not dead issues yet.

We've now had 8 years of unchecked Dubya and lousy governance, so let's hope 2008 is different.

I thought it was not the best he can do--and not as thrilling as Hillary's speech. More like Michael Jordan on a slightly off-night but still good enough to dominate.

It was a difficult job that he had, and I think he accomplished it. He had to cover a lot of ground, and was not always very compelling in doing so.

I particularly liked the way he took on John McCain. Obama showed some steel tonight, showed he could throw a punch.

I also liked the brief portion on social issues, the suggestion that some common ground could be found in an area that has been a playground for divisiveness.

I feel I know Obama better now, better than I did after reading "Dreams From My Father". I think he really is a calm, contained, rational person who looks to find solutions and defuse conflict, but who can be a tough fighter when necessary.

I believe he will grow in office, and hope he gets the chance to.

We'll see if this works. But remember that Bush and Kerry were pretty similar. Both in the war, but with questions raised on both sides (legit or not, the dueling war record narrative deflated the effectiveness for either). Both from patrician lifestyles. Generally pretty dull guys.

This year, you really can't attack McCain personally. You can attack the flip flops, but you can't really argue that he hasn't honorably served the country. Compare that to Obama, the young, but relatively inexperienced black dude with the funny name. If we run on personalities, we lose.

What Rational said!

I didn't think Obama's speech was as moving as it could have been, but he is doing what needs to be done. Linking McCain to the last 20 years of failed conservative policies.

TangoMan--in addition to the other comments here, I think that conservative/liberal self-identification stuff is far more a matter of brand identity than much else. And brand sympathy/loyalty can change remarkably fast. As of last night Obama did a huge amount to resurrect the "liberal" brand, or whatever term people use for it in their own heads. And given what a very very thin thread the "conservative" brand is hanging by right now (or again, whatever term people use for it in their own heads), I think the Old vs New, Past v Future thematics, along with a guy who seems strong and confident in confronting the Old Guy who's the right's standard bearer (bad bad choice, brand wise, in much the same way Kerry was for us last go-round), I wouldn't rest too easy on those self-id studies.

"warmed over Marxism"

LOL!

You mean like the interstate highway system? the internet? the CDC? The Veterans Administration?

Why does TangoMan hate America?

For one thing, W himself did not attack Kerry's character--his surrogates did. I was surprised that Obama was aggressive as he was, and I thought Biden was going to be more aggressive.

For another thing, painting his opponent as honorable but out of touch worked quite well for Bill Clinton twice.

Obama spoke of "judgement and temperment", which to my mind is getting at the heart of the problem with McCain. And it is hinting at defects in John McCain's character which render him an unacceptable risk.

Tonight Obama made a start on a campaign that's ... a sustained assault on modern conservatism and a sustained defense of modern liberalism.

Posted by Kevin Drum

I don't even know what that means. Modern conservatism and liberalism are mental constructs -- with varying definitions -- that mean nothing to voters.

If McCain attacks Obama personally -- and he has already begun -- and Obama responds by attacking "modern conservatism" or touting "modern liberalism", he loses. If he responds by attacking McCain's "policies" -- which the MSM will claim are virtually the same as his own -- he loses.

This will come down once again to character, likability, and trust or judgment. If Obama can't attack McCain's "character" -- war hero and all -- he will have to undermine his likability, trust, and judgment with voters.

He has begun to do that by pointing out that McCain has been wrong on everything that Americans find important.

Here is a preemptive strike.

There is a good chance the stock market will close in the Red on Friday. Of course you will hear the likes of Kudlow blaming the decline on Obama's speech.

That is fantasy. Reality, of course, is that Dell disappointed big time on Thu after market close and as a result major index futures slumped enough afterhours to erase most of Thu's gains. That happened well before Obama's speech.

Be prepared for the mindless "people don't like Obama's speech so they sold their stocks" argument. To be fair, if the markets end up on a positive note, I wouldn't attribute that to Obama's speech. The markets are marching to their own tune and nothing that has happened in Denver this week was a surprise worth playing.

All ideologies look good on paper. Even communism works well, theoretically.

You don't judge an ideology on the strength of its theoretical promise. You judge it based on its practice. Look at the last eight years to see conservative ideologies in practice. It is all about incompetence, greed, dirty politics, and avoiding personal responsibility. That's conservatism in practice and most conservatives cheered the conservative ideology and ideologues all the way.

Mother Jones - Comments for "Obama&#039;s Game Plan"

Mother Jones - Comments for "Obama's Game Plan"