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Sunday, July 06, 2008
Obama Has Nothing to Fear (Except for Becoming a "Politician")
Posted by: Matt Lewis at 8:54 AM
Over at the WaPost, Peter Beinart argues that Barack Obama's shameless and transparent move to the center on foreign policy is also a bad political strategy:
Because Americans are less afraid and because Republicans have abandoned the foreign policy center, Democrats need not worry that Obama will suffer the fate of George McGovern, Jimmy Carter, Walter Mondale or John Kerry. He won't lose because he looks weak. The greater danger is that he will change positions in a bid to look strong -- as he recently did on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act -- and come across as inauthentic and insincere. As Ruy Teixeira and John Halpin have noted, the Democrats' biggest political liability is not that Americans believe they are too liberal but rather that they believe that Democrats don't stand for anything at all. On foreign policy, Obama has a chance to change that: to articulate a vision based on the principles of global cooperation and human dignity that animated Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt. He shouldn't be deterred by fears of being called soft. Those fears are the echoes of a bygone age.
(Emphasis mine).

It was supposedly Hillary's fear of being portrayed as "weak" that forced her to adopt a more "hawkish" position.  This, of course, allowed Obama to attract the left-wing of the party, and arguably led to Obama's winning the Democratic nomination. 

Some would argue that her sin was in adopting a General Election strategy before she wrapped-up the nomination. 

Still, it is interesting to consider whether or not Obama is essentially now running on Hillary's primary platform, rather than his own.


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Nee writes: Monday, July, 07, 2008 7:24 AM
PPhil
Amen, man. You got it. 3rd party...or write it in...
Pasadena Phil writes: Sunday, July, 06, 2008 6:00 PM
Tazzmax
I was watching Fox news this morning where William Kristol expressed concern that McCain is already in deep trouble because his campaign is in disarray and he has failed to exploit Obama while he was consolidating his liberal base. I think it is deeper than that. The GOP is in a panic because Obama is now tacking to the center where his true politics lies and where McCain has failed to create a new base to replace conservatives. Meantime, most of the complaining we are hearing is from ultra-liberals and RINOs.

The ultras (who represent no more than 10% of registered voters) are the ones distraught of Obamas tacking to center. Obama can afford to lose some of them and besides, who are they going to vote for?

The RINOs are in panic because Obama is already taking centrist voters away from McCain who walked away from his party's conservative base (conservatives were at least 60% of the GOP and 30% of all registered voters). Conservatives are howling that there is only one party.

Here is McCain's dilemna. Losing ground in the center and having not only failed to consolidate his base but having completely alienated us, what does he do? He can't possibly wage a successful campaign tacking to the right at this point and Obama is more believable as a liberal than McCain.

A conservative Republican would be romping by now but the GOP opted to run a liberal Democrat.
MaineConservative writes: Sunday, July, 06, 2008 5:56 PM
Spot on Tazzman & Phil
If we had a conservative running, Obama whould be very beatable. As it is, with the dems picking both candidates, where's the choice? Just the fact that McCain isn't Obama is not going to be enough.
Tazzmax writes: Sunday, July, 06, 2008 5:19 PM
Yeah Phil,
I noticed that too,....why don't they write more about McCain,{good or bad}, instead of all the tripe about "Oblamalamadingdong"!

We need to be debating the faults of McCain,.....we need explanations for his behavior, from him and his "lackeys".

GOB/RINOs RIP!
Tazzmax writes: Sunday, July, 06, 2008 5:11 PM
Instead,
McCain is off "pandering" in Columbia,...I think he's losing his marbles.

If he was serious about winning the election,..you'd think he'd be kissin conservative a**es,....but noooo, he's too damn stubborn or stupid,....or both!

Amen, Phil,....vote 3rd party, or write in!
Pasadena Phil writes: Sunday, July, 06, 2008 12:21 PM
All fear-mongering and race-baiting
Never ever a post about the wonderfulness of McCain. Hit "blog" above and scroll down and see how many pages you have to go through before you read anything about McCain. Meanwhile, one pointless post about "scary" Obama after another. He wouldn't be this scary if the GOP had more confidence in their own candidate who is just a whiter and lamer version of Obama. Vote 3rd party. Fox News this morning walked right up to the edge of that choice and backed off. No one believes for one second that conservatives like me will ever vote for Obama and now, it is becoming increasingly clear that we aren't going to vote for McCain either. See the problem with McCain? He is soon going to realize that he has to kiss our butts but he has no credibility with us. He is stuck. This was a winnable election for the GOP but they decided to be the "other" Democratic party.
Cuban Pete writes: Sunday, July, 06, 2008 11:50 AM
Following lefty neo kommie logic...
...according to the article quoted Woodrow Wilson And FDR were epitomes of "global cooperation and human dignity". How was it exemplified historically?

Woodrow Wilson = World War I.

Franklin D. Roosevelt = World War II.

B. Hussein "Osama" Obama = World War III?

Did they really want to go there?
londongrl writes: Sunday, July, 06, 2008 10:46 AM
And so it is...
as Clinton supporters said. He did what he needed to do to win the primary. Clinton supporters were the only ones within the Dem party with guts enough to call him out for what he was. We knew that at least Hillary "is what she is" and there weren't going to be any surprises. She owned her vote on the Iraq resolution and he knew that was her achilles heel so he used it to his advantage, all the while really knowing the reality of the situation. Now, those who say that he may appease Clinton supporters by taking her positions are going to be sorely disappointed. What it does is infuriate use even more because he looks like a hack job who did whatever he could to undercut our candidate. This is about an insulting as if he were to pick another woman as his running mate. A recent CNN polls shows that his support among Clinton Democrats has actually fallen since June 3rd and those who say they will stay home and not vote has increased. Looks like his strategy is working very nicely. ;)

Ana Mus writes: Sunday, July, 06, 2008 9:19 AM
From the beginning
Obama ran on Hillary's platform. That was one of the first affirmations that he was nothing more than a empty suit run-of-the-mill politician. Now he has further confirmed he is nothing more than a empty-suit dirty Chicago politician.
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