Why Obama Had to Select Biden
By Sam Copeland on August 26, 2008 at 5:10 PM in Barack Obama, Joe "Bro" Biden, Political Strategy
“Sam Copeland” on Political Strategy
A couple of folks who commented on my last post on 14 reasons why Biden was a poor political choice for Vice President argued – either in resignation or rebuttal – that Biden was the best choice available to Obama. I don’t necessarily disagree with that.
The question is: Why has Obama put himself in a position where Biden became his best choice? The answer reveals why his campaign is, at best, falling apart at the seams.
From a political strategy point of view, Obama’s “A list” of VP candidates were Senator Clinton (unites the party; helps secure women’s votes, especially soccer moms and older women), General Wes Clark (appeals to both those on the left and center-right), Senator Jim Webb (reinforces change message, puts Virginia in play), and Gov. Ted Strickland (it is hard to win the Presidency without Ohio). Obama refused to consider some (Clinton and Clark), whereas for others (Webb and Strickland) Obama did not provide the leadership that would inspire them to take the political risk of serving as the VP nominee. In other words, they removed their names from consideration.
Read the rest ->
Among Obama’s tweedledee triumvirate, Senator Evan Bayh did not play well with Obama’s leftist base, and Gov. Tim Kaine flunked his focus group tests in Norfolk. (Norfolk, VA is part of Tidewater, a critical region where Democrats must do well to off-set the western half of the state, which goes Republican). That leaves Biden. Of the three, at least Bayh put a state in play – Indiana.
Why did Obama have to select a lower tier candidate – a candidate who has twice left the Presidential sweepstakes (in 1988 and 2008) in early rounds?
One answer that is often given is what we can politely term Obama’s ego. Top talent candidates such as Clinton and Clark would threaten his self-image as a one man crusader – the star of his own Saturday morning action-adventure cartoon series. A big ego can be a serious liability in making political decisions. It prevents one from seeing the world through the eyes of others, and that lack of realism and perspective-taking undoubtedly leads to political blunders.
It is these political blunders that have put Obama in the position where he had no other option than to select Biden. To win the nomination, Obama has made a series of tactical decisions that now constrain his choices. In the process he has failed to lay down a strategy capable of winning in November.
A real strategy consists of a goal (e.g., win 51% of the vote; transform the electoral map) and the means and resources to achieve that goal (i.e. a message that reaches out and unites enough voters to achieve one’s goal). This simple definition shows why Obama is in trouble.
First, Obama is unclear on his goal – to win 51% (enough electoral votes to gain the Presidency) or to transform the electoral map? At the beginning of the primaries, one reason touted by the Obamablogs for supporting Obama was that he would transform the electoral map so that we would not have any more close elections. Now, as anyone who can read a poll knows, that dream of electoral transformation is long gone and Obama finds himself in a dogfight for the same key battle states fought over by Gore and by Kerry.
This lack of clarity of goal has resulted in a befuddled overall strategy because each goal – 51% vs. transformation – requires different means to the end. If your goal is to win by at least 51%, then you must do what is needed to appeal to the citizens in the key battleground states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Florida, West Virginia, New Mexico, and Missouri. Specifically, you make it clear how your candidacy will benefit soccer moms (those who side with the GOP on class, but the Democrats on gender), blue-collar workers, and Latinos. In other words, you tell Americans how we can build our middle-class and how we can enhance our national security. (Kerry lost soccer moms on national security). Of course, this is the platform of Senator Clinton and the political strategy of Mark Penn. It is why she won more votes overall than Obama and won big in the big battleground states. It is also the right policy for making our nation stronger.
The goal of electoral transformation requires a “big idea” that either brings in new voters (as did Jackson in 1828 and McKinley in 1896), unites previously disparate groups (as did Lincoln in 1860 and FDR in 1932), or trades-off one group of voters for another larger group (as did Nixon in 1968 when he traded liberal Republicans to gain a Southern Strategy). Obama has not advanced a big idea capable of creating this transformation. Instead, he has pursued his goal of transformation by a series of tactical maneuvers – ad buys and visits to targeted states – that have been for the most part ineffective. As others at No Quarter have noted, he is drawing back from these ad buys. And one more thing – the notion that Obama is bringing in the youth vote is overblown (his numbers in this regard have not exceeded what Bill Clinton did in 1992) and appears to be fading (as indicated by a recent poll showing that he has lost 12% of his youth support over the last few months).
