Quote
From a WaPo article on the harsh 2008 GOP environment,
On the other hand,
(Politico) "Obama, Clinton brace for three-month deadlock"
"It's no mystery," said Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.). "You have a very unhappy electorate, which is no surprise, with oil at $108 a barrel, stocks down a few thousand points, a war in Iraq with no end in sight and a president who is still very, very unpopular. He's just killed the Republican brand."
On the other hand,
More cause for hope resides in the presidential campaign, which could provide a new storyline for Republicans down the ticket, said Newhouse, the pollster. Some national polls showed McCain pulling even in matchups with Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) by week's end....
"What you're seeing," he said, "is the impact the Democratic primary is having on voters at the national level. The longer this goes on, the better for our chances in November."
(Politico) "Obama, Clinton brace for three-month deadlock"
posted by mikevotes at
10:35 AM
8 Comments:
This is all just a snapshot in time. We have 8 months before the general election! The great unwashed electorate hasn't even begun to see what a real matchup between McCain and ??? will look like; how unappealing McCain-2008 really is vis a vis Bush toady. The "independent maverick" stereotype will fall by the wayside once this thing gets serious. Too many digital artifacts of him being a phony maverick...
Also, I'm on the fence with this extended dem primary being a net negative. It depends on what the Hillary camp really wants to get out of this thing. Are they're really interested in the Democratic party, or if they're merely using the party as a tool for manipulating/channelling money and influence? I honestly think Hillary and Co. could go Liberman if they don't get their way. It's an open question in my mind as to what Hillary's motivation and real goals are.
If Obama is the nominee, isn't it good to get all the Rezko, Rev. Wright, etc. crap exorcised now? What will be left for the general campaign? Certainly less than if Barack was merely fast-tracked to the nomination. Just a thought.
By
-epm, at 11:28 AM
I agree with that. The ad swinging back and forth between quotes of McCain and Bush will be powerful.
Plus, I don't know if anyone remembers, but it was McCain who was off galavanting with Bush when Katrina put New Orleans under water.
However, I am definitely of the opinion that the long primary is bad for Dems. Even leaving aside the negative of now, every day, reunifying the party gets more and more difficult.
Plus, If Obama was raising money from now til August, the Dems could blizzard McCain out of the race. I don't like giving up that advantage spending all this money Dem v Dem.
(And, yes, not all of the money is wasted, but it's definitely not put to best use.)
By
mikevotes, at 2:45 PM
It's bad for the party. The candidates will reconcile, but it won't be enthusiastic; and whoever wins, some supporters will slip away.
But what are you going to do? It's the process. Both sides have real constituencies, and both sides have a good argument to make that they have the stronger candidate.
By the way, I'm not so sure Wright is going away. Obama's credibility is in danger here. I expect to start hearing from people who'll say "Hey, I was sitting right behind Barack when the Reverend compared George Washington to Adolf Hitler..." (or something along those lines.)
By
Anonymous, at 4:53 PM
Sorry, this is going to be nasty.
Yes, they both have constituencies, but one of them has a heavily favored shot at being the nominee. So the pressure obviously is on the other one.
And, I'm not afraid of Wright.
Yeah, it's bad, but I'm not going to be afraid and quake at what the Republicans might do. In my opinion, that's why Democrats lose. It's not that they're right or wrong on these things, it's that they project a fearful aura that makes people see them as weak. They look wrong when they embrace these things and get bogged down in the semantics..
Bull through it. Fully express regret, establish distance, and then dismiss every query after that with a boilerplate answer. "We've addressed these concerns and now we'd like to get onto the issues that affect Americans."
That's how the Republicans deal with this stuff. They don't fret. They don't extend the argument. They don't debate semantics. They bull through.
By
mikevotes, at 6:54 PM
Mike - your last thoughts are exactly what I am thinking about the primary. Why the hell are we letting the media and Republicans (and whoever else) dictate that this is "ruining the Democratic Party?” I attended my county assembly yesterday and both sides (Clinton & Obama) were respectful to each other. The vitriolic fighting did not bubble to the surface. The overall theme was that of resignation; we have a legitimate battle on our hands that must be resolved and then we re-group and take the White House. In some ways, both of our choices have electability issues but nothing we do between now and then is going to make McCain a better candidate than he is now. Unless you start falling for the rhetoric.
By
Ptelea, at 9:25 PM
I always like to hear someone say I'm right.
And, I really see at least as many holes in McCain that thus far haven't been opened.
And, I'm glad you're still visiting. I had figured I'd done just one post too many and you'd given up on me,
By
mikevotes, at 9:40 PM
I haven't given up - I have just had to back off and not get too involved in any political commenting. I get too worked up and have trouble focusing on work and daily obligations!! I respect your opinions and realize that I probably won't change them.
By
Ptelea, at 10:53 PM
Same.
I like the fact that you're reasoned behind the emotion.
By
mikevotes, at 6:39 AM
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