Clinton targets everyone, Obama targets demographics
While Clinton appears to be trying to undermine Obama across the board,
Obama seems to be focusing more on specific demographics, like this most recent series of attacks trying to tie her (through her husband) to the economic "uncertainties."
He's also been pulling some old quotes of hers about NAFTA obviously targeting the union and factory workers in Wisconsin and Ohio.
I guess it's the relative difference in their situations. She needs a sea change while he needs to chip into her a little.
Later: The first part of this Howard Kurtz piece argues that with Obama as frontrunner, the media might begin to give him "frontrunner" scrutiny. Might that make the attacks on "hope" more effective?
"I am in the solutions business. My opponent is in the promises business," she told a rally of 2,000 in McAllen, Texas.
Obama seems to be focusing more on specific demographics, like this most recent series of attacks trying to tie her (through her husband) to the economic "uncertainties."
"We are not standing on the brink of recession due to forces beyond our control," said Obama in a speech at a General Motors assembly plant in Wisconsin.
"It was a failure of leadership and imagination in Washington -- the culmination of decades of decisions that were made or put off without regard to the realities of a global economy and the growing inequality it produced."
He's also been pulling some old quotes of hers about NAFTA obviously targeting the union and factory workers in Wisconsin and Ohio.
I guess it's the relative difference in their situations. She needs a sea change while he needs to chip into her a little.
Later: The first part of this Howard Kurtz piece argues that with Obama as frontrunner, the media might begin to give him "frontrunner" scrutiny. Might that make the attacks on "hope" more effective?
posted by mikevotes at
7:53 AM
11 Comments:
Obama's also been channeling Edwards. He's been talking about valuing work, not wealth, and giving the credit to Edwards for his passion on this front. Hmmm. Interest.
It looks like Obama does have a two front war on his hands. He still needs to highlight differences between himself and Hillary, AND he needs to smack down Crusty McCain whenever possible.
He seems capable of both, so far. And he always looks fresh, he always seems pumped. He's the damn Energizer Bunny.
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-epm, at 8:13 AM
See, I don't see McCain as that much of a problem right now. His attacks aren't jumping out of the media and he's not saying anything that different from Clinton.
Maybe these attacks will be effective in keeping Republicans from looking at Obama.
If he were to drop "drug user" or something, that might get some across the board attention, but my feeling is that they're not really playing outside the Republicans at this point.
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mikevotes, at 8:18 AM
The problem for Hillary with attacking his "hope" message is that she starts sounding like Crusty McCain's running. In fact the quote you cite (solutions vs. promises) is almost exactly what McCain's been whining about.
The Obama campaign could smack this right back at her. "See how Washington insiders think... they are joined at the hip and stuck an a rut. Incapable of hope. Incapable of seeing the possible. Continuing to look at the barren landscape of the past rather than the horizon of the future. And dedicated to keeping the same old tired politics of divisiveness the currency of Washington."
Ooo. That's not bad...
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-epm, at 8:29 AM
Check out that Kurtz piece I added at the bottom. The argument is that Obama as frontrunner will receive more scrutiny, so the time to attack "hope" might be now. Not sure about it, but it's interesting.
And your counter attack would be pretty effective, but I don't think he wins if they escalate against each other.
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mikevotes, at 8:46 AM
I read the Kurtz piece, but I didn't find it very illuminating. More thought goes into posts and comments here than in pieces writen by people trying to sell ad space.
Clinton and McCain want to define "hope" as "don't worry, be happy." When people hear Obama define "hope" I think he wins the argument hands down. Obama's hope has more in common with Paul Wellstone's belief that "the future belongs to those who are passionate and work hard." Or as Obama might put it, "In the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope."
In the end, Obama's defense of hope, makes it's attackers look small and petty. I certainly feel Obama's defense of hope will be a lot more credible, than McCain's defense of Bush/Cheney wars, tax cuts and power grabs.
But I welcome more scrutiny. I want to know more about what Obama's actually done and how he's voted on legislation.
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-epm, at 9:21 AM
That's the crux of it. How does the listener define hope?
(And one of the reasons I included the Kurtz piece is that I feel I'm overposting Obama. Admittedly the news is mostly to his side, but there is still a reasonable Clinton way to win and I was trying to illuminate it.)
(And I didn't read the whole Kurtz piece. Maybe I'll rewrite that line.)
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mikevotes, at 11:05 AM
You're right. I rewrote that line.
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mikevotes, at 11:07 AM
Here's the decision point:
What does America want?
The Past, the Present, or the Future...
Guess which candidate to insert appropriately??
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Anonymous, at 3:51 PM
I was wondering about that language. Does Obama pivot to call McCain the present vs. the future?
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mikevotes, at 5:15 PM
Everyone else is calling McCrazy the "present" but OB will probably let that phrase stew on its own w/out having to push it along. McCain needs to ID a VP with a little vision (dare I say hope) and a WHOLE LOT of charisma.
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Anonymous, at 6:12 PM
An idea that's been popping around in my mind is Fla gov. Charlie Christ. Fairly center but loved by the right and can help deliver Fla.
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mikevotes, at 9:50 PM
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