Obama Heads to Election With Some Weaknesses

[question everything]

The Wall Street Journal

Obama Heads to Election With Some Weaknesses
Limping to Victory After Strong Start; Playing New Tune
By AMY CHOZICK
June 5, 2008

WASHINGTON -- Barack Obama has claimed the Democratic nomination, but he limped rather than sprinted to the end of the long primary season. Now his campaign must overcome the vulnerabilities and play on the strengths that have emerged during the past few months. The Illinois senator moves forward from the primaries after a string of losses, a rocky breakup with his longtime church, and an apparent weakness in attracting the white, working-class demographic seen as crucial to a Democratic victory in November.

Unlike Hillary Clinton, who based her campaign around winning key swing states, the Obama campaign focused on picking up delegates wherever they could. A string of wins in small states and caucus states helped Sen. Obama solidify a lead. But it also left him hobbling toward the finish line. After a winning streak of 11 in a row in February that helped to seal his nomination, Sen. Obama had a weak run. He lost nine of the last 14 primaries. Before Tuesday, Sen. Obama's infrequent victories translated into winning only 409 of the 867 pledged delegates available since Wisconsin voted on Feb. 19. Part of Sen. Obama's success has to do with how his campaign played the primary calendar better than the Clinton campaign. Some observers say that if Sen. Obama's 10-point Ohio loss had followed his defeats in West Virginia, Kentucky and Indiana, more Democratic superdelegates may have bought into the Clinton campaign's argument that their candidate is the most electable against Republican Sen. John McCain.

(snip)

A Quinnipiac University poll of likely voters released May 20 shows Sen. McCain defeating Sen. Obama in two of the three major swing states: Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. In Ohio, Sen. McCain has 44%, to 40% for Sen. Obama. In Florida, the Republican leads 45% to 41%, while in Pennsylvania, Sen. Obama leads 46% to 40%. During the past few weeks in his stump speeches, Sen. Obama, who was raised by a single mother and his grandparents, has told more stories about his humble upbringing.

(snip)


On Tuesday Sen. Obama dedicated his historic victory to his Kansas-born grandmother who helped to raise him and worked on a bomber-assembly plant while his grandfather fought in World War II. "Tonight is for her," he told the St. Paul, Minn., crowd of 35,000. But the increased emphasis on his biography could backfire in a general election. Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry based his 2004 presidential campaign largely on his military service. The strategy was widely seen to backfire when the swift-boat controversy emerged. A big part of Sen. Obama's success has rested on having a consistent message of hope and positive change that resonated with roughly 17.5 million Americans, many of them first-time voters. The challenge now is for Sen. Obama to stick with that message while he increases his partisan attacks on Sen. McCain.

(snip)


URL for this article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121262213641246799.html (subscription)

[Triana]

1. EVERY Presidential candidate heads into the GE with weaknesses...

...certainly McGrandpa has plenty, and bu$hit was a WALKING weakness. Pfft!

(bytheway - WSJ sucks)

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[question everything]

7. What a thoughtful, comprehensive response

The depth of your response clearly is an indication of the corresponding depth of whatever occupies the space between your ears.

[Yael]

33. One of us has a clue and isn't hell bent on trashing the Dem nominee on a Dem site

Back to you, Stan!

[wvbygod]

37. Last time I looked you didn't deliver the pizza either

Clues are free.

[Yael]

39. I didn't offer to deliver it, just to make the reservation for you.

:)

[kid a]

3. By far the stronger of the three, but i apprciate her opinion, but see the weaknees in her argument

[MadBadger]

4. He hasnt paid attention to the primaries really since May 6.

If he campaigned as hard as he had for weeks before, in all those states that followed NC/IN, Obama would have won the popular vote by a lot more, and probably would have won in South Dakota.

[opihimoimoi]

5. WEAK??? Hardly....Barack gonna kick ass from day one...If anyone is weak..its McSame

[rodeodance]

29. how is going to get the big states?

[PermanentRevolution]

45. The same way any candidate does...

By campaigning in them. By convincing the voters of those states that he is the best choice of the options available to them.

Would Hillary have had an easier time in certain states? According to the polls, yes.

Do these polls mean that Obama cannot win these states? No.

Does Obama NEED these states to win? No, but it'd make things a whole lot easier.

