Ali Vs. Foreman: The Rope-A-Dope That Obama Just Pulled On Hillary Was Brilliant

[malik flavors]

What Obama just did to Hillary was truly masterful. Let's break it down:

- Obama makes inartful statement that gets distorted in the media

- Hillary immediately pounces on this (hits him with a right hook), thinking it's is her opening

- Obama stays cool (plays defense)and just explains what he really meant

- Hillary sees another opening and calls him an elitist (hits him with the left)

- Obama remains cool (keeps his gloves up, deflecting her shots), and continues to explain himself

- Hillary (still swinging, but beginning to tire herself out)calls Obama condescending and out of touch

- Obama (continuing to play wounded, noticing she tiring)states that he regrets the way his words came across and apologizes if anyone was offended.

- Hillary (who is now gasping for air after throwing everything she had at Obama) goes out on the town, drinks boilermakers, eats pizza, takes shots, and champions guns to shape a new image.

- Obama sees she's wounded, she's over played her hand, she went too far, she's completely spent, he rises like a phoenix from the ashes, he says shame on her! (hits her with the right), he calls her Annie Oakley! (hits her with the left), says she acts like she's on the duck blind every Sunday! (uppercut), says she's packing a six-shooter! (body blow), he hits her on accepting PAC and lobbyist money (she's stumbling), he hits her on the bankrupcy bill (she's falling), He hits her on Nafta (she's on her way down), he hits her on the Columbian trade deal she says she's opposed to, but that her top strategist was trying to get passed!!!

She hits the pavement...

A classic rope-a-dope, Ali style.

The rumble in the jungle of Pennsylvania.

[MercutioATC]

1. Thanks, I was waiting for this

...from the other thread...

[malik flavors]

2. what other thread?

[MercutioATC]

8. I assumed it was you...until I checked. This is the second Ali/Foreman reference

I've seen today:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5487737&mesg_id=5487786

[malik flavors]

11. haha, cool. didn't see that thread, but I wish i had used that quote:

Rumble young man, rumble

[Joe the Revelator]

3. Very good play by play Cosell...

[psychopomp]

25. I love the banter between Mr. Cosell and Mr. Ali

The two of them could really get on!

Here is the K/O from the rumble!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00k1aFfzJqE&NR=1

[fortyfeetunder]

4. Glad to give this one a 5th R!

Good analysis.

[IndianaGreen]

5. K&R

Hillary did overplay her hand. Drinking beer and shots of whiskey to show she was "one of us."

Many of "us" don't drink alcohol, Hillary. (I am not one of the non-drinkers :-))

[anonymous171]

13. I agree. She overplayed it completely. I mean, the beer drinking and gun stories?

She's still a senator from NY. She isn't Bill, she can't do what he used to do. He had charisma.

[calimary]

26. She WHAT?????? Beer and shots of whisky?

What'd I miss? I've been kinda - well - under the weather all weekend. Just starting to come back up for air. WTF did she do now? Go out drinking with the boys? What'd she do - try to prove she's the person you wanna go have a beer with, so that means you also think she's presidential material? I mean, it's a sad day when THAT becomes the litmus test for the most powerful job on the planet. That you need to be able to go have a fucking beer with that person????!!??!?!!? GEEEZ...

Makes me rather proud that I'm NOT a beer drinker. What the frickin' HELL??!?!??!?!?!

Sorry to rage like this, must be the antihistamines or something. But it sure as hell ain't the beer!

[Voice for Peace]

35. Oooooh you've been missing a lot of fun here.. LOL

[calimary]

36. Well, as of this hour (near midnight - Tuesday am) I now know what all that was about.

Lord. Knockin' back a shot and a beer.

Fabulous.

The very idea makes me nauseous. And the calories!!!!!! OWWWW!!!! Rieslings and white zins are more my speed, and I can only take about a glass of that on occasion. But I guess that makes me as reviled as one of those dreaded liberal latte drinkers, 'eh?

[Lucky 13]

6. Barack is like Ali, quick and witty. Hillary is like Tyson, trying to bite her opponent's ear off

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, Barack!!

[DarienComp]

12. OMG, picturing Hillary biting Barack's ear off...

:spray:

[Catherina]

22. Totally

[Whisp]

32. lol. great pic and caption.

[Tatiana]

7. Brilliant summary of the current state of events! n/t

[Scurrilous]

9. K & R

:thumbsup:

[Bonobo]

10. You're a treasure, Malik.

Great post.

[WillyT]

14. Rumble Young Man, Rumble...

:bounce:

[bridgit]

15. Nice little dream you're having there. Is it in color? What's the color of the sky where you dream?

[malik flavors]

16. Lavender

[bridgit]

19. cool, i like lavender...

