Obama may run for president

I agree, but does anyone think the MSM will take it so far in the other direction next time around? I do, and I think it'll be counterproductive.

 

Those are good points. If he ends up being elected, he'll also have a ton of pressure on him as well(first black president, cleaning up Iraq, war on terrorism, etc. ) But having said all that, I still have great confidence in him.

 

Not only are we giving the national media waaaayyyy too much credit, we're handing out a ton of credit to the American people. Let's keep in mind that a large portion of this country voted for the current president because they felt like he was somebody they could sit down and have a beer with.

People don't want smart answers. Come on, PDB, you know that. They want shit that sounds good or that they can understand. Obama has proven that he's just about the only Democrat who can pull that off. He's sort of like Clinton -- very smart, but with the uncanny ability to relay those smart thoughts in simple, easy-to-understand terms.

That portion of Killick's post that you highlighted is a perfect example. That shit, even though there's no definition for it, would sell like crazy among most Americans. "Makes sense to me. Guy wants government to do what government needs to do."

No matter what either side might think, a large portion of this country is simply tired of the bickering back and forth. You get two normal candidates -- one GOP, one Dem -- and the country is hearing the same tired crap going back and forth, we'll have another election split right down the middle. But you toss in a guy who openly criticizes both sides, a whole bunch of people will vote for him simply because of that. Dems will vote for him because they've got no choice. And a load of Republicans who are unhappy with the last six years but hesitant about voting for a Dem will line up behind him as well, because that criticism of his own party gives them an excuse to do so. If he's nominated -- and that will be his toughest battle -- and the Dems handle the campaign the right way, by presenting Obama as different and more bi-partisan, he'll win easy.

 

And, as I was reminded today, more people vote for American Idol than for the American president.

 

An excellent 5,000th post coming from you, Buckdub.

 

Dog,

You aren't giving the media or the voters enough credit. Every voter has certain issues that they truly care about and will vote on -- whether it be taxes, abortion, gay rights, prayer in schools, education, whatever -- and they want to know where a candidate stands. Obama can't duck the issues forever because the voters who care about them are going to want somewhat definitive answers. And that highlighted answer only works for so long because eventually a candidate will get grilled about their deficit plan -- do you raise taxes, alter entitlement programs, cut programs or pray that God drops 5 gazillion dollars in gold bricks on the White House lawn. Suddenly, Obama is faced with a series of politically unpopular choices. He can't raise taxes, cutting any kind of entitlment program will put Dems up in arms, cutting money to the states ensures that no governor will use his/her political machine on his behalf. So you sit on the status quo and hope the economy increases tax revenues without a tax increase. And no plan ensures that the media asks him every day if he has a plan and John McCain/Mitt Romney/Rudy Guiliani accuses him of not being ready for prime time because he can't even tell people what he plans to do when he becomes president. That leads into a media firestorm about why Obama wants to be president and suddenly, he's just another politician.

Yes, presidential elections are won on larger themes: Clinton and the economy, Bush's philosophy of the American people would rather have someone who is strong and wrong rather than right and weak, Reagan's I'll Get The Bastards foreign policy, etc. But Clinton had a specific middle class tax plan. Even in 96, Clinton had microproposals like school uniforms and the V chip. There was virtually nothing in NCLB that Bush didn't propose during the campaign. Kerry's lack of a coherent Iraq policy made him a constant target (witness the debacle at the Grand Canyon). So Obama either comes out with clear proposals, which basically flushes him out to the snipers....or he runs a campaign in the policy shadows and risks having the media and opponents spent the entire campaign trying to get clear statements out of him. Obama will never be more popular politically than the day before he announces he is running for president.

Buckdub: Lee Atwater called. He has a job for you in the Reagan '80 campaign......

 

Bingo, PDB. Once Obama starts taking stands on specific issues, the world won't think his farts smell like baby powder anymore.

 

I thought Americans would think the same way about Bush, but alas, no dice.

 

Nice, smartass reply, right out of the condescending, smarky Dem playbook. What do you expect from a Jayhawk?

 

I don't know how everyone's missed this one ...

But Obama appeals to many in part because everyone wants another JFK -- young, intelligent fellow who represents the ideals of the 30- and 40-somethings.

 

Your Holiness --
It is about here where I'm supposed to point out that, in 2000, in the campaign you assert was so ideas-centered, Bush lost the popular vote by over half-a-million. Yes, he still finagled his election, but the former result is a pretty good measure that people didn't altogether buy what he was selling.
Anyway, Bush had proposals, not policies. He resolutely refused to explain the details behind NCLB, including how to pay for it, and its effect on education-reform plans already under way in the states. The tax-cut plan was built on sand; I may have a plan to give every American a unicorn, and I might be able to sell it, but I'm not going to be able to do it. It was a personality-driven election as much as it was anything else.
It's far too early for Obama, IMHO. Half-a-senatorial term isn't enough for me.

 

Not to be cynical, because how could I be cynical about a guy who worked his way up in Chicago Democratic politics, but the VERY BEST way for a politician to sell his or her book is to hint about running for president, whether or not they mean it.
Al Gore, previously Shermanesque, did quite a bit of fancy dancing on '08 when he was attempting to draw crowds for "An Inconvienent Truth."
That's not criticism of either man. There's nothing illegal or immoral about thinking about running for president.