Will he be able to convince enough voters to support him in these states? Perhaps, perhaps not. That largely depends on a whole range of unknowns that neither you nor I can accurately predict.

It'll be an interesting election. And I, for one, am looking forward to being a part of it.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

6. Why doesn't the media focus any attention on the many problems that McSame has?

And he has so many....

Far too numerous to ignore!

[question everything]

10. Because right now the news is about Obama

the unknown who came from no where and who manage to manipulate state rules to beat the Clintons, while trashing a great former President for good measure. (Yes, I am talking about Bill Clinton).

[Emit]

13. "Obama ... who manage [sic] to manipulate state rules to beat the Clintons"?

What are you referring to? I am unaware of this claim.

[question everything]

14. Clinton won the popular vote in NV and in TX and was way ahead in PA

and perhaps in other states. Yet the rules in these states was to give "traditionally democratic" - read black - districts more delegates per capita than other ones.

[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Emit]

44. So, let me get this straight. You believe that Obama manipulated the caucus and state districts

in order to take advantage of the black vote? Is that what you are saying?

What proof do you have of this claim of yours?: "Yet the rules in these states was to give "traditionally democratic" - read black - districts more delegates per capita than other ones."

As far as NV goes, there were weighted precincts that, as I recall, folks were very confused about. It just so happens that these were precincts in the rural districts -- and I can guarantee you that these are hardly where we find large black communities, or even small ones for that matter, so your conspiracy is way off on that (rather racist) claim.

And, as to the popular vote thing, you do know that in caucus states, no popular vote was taken? -- I live in NV. There is no record of popular vote because no vote count was taken. Only in each caucus was a head count taken, and I have yet to be able to find a final grand total that can confirm an accurate attendance statewide.

These are rules that were in place long before Obama entered the scene. Your claim that he somehow managed to manipulate the rules and such is outrageous.

edit to clarify -- our weighted rural districts are often called cow towns out here -- most of our African American population is in LV and Reno -- in the cities, where none of the precincts were weighted, as far as I am aware. Ironically, these district precincts in the rural areas are traditionally not heavily Democratic in voter registration -- the number of registered Repugs in those areas far outweighs Democrats by large margins. Everyone here knows that the rurals are tough on Dems.

[crankychatter]

17. "manipulate state rules to beat the Clintons, while trashing a great former President"??????????????

Obama never trashed Clinton (bill OR hill)

won fair and square

sour grapes

nothin' but sour grapes

Obama's only problem is his graceless opponent and her kool aid drinking devotee's

[wvbygod]

40. Obama's other problem is his graceless supporters

They can be very offputting and drive some sensitive Democrats into a write-in mentality.

[H2O Man]

8. Wall Street Journal.

Ha!

[question everything]

12. One of the more popular newspaper with a healthy

circulation. This is not an editorial - which is RW as it comes; this is a news story.

Can you prove that any of the facts are wrong?

No, of course you cannot. So instead of conducting a debate about facts we have a groupthink where everyone cover his ears and his eyes and pretend to ignore the real world, only to be greatly disappointed later.

I can assure you that the Obama campaign is paying attention to such reports. Has been doing so.

[H2O Man]

15. I didn't read it.

It is a paper that is hardly popular with grass roots democrats. Obama will be elected -- ywice -- without the WSJ's endorsement.

[redsoxrudy]

38. The facts are not wrong but..

they are cherry picked. According to Real Clear Politics poll averages Obama WINS two out of the three big swing states. They cherry picked a poll that shows him losing Ohio while an average of polls has him winning.

[susankh4]

50. They love to stick their heads in the sand here on DU

and if anyone drops a hint about what's happening in the real world they are threatened with a tombstone, or a pizza or whatever.... They are like the "see no evil" monkeys. Chatter, chatter. Essentially uneducable.

Fortunatly, in my experience, the moderators on this board are not so gullible as the bulk of members. Just because someone questions the dominant paridigm on D.U., it does not mean they are a freeper plant. They seem to get this.

[question everything]

56. Thank you for a reasonable comment

I admit, I have no idea what "a pizza" means, nor do I "get" the popcorn icon, but then I do not possess the juvenile "rationale" - whatever that means of many DUers. I belong to a generation raised on expressing one's thoughts in complete sentences.

I just think that if anyone disagrees with comments they should say why instead of just hurling insults. Unfortunately, this happens too often on DU. Isn't the anonymity of the Internet grand?