:bounce:

[bhikkhu]

17. She didn't just call Obama condescending and out of touch

She called Kerry, Gore and the entire party for the last decade or so condescending and out of touch!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x118120

The video clip of it is just jaw-dropping wrong....

[Cha]

18. hilary clinton is a disingenous

liar and has nothing so she has to hope she can come up with something that will knock Obama out..so far, she's only screwing herself deeper in the ground.

[Frank Booth]

20. Good analogy. People keep underestimating Obama's political skills.

He's very good at turning these potential stumbles to his advantage.

[TlalocW]

21. After the elections and after one of them serving as president

Will Obama sell roach spray, and will Hillary come out with her own grill?

Just continuing the metaphor... kinda.

TlalocW

[Stephanie]

23. so true!

you really made me laugh!

[malik flavors]

27. haha, thanks! : )

[IntravenousDemilo]

24. Muhammad Ali -- now, there's a REAL black Muslim...

...as far as I know...

[Bonobo]

28. THIS OP IS A BRILLIANT ANALYSIS. PLEASE READ.

[Cronus Protagonist]

29. ummm that's hardly an analysis

It's a work of fiction. Funny, amusing, yes, perhaps. Analysis? Hardly.

[Bonobo]

30. No, it is precisely an analysis.

[Cronus Protagonist]

33. Yeah, like a Saturday Night Live skit is an analysis

Analyses take into consideration all sides of an issue, they don't present one side only with clear and apparent bias. If that's good enough for you as an "analysis", I see you do not hold yourself to the same standards as I.

I suppose, to you and by a similar standard, for example, a minister telling his interpretation of a biblical passage is also an analysis, but to an objective person, clearly what he is providing, like the OP here, is a pointed and biased opinion piece, not an analysis.

[Whisp]

31. awesome post! k&r.

[Juan_de_la_Dem]

34. Obama bomaye!

[Awsi Dooger]

37. Rope-a-dope was a necessary strategy by a massive underdog

Ali was an old man in boxing terms, via years and punishment, aware he couldn't circle and sting Foreman. A 5/1 betting line underdog. He adopted the only method to potential victory, utilizing his awesome chin and ring smarts.

Obama is an 87/13 favorite right now, on Intrade.

That's why a cute comparison like this is ridiculous and desperate. Obama doesn't need anything out of the ordinary. Just the opposite. I saw a post in a thread I sampled tonight, asking for no more sports analogies. I love them and abuse them myself, but when I do it I make damn sure it's situationally apropos.

A more valid one in this case, within a boxing framework, would be Angelo Dundee's, "Your blowing it kid, you're blowing it...," to Sugar Ray Leonard, between rounds of the epic fight against Tommy Hearns in September 1981. Leonard had already arrogantly forfeited one fight via idiotic tactics, toe to toe against Roberto Duran in July 1980, and now was threatening to be too fearful of Hearns' superior reach and wingspan.

Obama's remarks have no bearing on the nomination. He's beaten Hillary. Pennsylvania doesn't matter in the long run. But the Obama loyalists on this board and elsewhere are joshing themselves if they don't understand the significance regarding November, a climate in which Obama has demographic weakness in vital states and is hardly a runaway favorite. You can't afford to be defined by your own words, particularly if your own words are supposedly your greatest asset.

I've hosted debate watching parties since the late '90s. I make an annoyance of myself, querying strangers on political preference/attitude in public places like Las Vegas casinos and golf courses and 7-11s, etc. In summer '04 I remember posting on DU and elsewhere the opinions I'd heard of John Kerry at road stops, while driving cross country and back.

You would be shocked what people latch onto and prioritize. It's hardly sophisticated and issue oriented. Stick a handful of easily remembered themes into the discourse and that's plenty. Plenty devastating, if it's negative. I saw the women flee from Gore in my living room in fall 2000, when he sighed throughout debate #1. One young woman called her mother in mid debate, literally screaming that she couldn't believe she had planned to vote for Gore. Yet you still have DUers, when the topic shows up, preferring to assert Gore won that debate, and the sighing was overstated. Unbelievable.

Frankly, you've got far too many posters on DU who thrill to guess, whether it's math-related or if/to what extent a subject will transfer to November. Based on the deflective themes like, "It's the truth," or, "no kidding our nominee will be attacked," or, "sheer brilliance from Obama," they are pathetically closeted and/or politically naive, more concerned about message board status than competence at handicapping public opinion. I severely doubt they've ever sampled anyone, other than known like-minded opinion.