This lack of clarity has lead to a strategy of “drawing to an inside straight.” He is making a feeble attempt at reconfiguration while hoping that his middle cards – the battleground states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Florida, in particular – will somehow magically appear on the next deal. I guess that is what is meant by the audacity of hope.
In contrast, Senator Clinton has a strategy for winning the at least 51% of the electoral votes needed to become President and has articulated a vision of America that would serve, much like FDR’s New Deal, to reconfigure the political map.
Second, Obama has as of yet to develop a message that reaches out and unites enough voters to achieve his goal (which now of necessity is hope to get 51%). The message at his convention will be one of coming together for change. This is nice, but unless he specifies what he means by change, his message will fall as flat as a new dishwashing detergent offering 23% more hope that your dishes will be cleaner and brighter.
Developing this message will not be easy for Obama. Policy is not his strong suit. (This is why he lost votes every time he debated Senator Clinton). Once he starts to give detail, his plan is subject to intense attack in the politically charged environs of a Presidential campaign.
Of even greater concern, Obama has made a series of tactical decisions that now constrain his choices. In order to secure the nomination, Obama said what he needed to say to pander to the left-wing and others without regard to the long term political consequences of that pandering. In other words, in the spirit of the very best of demagogues, Obama told his target audiences exactly what they wanted to hear. He has become Backtrack Barack for a reason. Now he has to live with those decisions.
I am sure that No Quarter readers are smart enough and have been briefed enough by posts and comments to know exactly what I mean by this. But let me give two examples, for those who may not regularly read this blog.
1. Obama was for NAFTA before he was against NAFTA before he was for NAFTA again. He became against NAFTA as a result of political expediency when faced with the need to win a primary in Ohio. Now, what position on NAFTA should he take to win in states like Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania where NAFTA is an especially important issue? Answer: it really doesn’t matter because McCain will play the soundbites to show that Obama took a different position with the goal of reinforcing the image of Backtrack Barack.
2. During the primaries, Obama shifted his position on Iraq from “smart withdrawal” (which was similar to Senator Clinton’s) to “immediate withdrawal on timetables” to appeal to the left. Obama has taken about 7 different positions on Iraq, each designed to appeal to whoever he is talking to. For example, during his Senate campaign, he called for a surge and said that withdrawal on timetables would be wrong. One problem with taking positions for political expediency is that one rarely thinks through the implications of the position. For example, when asked if he would send troops back into Iraq if al Qaeda was present, Obama said yes. (He had to or else he wouldn’t have looked strong). When he did, McCain pointed out that Al Qaeda was in Iraq right now, making Obama’s position look foolish. Now, which position should Obama take on Iraq? Answer: again, it really doesn’t matter because McCain has all the video clips he needs to reinforce the image of Backtrack Barack.
What does all this lack of strategy have to do with the pick of Joe Biden as the VP nominee? Everything. If you do not have a clear political strategy, you do not have the decision criteria for making good decisions including selecting a VP candidate. If you are Barack Obama it means you are forced to make decisions based on your lack of leadership to inspire great VP candidates and your ego to exclude them.
Some of you may be wondering how I feel about Senator Clinton not being considered for the VP slot. I’ll express my feelings in football terms since life is merely a metaphor for football.
I am a big Pittsburgh Steelers fan. The Steelers just spent $100 million on a franchise quarterback named Ben Roethlisberger. Now, suppose the coaching staff of the Steelers decided to start in the Super Bowl some high school quarterback who happened to win the Giant Eagle Food Store’s Be-A-Quarterback-For-A-Day contest. My reaction would be, “You gotta be kidding me; you are crazy.” And when I found out that this wasn’t somebody’s idea of a joke, I’d turn away in disgust and turn the channel to ESPN-2 to find out what is up with the professional bowlers’ tour. I don’t want to see “Big Ben” backing up some promotional contest prize winner.
