If the polls don’t reflect Obama’s star power maybe it is because he makes stupid decisions, like touring around with this guy.
“Don’t call me a bigot or anti-gay, when I have been touched by the same feelings,” McClurkin went on. “When I have suffered with the same feelings. Don’t call me a homophobe, when I love everybody … Don’t tell me that I stand up and I say vile words against the gay community because I don’t. I don’t speak against the homosexual. I tell you that God delivered me from homosexuality.”
In general, I think Obama may be on to something by trying to reach out to an increasingly disillusioned evangelical community. But he can’t do it in such clumsy ways. The key to winning over evangelicals is to convince them to put your issues ahead of culture war issues. That way, once you are in office they won’t expect you to do anything about abortion or ‘the homosexual agenda’. They knew you supported the progressive point of view on those issues and they voted for you anyway. Obama is capable of doing this right, but this has not been a good week for him.
maybe Obama is another John kerry just can’t say what he means. Nice simple sentence would help or little catch phrases. Like..I never voted for the war in Iraq. Troops will be home by Christmas if I’m President.
SCHIPS or contracts for Halliburton?
I will pursue war profiteers who are stealing from the American Taxpayer. Who’s profits are made on the blood of American troops.
Hillary will bring the Troops home by Christmas 2012.
She’s made no commitment to that.
Like many Democrats I wanted desperately to believe Obama, but trusting him is simply irrational. Here’s a guy who, when representing a minority urban Illinois district, was more or less on a par with Kucinich on the left-right continuum. Now he’s playing centrist and all about restoring bi-partisanship and compromise and is only a bit left (only so far as is needed to get votes) of Hillary Clinton.
No Democrat worthy of the name is going to win over any of the Christian Right crowd regardless of what they do. Obama is trying to reach out to evangelical blacks by playing into their bigotry instead of leading them toward tolerance. His missteps here on his home ground are indicative of his inexperience and lack of leadership. Obama has the personal charisma to espouse the policy positions of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton with far more success than either of them ever had. He just doesn’t have the courage.
maybe obama’s just a product of the media…ever think about that? and that his candidacy is nothing more than a chimera. for the media, and, l suspect, the major players, he’s nothing more than a modern-day political stalking horse to take the heat off hillary and soften the objections to her, vis a vis the reichwing…ain’t gonna work.
his problems go much deeper than this gaff. one could conclude that he’s inattentive, opportunistic, overly cautious, not paying attention to the day to day operations, tone deaf, ad infinitum. at the end of the day, he’s stupid.
his recent decline in the polls can’t be laid solely at the feet of this faux pas. it’s much more demonstrative of him having peaked. what the polls reflect is the harsh reality that he’s unable to extend his support beyond its initial core.
the man hasn’t got what it takes to be president, imnsho, and l’m not impressed by his tenure, to date, as a senator either.
he’s not a serious contender. not ready for prime time, indeed not.
lTMF’sA
maybe obama’s just a product of the media…ever think about that? and that his candidacy is nothing more than a chimera.
People keep asking me why Obama doesn’t thrill me, and this is pretty much why. He seems like he’s been carefully groomed from the start to play a role, and I just keep having the feeling that he’s a creation of the media, rather than being a real person. I think it’s the books he wrote, and everything else he’s done just being so carefully orchestrated with an eye toward running for president. One big SWOT analysis.
interesting correlation….had to look up swot though…more strategic mba bs.
the first mba president’s sure done a fine job, eh
lTMF’sA
prior to this rally. I thought it was a witch hunt.
Now, I think that either Obama or his staff are total idiots. Regardless of the statements made in the past, you cannot make the statements that this idiot makes FROM THE STAGE OF AN OBAMA RALLY without losing me. He lost me with this idiotic situation.
To me at this point there is only one Dem candidate who does not seem to be afraid to be a Dem in the traditional sense of the word. Edwards.
This of course assumes that Al is actually sitting this one out.
You guys are making a mountain out of a molehill. You’re hypnotised by your own code of symbolism.
if ‘you guys’ includes me, I don’t think I made that big of a deal out of it. I just remarked that he was stupid and sloppy and that he can do better.
care to more specific…maybe offer something more in terms of substance that supports/defends of that statement?
lTMF’sA
Obama is capable of doing this right
Really? Any examples you want to provide? I’d like to believe this is true, but I’m not seeing it.
Because I’ve been watching Obama ever since people started talking him up, and frankly I haven’t seem him do anything but make some fairly inspiring speeches. He’s a good public speaker, and if he wrote those speeches himself I’ll grant that he’s also a impressive wordsmith (I’m assuming he wrote them himself, but what do I know – he might have a great speechwriter on staff).
But he seems to have a tin ear for political framing, or maybe he’s got lousy instincts about who to take political advice from. His entire campaign so far has been one giant example of speaking lots of words without actually saying anything at all. And giving some pretty speeches without backing them up with actual action. And now, when he finally starts to take some action, he decides to “Sistah Soljah” the African-American gay community and attack Clinton from the right for her stance on Social Security reform.
It’s enough to remind people that his only previous campaign experience at the Federal level was his Senatorial run. Against Alan Keyes. Who moved into Illinois to run against him after Jack Ryan’s campaign imploded in a sex scandal.
This latest event just convinces me more that he wasn’t ready for prime time when he announced his candidacy and that he should have spent a few more years in the Senate (and maybe made a run for the Illinois governor’s mansion) before throwing his hat into the Presidential ring.
I’m saying that Obama may not be ready for prime time, he may have bad judgment — but his touring with Donnie McClurkin, while apparently the height of political incorrectness, is not the egregious example of said bad judgment some people are making it out to be. Rather, what I think is that, to the extent Obama has a particular wavelength, people who think this is so terribly important, are just not on it. And that’s — okay. You don’t have to vote for him. But whether Obama is a good or a not good candidate, I am sure he he is not “pandering to the Right.” I still have no fixed opinion about the man, but his style of campaigning is different and I certainly would prefer him to Hillary. The one I like the best at this point is Chris Dodd.