That Electability Thing
25 July 2008 11:07 am by Taylor Marsh
BY TAYLOR MARSH
–updated–
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As Obama was having his successful sweep through Iraq, the Middle East and
Europe, polling in battleground states showed
shifts towards McCain. Memo to team Obama: This baby is far from locked
up. In fact, it’s going to be a nail biter. Because Senator Obama can travel
the world, give speeches with great flair, but when it comes to the American
voter, he or she has to understand and relate before Sen. Obama gets the nod.
Obama also faces discontent from some of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s most ardent
supporters, who are put off by what they describe as a campaign marked by
hubris and a style dedicated to televised extravaganzas.Susie Tompkins Buell, a major Clinton fundraiser, said: “The Clinton
supporters that I know are bothered by these rock-star events. These spectacles
are more about the candidate than they are about the party and the issues
that we care about.”
Sen. McCain has picked up support in almost every group in every state,
especially among independent voters and men voters. The Republican now leads
Obama among independent voters in Michigan and Minnesota. Overall results
show:* Colorado: McCain is up by a nose 46 – 44 percent, compared to a 49 – 44
percent Obama lead June 26;
* Michigan: Obama tops McCain 46 – 42 percent, compared to a 48 – 42 percent
lead last time;
* Minnesota: Obama edges ahead 46 – 44 percent, compared to a 54 – 37 percent
Obama lead;
* Wisconsin: Obama leads McCain 50 – 39 percent, compared to 52 – 39 percent.“Sen. Barack Obama’s post-primary bubble hasn’t burst, but it is leaking
a bit. It’s been a good month for Sen. John McCain.”…
Fox Opinion Dynamics
has the national race at Obama 41% – McCain 40%.
The
Wall Street Journal poll shows that more people identify with McCain than
Obama, by 11%.
Some of Clinton’s supporters remain unconvinced. But having an elitist spout
off certainly doesn’t make the case:
Lynn Forester de Rothschild, a Clinton fundraiser who lives in New York City,
said, “What I think is very important is that he has a problem with his
image. He is an aloof candidate. He does not connect with people. He has words,
but no ordinary person thinks that he is there for them, and women feel that
intensely.”
Lynn Forester de Rothschild isn’t the spokesperson for the “aloof”
argument, that’s for sure. Something tells me her main problem is that Obama
didn’t kiss her ring. Either that or she saw an ambassadorship slip away and
is making Obama pay. Every time her mug shows up on TV, I, for one, cringe.
But as I’ve been saying since Obama clinched the nomination, his non-partisan
foundation doesn’t make him more accessible, it makes him unreachable, because
he becomes impossible to peg. The Berlin speech in front of a massive crowd
was delivered masterfully, but with it Obama became more unaccessible, not less. Besides, fact finding missions are meant to be educational, which by that very definition should have less to do with photo ops than gathering knowledge about the people, the regions, and the challenges we are facing, sans fanfare. As of today, I had a hangover from it all. When I saw Obama with Sarkozy the only thing that came to mind was, enough already.
Obama’s trip didn’t answer a single question for American voters who will continue to ask, What does all this fanfare have to
do with me?
Who can solve this problem for a candidate with so many gifts, but who the more he campaigns, the more untouchable, impossible to peg, he seems?
It didn’t help that he bugged out on a chance to visit the troops. After an initial statement, an Obama military adviser was sent out to offer more gravitas to the decision. It was mission impossible:
An Obama adviser, Air Force Maj. Gen. Scott Gration (Ret.), later elaborated on Obama’s decision to skip the event.
“We learned from the Pentagon last night that the visit would be viewed instead as a campaign event,” Gration said. “Sen. Obama did not want to have a trip to see our wounded warriors (perceived) as a campaign event when his visit was to show his appreciation for our troops and decided instead not to go.”
With due respect, is he kidding? There’s not a reason in the world to justify skipping it. Hey, but they’re not listening to me.
UPDATE: To add, but there are plenty of excuses on tap today on why Obama didn’t stop at the bases and military hospital. The bottom line is this: The choice was Obama’s. He could have gone in with Secret Service only. He didn’t, though Obama’s team has a different side to tell. Any way you look at it, bad decision all ’round.
“Sen. Obama is welcome to visit Landstuhl or any military hospital in his official capacity as a United States senator,” Morrell said in a brief interview. “But there is a DOD policy which governs campaigning and electioneering at military facilities that would have to be respected if he were to visit. That distinction was relayed and made clear to campaign, and they made a decision on their own based on that guidance.”
Morrell, in a subsequent interview, added that military officials told Obama he could only visit the military facility with his Secret Service detail and Senate staff.
“We made it clear to him that campaign staff and press would not be permitted to accompany him,” Morrell said of Obama. “We relayed those ground rules. They made a choice based upon the information we relayed to them. It was their choice. We had nothing to do with it.”