Hillary Clinton is my franchise quarterback. She knows how to run the offense, and she has the guts to stay in the pocket long enough to get off the play no matter the hit she will take. I don’t want my franchise quarterback backing up some self-promotional contest prize winner. Hillary Clinton in the VP slot is the political gift that Barack Obama doesn’t deserve and was too foolish to accept.
Suffragettes protesting at the 1920 Republican Convention.
Left to right: Mrs. James Rector, Mary Dubrow, and Alice Paul.
Sign reads:
“No self respecting woman should wish or work for the
success of a party that ignores her self.” -
Susan B. Anthony, 1872
Biden is the choice of the Chicago machine, which has been reported.
At any rate, this is the Karl Rove Democratic National Convention. It’s not intended to get a Democrat elected president. Obama was and always has been the trojan horse of Rove and the G.O.P. They rigged his senate election in 2004, forcing his Republican challenger Jack Ryan to drop out and replacing him with an unknown from Maryland. The facts are available to anyone with Google, yet the level of ignorance among liberals here is breathtaking. The delegates in Denver are dancing away America’s future (not to mention the future of the planet), and no one with clout is willing to step up to the stage and expose the G.O.P. fraud. Incredible.
For more on Rove, Brazile and the covert operation:
http://www.thecityedition.com/Pages/Archive/Winter08/2008Election.html
My friend watched the dancing DNC convention circus and was shocked at how out of touch the DNC is.
She was initially a Hillary supporter, then drank the kool-aid a bit, and now she’s coming back to what is good for this country, which is Hillary Clinton.
Donna Brazile is the mole.
google owns factcheck.
google backs obama.
so much for “factcheck”
however…rove or no rove, obama is not qualified for potus nor did he win the nomination by a true democratic process… and the crooks and cheaters, the DNC, dem elites, blah, blah, blah, are indeed the new republican party. i won’t vote for it. anyone who does has been bamboozled.
i’d rather have McCain as a maverick republican who can handle the job than the wolves in sheep’s clothing masquerading as the new democratic party,
bullpucky.
Gore couldn’t do it and neither could Kerry both with tons more experience over Obama whether you liked Gore or Kerry, conclusion no way in hell can Obama win, with the total lack of experience. THEN add all his cruddy background…
C-ya O and Mechelle.
Gee, was Karl Rove on the grassy knoll in November 1963 too?
No. He was the lookout …. you’re not worth the powder to get you high …. asshat.
I’ve believed from the beginning several points made in this article.
1. I thought all along that it was the Big Media moguls, mostly Republicans, who were calling the shots to their underlings, the editors and publishers, telling them to back Obama in order to defeat Hillary. Of course, the reason most of them were told was that the Democrats can’t lose this election, after 8 years of Bush/Cheney, and that Hillary is old news, so the real story is the Obama Phenomenon. It sells.
2. I have believed from the start that anyone who thought Karl Rove was finished fixing elections was simply not thinking straight. This guy is not just an evil genius at marketing politicians, he has the connections to make elections go his way.
3. The very idea that Donna Brazile even spoke to Karl Rove is some kind of treason in my eyes. It’s far more than weird, it’s highly suspect. I believe she was played. Rove knew she didn’t want Hillary to win and that she backed Obama, so he had an opening and went for it. Brazile fell for it hook, line and sinker.
4. I believe that Rush Limbaugh’s “Operation Chaos” was a smoke screen. He was telling his listeners to switch party and vote for Clinton, knowing full well that the vast majority of his listener’s are afraid of her and would rather drink Drano than vote for her and give her any shot at the White House. He planted the idea to cross party lines, and they did, but they voted for the one Democratic candidate they knew (or at least thought) had no chance of winning the GE.
5. I believe that the Republicans do indeed have damning evidence against Obama and intend to use it as soon as they are POSITIVE that Hillary can’t be the nominee in his stead. Or perhaps after the General Election, should Obama win, they can sue to keep him from taking office.
