Once You Take Away Barack Obama’s Likeability… What’s Left?

[Wretched Excess]

also known as, "why it may seem like a good idea to run a nearly completely unknown candidate in the primaries, but not so much in the general".

from NRO's Campaign Spot.

Once You Take Away Barack Obama’s Likeability… What’s Left?

I’m sure some Democrat is going to interpret this as reverse psychology, or that I’m simply issuing misinformation from Dark Master Rove, etc.

So they’ll probably ignore this warning. But if I were a Democrat in Texas or Ohio (or Pennsylvania… or Vermont or Rhode Island, for that matter), I’d be a little hesitant before I drove a stake into the heart of the Hillary Clinton campaign in the coming weeks.

Barack Obama entered national politics with what was widely regarded as a dazzling speech at the Democratic convention in Boston. His expected opponent, Jack Ryan, imploded when his private divorce records were ordered released to the press. Alan Keyes barely amounted to a speedbump. Once elected, he was immediately featured on magazine covers, with Newsweek declaring that in a country of red states and blue states, he was "uniquely qualified to nudge the country toward the color purple."

Barack Obama is doing fantastic in the head-to-head matchups with McCain (or previously, any other Republican) because the average voter has probably heard little or nothing negative about him. Ironically, some of the most widely-trafficked criticisms are nonsense – that he’s secretly a Muslim, or was sworn in on a Koran. So far, there’s nothing to back up speculation from a Hillary surrogate that he dealt drugs in addition to using them.

 

Democrats may believe that because Obama is besting Hillary, he can withstand anything McCain will throw at him. But a lot of lines of attack that are available for John McCain that just wouldn’t work for Hillary Clinton. For starters, she’s tried to go after him on experience, but she’s got all of four more years in the Senate than he does, and is left arguing that as First Lady, she was responsible for all the good parts of her husband’s White House and none of the bad ones.

John McCain can point out that Barack Obama opposed "letting people use a self-defense argument if charged with violating local handgun bans by using weapons in their homes. The bill was a reaction to a Chicago-area man who, after shooting an intruder, was charged with a handgun violation." Hillary Clinton can’t.

John McCain can point out that Barack Obama sought to ban the sale of firearms at gun shows except for "antique" weapons. Hillary Clinton can’t.

John McCain can point out that Obama wanted to make it a felony if your gun is stolen from your residence and used in a crime, if the government determines you did not “securely store” the weapon. Hillary Clinton can’t.

John McCain can point out how Obama opposes a ban on partial birth abortion ban, and who voted against a bill that would require medical care for aborted fetuses who survive. Hillary Clinton can’t.

John McCain can point out how Obama was the only state senator to oppose a law that prohibited early prison release for sex offenders. For some reason, Hillary Clinton hasn’t.

John McCain can point out that Barack Obama has been rated the most liberal lawmaker in the U.S. Senate by National Journal. Hillary Clinton can’t.

In other words, the only information most Americans have encountered regarding Obama so far has been gushing press coverage, and ineffective attacks on him from Hillary from the left. Conservatives have not, by and large, focused their ire on Obama… mostly because he ain’t her.

But Obama has also been helped by a Aegean shield of charisma, by the gut-level connection that he, and his wife, just seem like likeable people. A lot of conservatives and Republicans, myself included, looked at them and thought that, policy differences aside, they seem like decent folk.

But in the past few weeks, we’re seeing a different side to the nice guy. We’re seeing crowds chant, ‘we are the ones we have been waiting for.’ We’ve seen speeches with the word ‘hope’ repeated with such frequency, it appears to be used as a comma. We’re seeing Che appear on the walls of his volunteers’ offices. And finally, Michelle Obama asserted she had no reason to be proud of her country for roughly the last 25 years.

A comment like that, and one has to wonder how many Americans might do a double take and say, “hmm. Maybe these two aren’t as likeable as we thought.”

Once you take away Barack Obama’s likeability… what’s left?

So, Democrats… are you sure you want to place that bet?

Link

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

Well...

Joe Biden says unlike so many before Obama, he's clean.

[Full-Auto]

Substance or not, Obama will be a bitch for McCain to beat.  I would rather have Billary running against McCain.

[Rebel]

Electrolytes.

[djones520]

Electrolytes.

It's what you need.

[Red October]

Once You Take Away Barack Obama’s Likeability… What’s Left?

A communist? 

[Chris_]

[Chris_]

Once You Take Away Barack Obama’s Likeability… What’s Left?

A communist? 

He doesn't know enough to be a communist.  He is speaking communist dogma, but that is just an accident, sort of like an infinite number of monkeys on typewriters writing Shakespear.

[Wretched Excess]

Electrolytes.

it's what plants crave.

[Wretched Excess]

anyone else see chris matthews strip the bark off that poor texas state representative who is supporting The BarackStar! last night?  he insisted that he "name obama's legislative accomplishments" over and over.  the poor guy finally had to admit that he couldn't, but insisted that legislative accomplishments were irrelevant.

I am sure that The BarackStar!'s campaign is faxing out his legislative record to all of his supporters this morning.

[Chris_]

I am sure that The BarackStar!'s campaign is faxing out his legislative record to all of his supporters this morning.

Too bad it is a "one sentence" fax.....

doc

[formerlurker]

Nothing, which is why the DNC should have groomed him 4 more years before allowing him to run.

Yawn.  It's almost as if Hillary has lost her mud shampoo touch.  She has nothing and is going to lose.

I really expected a better show than this.  Very disappointing.

[Wretched Excess]

the actual transcript from chris matthews' grilling an obama supporter last night on his legislative accomplishments;  I mentioned this earlier in this thread.

    MSNBC's Chris Matthews: "You are a big Barack supporter, right, Senator?"

    State Sen. Watson: "I am. Yes, I am."

    Matthews: "Well, name some of his legislative accomplishments. No, Senator, I want you to name some of Barack Obama's legislative accomplishments tonight if you can."

    State Sen. Watson: "Well, you know, what I will talk about is more about what he is offering the American people right now."

    Matthews: "No. No. What has he accomplished, sir? You say you support him. Sir, you have to give me his accomplishments. You've supported him for president. You are on national television. Name his legislative accomplishments, Barack Obama, sir."

    State Sen. Watson: "Well, I'm not going to be able to name you specific items of legislative accomplishments."

    Matthews: "Can you name any? Can you name anything he's accomplished as a Congressman?"

    State Sen. Watson: "No, I'm not going to be able to do that tonight."

    Matthews: "Well, that is a problem isn't it?"

    (MSNBC's "MSNBC Live," 2/19/08)

[Atomic Lib Smasher]

Nothing, which is why the DNC should have groomed him 4 more years before allowing him to run.

Yawn.  It's almost as if Hillary has lost her mud shampoo touch.  She has nothing and is going to lose.

I really expected a better show than this.  Very disappointing.

The average American voter hates Hillary. Not for her voting record, her scandals, or anything of that nature. She comes off like a bitch (which is true), and in their eyes, Obama is a nice guy and he "talks purty", nevermind that it's empty rhetoric and platitudes that make those of us who pay attention to politics and know what's going on say "WTF?"

[NHSparky]

Nothing, which is why the DNC should have groomed him 4 more years before allowing him to run.

Yawn.  It's almost as if Hillary has lost her mud shampoo touch.  She has nothing and is going to lose.

I really expected a better show than this.  Very disappointing.

It's pretty sad when you have less than Obama and everyone knows it.

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

It makes a bunny wonder:

People are so enamored with his promises, how do they know if he'll can/will keep them?