Monday, February 04, 2008

OBAMA'S APPEAL TO HOPE vs McCAIN'S APPEAL TO RETRENCHMENT-- HOW DO THEY CROSS OVER?

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Tweety says McCain will attract a great number of Democrats and independents. Not only is Tweety dead wrong, McCain will have a hard time attracting even Republicans voters. People are sick of the Republican brand. Bush and his collaborators have wrecked it... really wrecked it.

And I'm not only talking about McCain being scorned by neo-fascists like Coulter, Limbaugh, DeMint, Hannity and Santorum. Mainstream Republicans feel betrayed by the corruption, the extremism, the vicious partisanism, the lies, deceit, the incompetence and the venality. Time for something new. And for many Republicans-- as well as a gigantically increasing number of Democrats-- that means it's time for Barack Obama. In yesterday's Washington Post Peter Wehner, a former Assistant to George W. Bush, tackles the question about why so many Republicans are ready to give Obama a chance.
Barack Obama is not only popular among Democrats, he's also an appealing figure to many Republicans. Former GOP House member Joe Scarborough, now a host on MSNBC, reports that after every important Obama speech, he is inundated with e-mails praising the speech -- with most of them coming from Republicans. William Bennett, an influential conservative intellectual, has said favorable things about Obama. So have Rich Lowry of National Review and Peggy Noonan. And so have I.

...Part of it is the eloquence and uplift of his speeches, combined with his personal grace and dignity. By all accounts, Obama is a well-grounded, decent, thoughtful man. He comes across, in his person and manner, as nonpartisan. He has an unsurpassed ability to (seemingly) transcend politics. Even when he disagrees with people, he doesn't seem disagreeable. "You know what charm is," Albert Camus wrote in "The Fall," "a way of getting the answer yes without having asked any clear question." Obama has such charm, and its appeal is not restricted to Democrats.

A second reason Republicans appreciate Obama is that he is pitted against a couple, the Clintons, whom many Republicans hold in contempt. Among the effects of the Obama-Clinton race is that it is forcing Democrats to come to grips with the mendacity and ruthlessness of the Clinton machine. Conservatives have long believed that the Clintons are an unprincipled pair who will destroy those who stand between them and power -- whether they are political opponents, women from Bill Clinton's past or independent counsels.

...A third reason for Obama's GOP appeal is that unlike Clinton and especially John Edwards, Obama has a message that, at its core, is about unity and hope rather than division and resentment. He stresses that "out of many we are one."


A few days ago, the media tried making a story out of Arnold Schwarzenegger endorsing McCain. It disappeared fast. But today his wife, Maria Schriver, spontaneously endorsed Obama and it really was a story. People are wondering why Gore and Edwards are taking so long. At this point it doesn't matter that much; and their supporters seem to be migrating to Obama anyway. Momentum for Obama is so huge that he has to be considered the favorite.

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5 Comments:

At 10:27 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Howie, I do think the crossover of independents and Republicans to McCain will be offset by Obama's appeal to same and the many weary of 7 years of George W Bush. If nothing else, here is an excellent op for the Republican Stepford Wives to cancel the old man's vote.

Shriver was GREAT! Picked it up late on Hufpo last night and am surprised I am not seeing more press on it today?
Dinner at Ahnold's house must be REALLY interesting. He wants a cabinet seat with McCain, and half her family wants a cabinet seat with Obama!

 
At 11:13 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

OK...if you want to vote for someone who has limited expeirence on the Federal level...then be my guest.

 
At 11:27 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous, I think our bar for "experience" has been dramatically lowered by the thin resume of the "anti-science President" & Decider George W Bush.

We would elect Monica's boyfriends wife even!
(not me, ridiculous vote to give W more power in Iraq and she KNEW better).

 
At 12:08 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Both Bush and Hillary have had more experience than Obama. Bush was a governor for several years and Hillary has been in the Senate for one full term. As far as Hillary's vote on the war is concerned...well, at the time, it made the most sense politically. But, think what you will about the bar for experience and Bush's resume. I maintain that Obama, while appealing with a good talk and winning smile, may very well be in over his head if elected. Not unlike Jimmy Carter. And we all know what happend to him after 4 years.

 
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