These were all my own conclusions, without reading the cited article, so I’m glad to see that someone agrees with me, and put some substance to it.
My alternative theory last fall was that the Dems were going to outsmart the Republicans by running Obama and Hillary as a Hail Mary play, faking them out until the last minute, then putting in their REAL candidate just in time for the GE. I was thinking Gore, mostly. Now I don’t know about that theory. Or Gore, for that matter.
Steve
From the beginning when BO was raising 2x the money that HRC was I knew something was up. Where does a real novice like him get 400 mil? And then when the media went gaga over him I knew that they (corporate powers, GE, Viacom, Exxon Mobil, Wall street,ETC) were backing him to throw the caucuses to defeat HRC and then to lose in the GE. Now this was a time when Romney was spending his own money, Hucakabee and McCain were having trouble paying their staff and HRC was still raising 200 mil. But BO had a bottomeless well of money. The Repub machine played this whole thing from the beginning and used the leftists, the African Americans, the white elite intellectuals to put their man on the ticket for one purpose, to lose in November and to protect the profits they’ve racked up in the past 8 years.
I haven’t forgotten about Rove. I had my suspicions ages ago and now we know where most of the republicans for Bush are hiding — under the guise of Obama supporters.
Yes, and Donna Brazille has been the DNC’s liaison to Karl Rove–the goal being to destroy the Clintons as a way to take over the Dem Party and preserve the status quo.
Excellent analysis, Sam Copeland. After reading your posts I have no idea what the Obama people were thinking, unless Biden was the ONLY one who would agree to stand next to him.
I guess Biden was the ONLY one… Webb, Warner, Strickland, Dodd all refused and I surely missed one or two. Even Biden was sure that he was not the guy… To me, picking him looks more and more like desperation.
It was either Biden, Michelle or the limo driver. Since someone has to care for the kids from time to time and since the driver is usefull…
As always, an intriguing and insightful analysis. I especially liked the point that the campaign appears to have no overarching, integrated strategy. Obama’s opponents, following the sports metaphor, then are able to take over the game plan and determine the plays and tactics. I don’t think this is what Obama supporters had in mind when the campaign said they were going to change the rules of the game.
The picture is here, Post #6
http://atlantisonline.smfforfree2.com/index.php/topic,12079.new.html#new
Obama needed a favor, and Biden Sr made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.
Biden Sr used the office of his son, Biden Jr, the Delaware Attorney General, to have Larry Sinclair arrested on trumped up charges.
http://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2008/08/24/joe-biden-obama-larry-sinclair-delaware-gulag-attorney-general-biden-91108-socialism-08-new-castle-county-delaware-superior-court-biden-country/
Does the Delaware Attorney General comply with the laws he is sworn to uphold and enforce? NO
Does Joseph R. Biden III need to answer to why his office has continue to push a charge that THEY know is without merit and lacking of any criminal intent or basis? YES.
Is Delaware bringing this matter in an effort to assist Barack Obama shut me up? YOU BET YOUR ASS THEY ARE.
Wow, that’s good knowledge. It explains a lot of things! Are you LS?
Obama selected Biden, as Biden has deep and controversial ties to Antoin “Tony” Rezko.
Biden was also ineligible for the Senate when he won, he was 29 and the requirement was age 30. Obama is likely not to meet the citizen ship requirements yet forges on. Both men know they committed fraud on the American public yet continue to boast of their greatness. Wow.
Biden’s DOB was/is 20 November, 1942. He was 29 when he ran and was elected to the Senate. The important point is that he was 30 when he was sworn in…nothing illegal. Obama’s just illegal.
“Hillary Clinton is my franchise quarterback. She knows how to run the offense, and she has the guts to stay in the pocket long enough to get off the play no matter the hit she will take. I don’t want my franchise quarterback backing up some self-promotional contest prize winner. Hillary Clinton in the VP slot is the political gift that Barack Obama doesn’t deserve and was too foolish to accept.”
- Beautiful.
Absofrigginlutely….
