Barack Obama's political skills sorely lacking lately

[Tropics_Dude83]

It's disappointing to me that they are constantly having to put out fires such as:
1: Austin Goolsbee's "We won't do anything with Nafta, we're just trying to get votes" comment (WTF?-Who says that)
2. Michelle Obama's "For the first time in my life, I'm really proud to be an American" comment. Not good to make voters suspectible to right wing smears think you're not patriotic.
3. Not understanding the imperative of quitting Trinity before announcing his candidacy for the presidency. What was he thinking? Did he have no idea Reverend Wright could explode as it did?
4. Using the same words as Governor Duval Patrick in a speech at the Wisconsin JJ dinner. When you campaign on the importance of words and your oratory, it's just politically stupid.
5. Saying something that enables the right wing media to say that you have "slammed small town America" as CNN just spent an hour doing is just not all that smart.
6. Not condemming Louis Farakhan in the harshest possible unequivocal way immediately at the Ohio NBC debate.

Every other day, it's a new scandal. Every day, it's all of his or his campaign's own making. It's tough to be optimstic. Why is he constantly giving his opponents ammuntion? Why does he have to CONSTANTLY stress this supporter of his out.

It's incredibly frustrating!

[TwilightGardener]

1. You're a strange breed of supporter. Perhaps you ought to pack it in

and support someone else.

[Tropics_Dude83]

4. No I expect a campaign to be run with tact and skill!

Not lurching from new catastrophe to new catstrophe every couple of weeks.

[Adelante]

7. Get a different candidate, already nt

[cali]

11. well, genius

in case you weren't aware of it, Obama's run a top notch campaign. that's why he's ahead. duh.

[niceypoo]

70. Obama does it the way Bush did it in 2000 and 2004

Hover 'above the fray' while your supporters smear your rivals, in your name, with your tacit approval.

"Rove developed a template for smearing opponents. The goal was to have his candidates hover above the fray while urging their opponents to concentrate on issues, thereby constantly putting them in a position of having to play defense and deny unfounded accusations. Eventually, the Rove client, according to the script, would step out to demand an end to the ugliness. Of course, Rove wrote the narrative of these plans in such a way that calling for a truce would not occur until the damage had already been done to his opposition."

http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2004/08/28/moore_rove_swift_boat/">Smear artist

Uhuh, real 'top notch.'

There are three republicans running in this campaign, pick your poison...

[movonne]

15. And tell me what hillary has done right...

[TwilightGardener]

18. I don't see where he lacks tact and skill. Sorry if he doesn't constantly

play to the flag-wavin' Toby Keith and NASCAR gun-nut religious-right crowd for you. I'm tired of the lowest common denominator choosing our national direction.

[Tropics_Dude83]

22. I'm tired of the latest Obama misstep being "breaking news" on Countdown, etc.

I went into this campaign not supporting Hillary because I thought she'd be a GE disaster.

Now, I'm not so sure.

[TwilightGardener]

31. So...someone makes up an absurd story and lies about it, and that's somehow more

acceptable to you than someone who honestly sympathizes with the plight of the economically-downtrodden and understands why they are suspicious and skeptical? OK, then. Go with the proven liar. See ya.

[FrenchieCat]

67. You are bordering weak.....

I say you go with the candidate who speaks the kind of truth you feel is "acceptable" and who will make you feel that all is just dandy.

Here they are! NAFTA, CHINESE TRADE DEAL, DEATH SQUAD Supporting "safe" folks to vote for. Feel better now? :shrug:

[ruggerson]

23. Absolutely right. Hell, sophisticated arguments about middle America worked for Adlai and Dukakis.

[TwilightGardener]

39. "Sophisticated"? Is that an insult now, is it? Obama does pretty well with crowds, and

has more money, more donors, more voters, and more delegates--maybe "sophisticated" plays better than "condescending pandering bullshit". Seems to be, so far.

[blm]

27. McCain and Clinton are doing the same - they're TIRED and it happens to even the most skilled

politicos.

[JoFerret]

50. Dude - he is not (yet)

up to the job.

[ruggerson]

Zere vill be no qvestioning of ze party line or you vill be SCHOT!

[woolldog]

20. lol

how utterly insensitive to Germans though. As someone who is 1/16th German, I'm offended.

[dchill]

48. Technically, you only have a right to be...

1/16th offended.

[TwilightGardener]

26. Actually, no one's more dogged at defending the appalling and absurd than Clinton supporters--

Obama people (such as myself) often try to analyze things from an honest standpoint. I can't believe that anyone better informed than Hillary's "low-information" base still can BE a Clinton supporter, at this juncture. You guys are like Bush's 30 Percenters.