[merh]

27. My first thought too.

:rofl:

:hi:

[question everything]

53. Go back to the Home Page of DU

And see the source of the top story

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3341526

[crickets]

42. Exactly. "Lucky duckies," anyone? -nt

[question everything]

54. Go the DU Home Page and see the source of the leading story

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3341526

Obviously, not everyone on DU dismisses a story just because it is "the Wall Street Journal." At least not the ones with a bit and not a knee jerk reaction.

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[PBS Poll-435]

18. Wait just a second...

Much better...


:P

[rodeodance]

31. stop threatening DU members

[Occam Bandage]

41. I'm not threatening anyone. It's a clock.

[rodeodance]

47. your.....

post was removed as you can see.

i and others know it is code for banning--which is a personal threat.

[Patchuli]

46. That's a stretch of your overactive imagination!

As usual, drama from rodeodance.

[rodeodance]

48. the.....

threatening post --of banning was removed. Learn a lesson before you
post foolish posts again and look silly

[Patchuli]

52. You post foolishly and look silly all the time!

It doesn't get you banned. That poster was not threatening you. Now suck it up; Hillary lost and it's over. Quit wasting bandwidth with your nonsense. You're as weird as that crazy old woman from Manhattan...

[Emit]

11. So, will we have to endure these kinds of posts for the next five months?

Or, will folks finally join to support our nominee? (And the emphasis is on 'our' as in our Democratic nominee)

[Mike L]

19. No, you can delude yourself with feel-good polls. em

[Emit]

30. No, I will be too busy walking, knocking and talking in an effort to keep McCain away from the WH

I only hope that when I do check in late at night on DU, I am not bombarded with bitter Clinton supporters who refuse to support our Democratic Presidential nominee.

It's one thing to post information that is constructively critical, or gives a heads up to what the Repugs are up to. It's another thing to post criticism that is intentionally meant only to demean our Democratic nominee.

[crankychatter]

20. straight up flame bait - nt

.

[wvbygod]

34. Helping identify a weakness is support

It may not be fawning over a picture and commenting how lovely they will look in the WH
or what a chiseled body his wife has but it is support none the less.

[Emit]

36. Not by this poster

Like I noted above, posting a concern as a strategy or for information is one thing. Posting to inflict harm on our Democratic nominee is another -- and it will soon be against DU rules. Read some of the responses and you will soon see that this poster is attempting a last ditch effort to get the jabs in at Obama.

[QC]

35. DU will not become an echo chamber next week,

no matter how devoutly so many people hope it will.

Supporting other candidates is forbidden, of course, but discussing the nominee's policies, strategies, etc. is not. People will still be free to disagree with the nominee, just not to support McCain.

This place is not, in other words, going to become the political equivalent of a Britney Spears fan teen chat room on AOL.

[Warren DeMontague]

16. Thank you for your concern.

Your concern has been duly noted.

[SoonerPride]

21. McSame heads into the election with some crazy

He's lost his fucking marbles.

er, bearings.

[Danger Mouse]

23. STILL using RW hitpieces?

[Warren Stupidity]

24. Thank you for your heartfelt concern. When do we get your support?

[OzarkDem]

25. They're just sending him a message

Coming from the WSJ, its telling Obama that he needs to sit down and negotiate with their corporate masters and assure them he's going to fall in line. Just a Wall Street shot over the bow.

[Meshuga]

26. Watch McCain's speech from last night and you will see that you should not

have anything to fear. McCain is extremely weak. I think he is toast.

[SeattleGirl]

28. Every single person who has ever run for President has weaknesses.

And they also have strengths.

We're dealing with human beings here, not androids.

[kwenu]

32. If Obama is weak they should really check out McCain. McCain is downright feeble.

[grantcart]

43. This bullshit was thoroughly debunked in this post

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x6236502

Just one example Not only does Obama lead Clinton nationwide he now leads her in NY.

Other safe states like Washington where Obama leads by double digits Clinton has a very narrow lead.

[underpants]

55. Excellent post

wish I could kick it

[Hieronymus]

49. Another Republican for Hillary ... no surprise there.

[Enrique]

51. McCain didn't exactly dominate his primary

[john128]

57. no worries

this person does not under stand obama and hope.

[ProSense]

58. Oh, there goes the WSJ disingenously

pumping up McBush