Obama is Ryan Leaf
Obama is Ryan Leaf
Did great at the State/College level,
A big jerk in the pros.
When I watched Obama introduce Biden, felt that he would never be comfortable being in the background its hard for him to let someone else take phrase over himself. I think ego and arrogances make Obama weak. And I think McCain knows it.
That’s why McCain’s running - and having so much success with - the mocking ads - the ads mocking his celebrity, his snootiness, his arrogant sense of entitlement, when he’s obviously neither entitled nor qualified. Geez, they are sooooo sticking in bambi’s craw!
Arrogance and inflated ego have no sense of humor - about themselves. Their “sense of humor” consists solely of denigrating and belittling others.
Arrogance gets soooo pissy when questioned or criticized, doesn’t it? It’s so much fun to watch!
Keep it up, McCain! Americans are loving it!
love the football metaphors! i agree with you totally.
backtrack doesn’t deserve her and she is way too good to be the backup to the self promotional contest prize winner.
the DNC doesn’t deserve anything she does to help backtrack. but since she is a team player, they will get her help. but if she is not in the game calling and making the plays….well, the “team” will have wasted everyone’s time. i’ll be at the bowling tour channel…too painful to watch the football backtrack faux pas.
joe biden was the only way backtrack had to go.
the “democratic party” is over.the game is a blowout. the contest cheater just cannot put up the points. big hangovers coming down on nov 5th.
ginger ale and saltines all around. heh,heh…
The reasons seem pretty clear…
1) He owed Biden after the Biden’s orchestrated the arrest of Larry Sinclair
2) Biden has deep ties to Rezco
Other than this, Mr. Copelad’s post is perfectly on spot. Obama’s campaign is and always has been a crazy trainwreck of a mess - no organization, no strategy, no money, no ground game. That’s why he lost the nomination, that’s why he made the STUPID STUPID STUPID choice of choosing misogynist/racist Joe Biden as his VP, and that is why he will lose in a landslide against John McCain. Each month he raises a fraction of the money that McCain does, and each month his poll number slip a little bit more.
Go PUMA, Go McCain!
Ok, as much as I enjoy some of the comments and am not a BO supporter. This one is a little over the top. Biden connection is with Bill Daley, the Mayors Brother and former Clinton Cabinet member. Bill is also the CEO of a major bank.
Read the article. JOE BIDEN HAS DEEP TIES TO REZKO’S NETWORK OF SLEEZE AND CORRUPTION.
Excellent post, once again. This makes sense, with his achilles heel being his ego. It totally clouds his judgment and seems to favor short term spotlight versus the long haul.
I love the “franchise quarterback” analogy. Perfect. And the more we saw HRC in action, the more we knew she is the right person for the job.
Great stuff, keep up the good work.
Outstanding post,Sam.
Absolutely brilliant analysis.
And this had me on the floor:
me too!!
one more point: the weakest part of Obama is his ego. That means the best strategy against him is ridicule, and barring that, getting to explain himself without a teleprompter.
This post makes no sense to me Obama should not have selected Biden, he Biden is a fine Senator but like Obama he dose not have the skill and knowledge to lead as the Executive of our country. Neither Senator’s has ever managed a P&L, other than expenditure on them to elect them or their home budgets that’s it and a campaign give me a break not even close to what’s needed. It’s silly just silly, this is not a quality ticket by any stretch that’s the simple reality. The two Party systems are corrupting, it is the true old politics the rubber stamps for the Party bosses choice, they could care less if their nominee is also a talented candidate that would govern well. Kennedy, Pelosi need to move on and be held accountable for this fraud and failure come Nov 9th.
Once again- let’s be real. The reason is Larry Sinclair payback. All the other reasons are just reasons- the fact of the matter- the old man Biden came through with the fiasco of Larry Sinclair and Obama rewarded him. THAT IS WHY~!~!~~~ The subject of Sinclair is old and through- no one is going to post or reveal this man’s journey- so the best thing is to shut him up- Biden and his son are getting their payback- Hillary lost because of that payback.
and what about Richardson and Edwards?
he used those cards early on.
obtained the Edwards endorsement - by using then secret info on his affair?
what did he extract from Richardson?