[ruggerson]

33. Uh. Non sequiter much?

I was commenting on the remarkable Gestapo-like insistence on conformity and political purity.

[TwilightGardener]

37. And I'm just commenting on the fact that Hillary supporters almost never

make posts insulting Hillary the way this "supporter" is trashing Obama's entire campaign. I'm tipping my hat to YOUR (collective) Gestapo-like insistence on toeing the Hillary line, no matter what outrageously stupid or blatantly dishonest or downright insulting crap comes out of Hillary and Bill's mouths.

[ruggerson]

43. Ah but ma petite cherie

I've made posts criticizing Hillary and complimenting/defending Obama.

Matter of fact, if my tired old brain is not mistkan, the last time you wrote something along these lines I produced an OP I wrote hours earlier defending Obama on Rezko.

You gave me a perfunctory "well, nice to see this happens occasionally" and then moved on.

And, evidently, kept repeating the canard.

[TwilightGardener]

53. C'mon, a girl can't generalize a little on a Friday night? I'm feelin' lazy.

And besides, it's not a "canard" if it's 98 percent true--except for you and that other occasionally reasonable Clinton person I'm forgetting right now.

[ruggerson]

56. Chelsea?

:P

[TwilightGardener]

57. LOL! Well, no--I wasn't thinking of her, but you sure want to place yourself

in some rare company, don't you? :-)

[blonndee]

10. Do a little search. This is typical.

[ruggerson]

14. So he's a little weak kneed

[woolldog]

28. I like to call him Chicken_Little83

instead of Tropics_Dude83.

[Tropics_Dude83]

30. Again, is it too much to ask that when you have a 10 point national lead and are closing in PA

That you DON'T do something to jeporadize it?

[woolldog]

36. I agree it was a dumb comment, and it's frustrating.

But running for President isn't easy! Just relax and take your mind off of things. It's friday. If you need a little help.....

[blonndee]

34. Hee. I'm so concerned that the sky is falling on the Obama campaign!

It bothers me immensely!!1!1

[elocs]

2. Lately? Some of your examples while they may be valid are hardly "lately". n/t

[Tropics_Dude83]

5. Since S.T., his skills have taken a dive n/t

[AllentownJake]

3. Were you alive

From 1992-2000?

Just curious?

[Tropics_Dude83]

12. Oh CNN has a banner "Obama slams small town America" for an hour and....

I'm just supposed to happily think that nothing is wrong?

I'm ticked off.

And as far as 1992-2000, yes I was alive and Clinton masterfully handled each and every right wing smear.

[AllentownJake]

16. So

This has been on for what 4 hours and your getting all pissy?

How long did the Monica thing go on?

[JoFerret]

58. And your actual point is?

Look Obama stuck his foot in his mouth. Came across as a posing patronising political rookie totally out of touch.

he may be none of those things but that is how he came across.

He misstepped. not the end of the world. He is still a saint and a savior and etc.

[KittyWampus]

17. Oh well, Bill Clinton says black people are car thieves and YOU worry about some reasonable comment

[woolldog]

40. She said that?!

I think, with that comment, she may very well have lost the four black voters in PA who were supporting her.

[bellasgrams]

46. What in the world have you been drinking besides Kool ade?

Black people are car thieves?????? What's wrong with you

[stillcool]

24. switch to Fox...

but what ever you do, don't read anything on the internet. I hear Glen Beck is where it's at!

[blonndee]

38. He "masterfully handled it" by lying, just like Hillary "masterfully handled" her own lies.

I wonder if the results will be similiar, too.

[woolldog]

41. Yeah, he "masterfully handled it". That why....

he was impeached.

[MadBadger]

44. What show on CNN had this headline?

[SoonerPride]

6. Weak.

If that's all you've got, you are weak.

[blonndee]

8. Off-topic: You like roller coasters and horror movies, don't you?

[ruggerson]

9. Seriously

every campaign makes mistakes. You can't point to a flawlessly executed campaign. The winners all made mistakes too.

[MadBadger]

13. Not Condemming Farakhan? WTF is wrong with you?

[Tropics_Dude83]

19. Read the transcript!!

He said "well, we can't prevent people from supporting us at first and "Minister Farakahan"...

"Minister" Farakhan??? He should have said "I unequivocally reject the suport of Farakhan. His views are repugnant."

No use of the word "minister"

Instead of coming around to saying he rejects and condemns it after Hillary attacks him for it.