Sebelius was always a straw man tactic.
thanks sam copeland for the most excellent play by play.
we all know the facts on the ground support our franchise QB.
the dems are a dead ball club.
I think Richardson would have been a smart pick. He would have maintained Obama’s message of bringing a new approach to Washington AND his hispanic heritage could have helped Obama in Florida, Arizona and New Mexico.
But on the other hand, he wouldn’t have done anything to counter the “inexperience” factor and I’ve heard from very good sources that he has a “zipper problem” too like Bill Clinton. If my contacts are to be believed, money has been paid in the past to certain people to buy their silence regarding past extramarital indiscretions.
Richardson has been branded a “traitor” by Carville. Everyone would get squeamish looking at it, because it would look like a backroom deal and a betrayal. The hope and change message would be killed. That’s just the way it is. And Richardson would have been a great VP for Hillary, but I think he was bribed.
There was a rumor from a NM Dem that Richardson would not get a nod because he has some Edwards type skeletons around.
Bill Richardson from New Mexico is a PAYASO. He would be the worst choice.
As a Latina I would never vote for someone who backstabbed the Clintons. Mr. Sexual Harassment Richardson pinching and patting women’s backsides. VIEJO COCHINO. Furgettabboutit!
The idiot was always pontificating and pronouncing “sentence” on Hillary Clinton and telling the MSM she should get out of the race. The loser did not even make it past 2 primaries.
Then after the primaries were over Richardson grew that awful beard and gained 40 lbs. Totally CHOLO.
Besides the timing for Richardson was all WRONG. Too much anti-immigrant sentiment.
Richardson has sexual harassment charges in his closet. At least.
Obama’s primary strategy was to sell the big idea and that big idea was Barack Obama. A product that is already becoming the political equivalent of the Pet Rock.
Another strategy was to game the caucuses. Obama ran up delegate numbers in caucus states through intimidation and fraud. This will not translate into votes in the GE and, in fact, will turn potential Democratic voters away from him.
His other strategy was to destroy the Clinton brand. He enlisted the media to help with this. So the Clintons became racists. Bill Clinton’s highly successful presidency was denigrated. This strategy is what will cost him the GE. Millions of Demcrats, like myself, who love and respect Bill and Hillary Clinton will not let this travesty stand. We will vote for a Republican for the first time in our lives if only to drive the destructive Obama enablers from our party and give it back to the voters.
Obama and his legions of techno-boys are fully capable of hacking voting machines.
All these conspricy theories and probing analyses are very entertaining, but Obama picked Biden for one simple reason:
He and his campaign staff feel, quite correctly, that his biggest single vulnerability is his perceived lack of experience, especially in foreign affairs. They felt like they needed someone who could help to allay those concerns. Since Hillary wasn’t interested in being VP (She and Bill are already looking forward to 2012) Biden was the guy.
It’s not bambi’s “perceived” lack of experience. It’s his ACTUAL - REAL lack of experience!
Not to mention his lack of qualifications, lack of resume, lack of character, lack of principles, lack of honesty, lack of ethics, lack of morals, lack of humility, lack of humanity, lack of compassion, lack of ability to speak English without a teleprompter, lack of sense of humor………
you took the words right out of my mouth.
No experience=no vote for Barry
Obama and Biden are Rezko’s slaves. The Democratic Party is now the Party of REZKO.
Wow! The ONC is really making headlines this week! Change we can beleive in?? lol!
No Communion for Biden; Pelosi gets scolded by Archbishops
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/08/26/archbishop-of-washington-chides-pelosi-denver-archbishop-warns-biden-to-skip-communion/
“Irked by pro-choice Democrats who tout their Catholicism, the archbishop of Washington is chiding House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for misstating church history and the archbishop of Denver is warning vice presidential hopeful Joe Biden not to take Communion.”
Delegates and SuperD’s …PLEASE SAVE THE DEMS FROM A LANDSLIDE DEFEAT IN NOVEMBER!! NOBAMA!!
PUMA
Father Pfleger will serve them communion after they all pay homage to Rezko at Reverend Wright’s “God Damn America” altar.
You should get some of the earlier Rev Moss’s sermons and Lord help them if they dig up Rev Meeks. There’re even freeway poster with BO and Meeks.
Absolutely superb post. Bravo.
I wonder if his sliding in the polls have something to do with disgruntled Obama supporters who were all in to the “change” thing. They see now he doesn’t really back change in the radical sense they wanted. They see him pick an old Washington insider for a running mate, and they start crawling back to their dorm rooms and pretend they didn’t really support him in the first place.
The Gallup analysis pretty much pointed out that his youth base is evaporating. Not to mention those left not nearly as excited. :Yawn: unmotivated college kids who were woken up for Biden(?) not nearly as likey to drag their little fannies to a pollng place, ya think?
And Barky ain’t got enough cattle prods to get those slacker fannies moving. They’re just as self-absorbed and shiftless as he is.
I’m sure the MTV kids are blocking his texts already. Besides, the new season of Gossip Girl is starting soon. Who can be bothered by that skinny guy and that wrinkly old dude with the hair plugs?
This was the case for one woman I heard from this weekend. She was for Hillary til the end of the primary, then decided she’d vote for Obama. The day after his VP pick was announced, she was furious! That didn’t mean any change so she’s seeing him for what he is. An opportunistic liar.
It looks more and more like Rezko will not be getting his pardon.
Sam, superb analysis and summation. Thank you. I’m glad HRC isn’t the VP, either.
You must be from somewhere near SW PA. I lived in Claysville, on 70 right near the WV border and just a smidge out of Washington. Gotta love the Stilers.
Great stuff.
Thank you for the kind words and, even more importantly, for alerting everyone to the correct pronunication of the Pittsburgh Stilers.
Sam, that’s the best breakdown of the pick I have seen anywhere. Great work, really top-notch.
Love them Stilers!
Excellent post!
Oops…not that I don’t love all your posts Paul…but it was meant for Sam.
Love that ending paragraph too….it quite quotable.
You might want to send it to the Clintons it is so good.
Aww…Karma, I’m so disappointed.
Ha ha ha. Just kidding!
Thanks for the kind words. Sam’s post was awesome!
Well done.
From the looks of it, he now has nowhere to go.
I expect that the Clintons will make mincemeat of him in their speeches just using the trusty old “damning with faint praise” gambit.
His ‘investiture’ at Invesco field will draw instant comparisons to Lili Reifenstahl’s odious masterpiece “Triumph of the Will”.
The Republican convention, right on the heels of the Dems, will steamroll any ‘bounce’ he might have gotten.
The Republican attack machine will have a field day with the newbie from Illinois - hell I could write about a dozen RNC commercials off the top of my head.
If I had any respect for Mr. Obama, I could feel bad about this but I just can’t dredge any up.
so far his bounce is -2
Well written, and funny. Thanks for the word “odious”, one of my favorites! Can’t wait to see the newbie flattened by the McCain train. I, too, would feel sorry for the guy if he wasn’t so despicable.
Holy cow! I haven’t heard Donna B. for weeks now, but I’m listening online to CNN. She is slurring words, man! Is she drunk, or having a stroke or aneurysm like Tubbs-Jones?
I’ll skip over to CNN just to see that…always good to see the universe in order and a traitor getting their just desserts.
she probably saw the numbers in the polls…hitting the liquor cabinet to numb the reality of Barry needing that hillary-billy base after all.
Can you imagine what Hillary’s main duty as VP would be? Most likely a weekly Press Conference explaining just what it was that Barack really meant and teaching the Obamas WH protocol. Oh, and maybe cleaning up after Angry MEchile when she visits us again.
I think its quite simple. Biden is the only person whom could go down with the ship. He is most likely about to retire so he is the only one who would do it.
He got a bump on book sales. Maybe he’s going to do a sequel? Hey. No bump in the polls, but his publisher is thrilled … count on it! Expect it to be out in paper back by Monday …. haahahhahahahaha
“He and his campaign staff feel, quite correctly, that his biggest single vulnerability is his perceived lack of experience, especially in foreign affairs. They felt like they needed someone who could help to allay those concerns.”