What is wrong with not wanting to have to experience a crisis every other day??

Hillary has had snipergate and driver's licence gate and Jacksongate since the fall. Those are her biggest scandals.

Obama has had 6 in 8 weeks.

[thevoiceofreason]

25. You read the transcript - I think you are a concern supporter

Go away

[rgbecker]

29. Are you suggesting the electric chair, shooting squad, gas chamber or

the noose? Or maybe just life in prison. For what, pray tell?

[stillcool]

21. Jump off the train dude..

you're dead weight. We all know he's black but thanks a lot!

[Straight Shooter]

32. It gives him the chance to make pithy rebuttals to himself. He's his own devil's advocate.

It's another episode of What Obama Really Meant. How many threads have we had on DU where everyone argues about what he really meant, and even if he meant it, it's the truth anyway and too bad if people are offended.

Well, it is too bad, apparently, because he's out there correcting his statement, sort of, and getting in digs at McCain and Hillary while he's at it. "You think I'm bad? Look at them, they're much worse!"

He says what he thinks when he veers off script.

[blonndee]

35. At least he doesn't have to lie about lying. I guess that's a good thing.

[Tellurian]

42. "Obama's the political equivalent of junk food."

[SoonerPride]

45. Hillary is a bald faced liar. Obama is not.

Next.

[Straight Shooter]

55. Spoken as a true believer.

Next!

:hi:

[stillcool]

59. No one has to infer what he 'really' meant..

if people bothered to read what he 'really' said. Novel idea, no? And so easy.

But the truth is, is that, our challenge is to get people persuaded that we can make progress when there's not evidence of that in their daily lives. You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.

Um, now these are in some communities, you know. I think what you'll find is, is that people of every background -- there are gonna be a mix of people, you can go in the toughest neighborhoods, you know working-class lunch-pail folks, you'll find Obama enthusiasts. And you can go into places where you think I'd be very strong and people will just be skeptical. The important thing is that you show up and you're doing what you're doing.

[Straight Shooter]

63. Well, that explains the endless discussion, then.

Thanks for the clarification. Apparently no one reads.

Bitter. What a nice label to stick on people, eh.

[stillcool]

64. or how about that...

"FRUSTRATED" one? That's just despicable.

[Faygo Kid]

47. Your "disappointment" and "frustration" are duly noted. Don't you have a pot or pan to beat?

[GoldieAZ49]

49. He is tired, he has been practicing the 3 am phone calls

He just can't get the hang of the average America

[blonndee]

54. And Hillary fails to answer the phone while her family banks millions.

But she's in touch with "average America," all right.

[Gore1FL]

51. And he s still ahead of Hillary...

That really says a lot about her campaign, huh?

[karynnj]

52. If his political skills are that bad, it means one of these are true:

- he is so phenomenally good as a person, statesman, and politician that the sheer goodness compenstes for it

OR

- Bill and Hillary Clinton, Edwards, Richardson, Biden and Dodd are even less politically skilled.

As to every day it's a new scandal - this has been a week of Clinton scandals.

The truth is that 2000 and even more so 2004 were the first 24 hour news AND internet campaigns where EVERYTHING said 16 hours a day is public, taped and ready for You tube. From this primary, what I can say is that people here owe John Kerry an apology - How many crisis
did he have during the primaries. He fought off the SBVT twice and the intern allegation - both very smoothly without losing a beat. Yet people here said he couldn't fight back like the Clintons. Obama has the advantage of seeing the dynamics of these things that played out in 2004 and he has done a great job in responding and getting his message out.

[celophan012]

60. Goolsbee's NAFTA comments were specially alarming

dishonesty is not a desirable trait in a campaign.

[stillcool]

61. post em if you got em...

dishonesty is not a desirable trait in any human being. Any sniper attacks lately?

[K Gardner]

62. I hope you'll have better luck supporting the OTHER candidate. Obama is definitely not for you.

Don't worry about us, we'll be fine.

And after his inauguration, you can come back and tell us what a piss poor campaign he ran.

godalmighty.

[anonymous171]

65. He's succeeded in turning this latest "gaffe" around on Clinton.

[dailykoff]

66. This is satire right?

Or yet another stealth Hillary pitch?

[otohara]

68. Lately - Those Are OLD, OLD, OLD

try again, this time with some current scandals.

[eek MD]

69. I don't want a president who's a politician...

I want a president that's willing to level with his constituents... Even if that means using some "tough talk"....and saying things that don't please everyone.....

Am I alone in this? :)