That doesn’t explain why Obama didn’t pick Bayh or Webb, both of whom possess extensive foreign policy expertise. Webb and Bayh have one thing in common : they have worked very hard to master foreign policy (like McCain and Clinton) and they aren’t going to piss away all of their political capital by pairing up with a man who clearly doesn’t have the curiosity or discipline to master the intricacies of diplomacy and foreign policy. They aren’t snake-oil salesmen like Biden, who is clearly in this for himself; they actually care about this stuff. Obama was not worth the risk.
Biden choose Obama, not the other way around.
Agree with that.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/rezko/1124666,CST-NWS-rezko25.article
Biden Has Deep Ties to Rezko Accomplice
Wes Clark is on Clinton’s team.
While supporting Obama, he made that (cough) “gaffe” about McCain’s service not qualifying him for the Presidency for one reason, and one reason only: He did NOT want to be asked to join that loser Obama’s ticket. Making that (cough) “error” ensured he wouldn’t be asked.
Jim Webb is a bad candidate to “complete” The Messiah. He would likely tell Obama to fuck himself, in public, if he disagreed with him. He might even wave a sidearm to make the point. Webb neither works nor plays well with others, and he has a storied and colorful history. Obama didn’t dare touch Webb, because Webb is as interesting–and in some ways, MORE so (wives, Vietnam, etc.) than Obama.
Kaine was a no-go. He looks sweaty and he’s pro-life. They’re already bleeding female voters like there’s no tomorrow; Kaine would encourage even more to jump ship.
Clinton was the “logical” choice, but he didn’t want to be seen as needing that “bitch”–well, guess what, Bright Eyes? You’ve got Eighteen Million Problems, because that “bitch” ain’t on your ticket!
Personally, though, I am so glad he was so stuck up he couldn’t bear to do it, to ask her. She’d probably work her ass off to hump his incompetent ass over the finish line, and then, she couldn’t very well run against him in four years’ time.
It’ll be interesting watching Obama snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. That IS what he’s doing. With a languid glide and his nose in the air, he’s cruising towards a bruising….and even his attack dog, Senator Credit Card (D-MBNA) can’t save him. He can’t send Biden to his debates for him, now, can he?
You are such a great writer! LOL–love it.
Second that! Great post ClintonFan!
A little off-topic but about those entertaining “mocking”ads that the McCain team is running. They are, in fact, very entertaining, and it seems, they have been effective to a certain extent. Plus, I think there is a little of what Muhammed Ali used to call “Rope-A-Dope” going on. Lulling the Obama Team into thinking this is all McCain has to offer…wrong! I think right after the GOP convention, the McCain Team is going to start hitting Obama hard, real hard…it’s not going to be more jokes about “The One”. I think these humorous ads are just a way of getting Obama positioned right where they want him. And with Obama lacking the discipline that Sam Copeland points out, to stay in the pocket until the play is off “no matter the hit [he] will take”…frankly, we are going to see a master politician, John McCain, conduct a clinic on demolishing a political rival.
In boxing analogies, I’m thinking of George Foreman or Michael Spinks.
The heavy hitters will be be coming out 1 September, now that Ali has roped the dope.
Great analogy on what’s coming up.
TriciaNC // August 26, 2008 at 6:06 pm
IMPORTANT!
Phillip Berg, the man that filed the court papers regarding *61 not being a natural born citizen says he has within the last hour received confirmation that *61 was indeed adopted by Lolo Soetoro and was an Indonesian citizen. He also has confirmation, *61 used the Indonesian passport to go to Pakistan in 1981.
There is no record he revoked that citizenship and swore oath to this country.
Says he wants us to get ahold of any delgates to make *61 face this and step down ASAP before he is nominated.
Says also believes (although he has yet to receive full disclosure of all case law…is working on it) he may not even be eligible to be a US Senator.
Says he is 99.99% sure.
He says Repubs have this info but probably will not do anything until he is nominated.