It’s all about the Glass Jaw Update: AOL Hot Seat poll added!
posted at 8:17 am on March 5, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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Barack Obama could be excused for believing two weeks ago that he had nothing more than a flower-strewn path to the nomination. Women fainted in his presence, the media loved telling the story of the new Bobby Kennedy, and Hillary Clinton appeared to have all but conceded in her last debate. A funny thing happened on the way to Obama’s coronation, however — suddenly people started treating him as a candidate rather than a secular messiah, and Obama displayed a surprising glass jaw.
Now he faces an unexpected stumble, losing three of four primaries after a string of victories that should have convinced people the primaries were over. He has to fight a two-front war while both Hillary and John McCain work in parallel to derail him:
With losses in three out of four primaries yesterday, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and his campaign face a scenario that a barrage of advertising, phone calls and door-knocking could not avert — a protracted, two-front war against Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and the presumptive Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain.
Even before the polls opened, campaign officials were dreading an outcome that would keep Clinton (D-N.Y.) in the race at least through the Pennsylvania primary on April 22. Those seven weeks will cost Obama at least $10 million, and possibly much more, campaign aides say, as he battles a rejuvenated Clinton who will have every incentive to try to force him into a major mistake. …
McCain has already made clear how he will try to brand Obama if they are opponents in November, drawing on the Illinois Democrat’s Senate votes on abortion, taxes and guns as evidence that he is out of the mainstream. But more broadly, Republicans are poised to offer what they consider a stark contrast between McCain’s lifetime of experience — in war, in the Senate, in politics — and a caricature of a young, inexperienced neophyte with little but fancy rhetoric to offer.
That is a line of attack Clinton has tried for weeks. But McCain’s advisers say they think their candidate will be more effective in convincing the public that Obama is not ready to lead the nation, especially during an economic downturn and while waging two wars overseas.
As part of the wide-ranging case they have begun constructing, they plan to follow some of the threads that Clinton has already exposed: Obama’s ties to Chicago businessman Antoin “Tony” Rezko; the senator’s failure to hold hearings on Afghanistan in his Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee; his decision to repeatedly vote “present” in the Illinois legislature.
Of course, Obama had faced a two-front battle for the last month. Ever since Super Tuesday on February 5th, John McCain knew he had the Republican nomination sewn up. Even that night, his speech targeted Barack Obama instead of his GOP rivals, and McCain has focused on Obama almost exclusively. Presciently, he dropped the attacks on Hillary Clinton that he and other Republicans had used during the debates.
So what’s changed? Hillary Clinton decided to go negative over the past two weeks. Everyone expected her to do it, but no one knew it would be as effective as it has been. Many analysts wrote it off as a desperation tactic, and that had some truth to it; if she had been winning some of the states in February, she likely wouldn’t have risked it. However, Obama has some glaring deficiencies, and Hillary’s team has managed to highlight them without alienating voters, who generally like Obama.
Even then, it wouldn’t have mattered if Obama had handled the negative campaigning with any kind of aplomb. Instead, his campaign made a serious unforced error over NAFTA and essentially got caught in a series of lies over their outreach to Canadian diplomats. That undermined Obama’s political integrity, his greatest asset. He also got caught up in the expected media feast of the Tony Rezko trial, an opporunity for the press to look a little more like journalists than hagiographers.
And how did Obama react? He blew up during a Texas press conference heavily attended by Chicago journalists. He stormed off after only eight questions regarding the contacts between his campaign and Canadian diplomats over NAFTA and the Rezko trial. The national press had already been grumbling about his insularity, and Obama gave them an excuse to write reams of material about it, Rezko, and the NAFTA dance.
In short, Obama has exposed himself as a seriously inexperienced and flawed candidate. He hasn’t really been tested until now, and the glass jaw he showed in the first few days of the real bout must have the party establishment worried about a lengthy battle against either Hillary or McCain. Against both, he may soon flounder — and that slim lead in pledged delegates will not present much of an obstacle to bypassing him in Denver.
UPDATE: Added the Hot Seat poll. For AOL readers, welcome to Hot Air — take a tour of the site, and keep checking back with us. We update a lot here, so be sure to bookmark us for regular reading!
UPDATE II: Michael Graham predicted this five weeks ago, although not the part about not winning another state.
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It just seems to me that Obama supporters don’t even care about the Messiah’s stance on NAFTA, or care about Rezko. Heck, most of ‘em only care about “hope” and “change” and the feel-good empty image Obama projects.
JetBoy on March 5, 2008 at 8:22 AM
I think his big ears are cute, even if most people think it makes him look stupid. Remember Dumbo? He could fly. Can Hillary fly? Obama ought to be proud.
JiangxiDad on March 5, 2008 at 8:22 AM
Oh it’s a going to be a hot time in the old town tonight….
doriangrey on March 5, 2008 at 8:23 AM
I had a hunch that Obama would prove to be thin-skinned once the media stopped giving him a free pass. Great work, Ed, and congrats on your new gig ;-)
SWLiP on March 5, 2008 at 8:26 AM
It would’ve been nice to have this happen in the general, but no, we had to play stupid dangerous games and give Hillary a shot.
James on March 5, 2008 at 8:27 AM
The problem with his supporters is that he seems to have them wearing blinders, so they can only look ahead to the furure, to hope, to The Promise Of Good Things To Come.
Never mind what is going on on the sidelines, like NAFTA, Rezko, B.O.’s extremely limited political experience, the fact that you get blank stares if you ask someone to name just one significant thing he has done his entire political life, that kind of thing.
pilamaye on March 5, 2008 at 8:29 AM
this does promise to get interesting lol
trailortrash on March 5, 2008 at 8:30 AM
Some might question McCain’s wisdom in raising the same doubts about Obama that Hillary has, with limited success, but McCain isn’t reaching out to committed Dems like Hillary is–he’s reaching out to the undecideds & moderates who ultimately decide every Presidential race.
jgapinoy on March 5, 2008 at 8:30 AM
I’ve been patiently waiting for this, and for the media to finally begin to cover it. NO one is as pure in thought word and deed as Obama has been portrayed these past months. The willingness and colusion (sp) of the press to simply ‘not see’ his slips and bad moments has effectively colored this campaign and now they find themselves a bit shamefaced. How to now expose their media darling for the flawed man he actually is and yet still preserve his/their ambitions. Normally the media gives, then takes back (see McCain and NYT) but how, they wonder, to take back here without really taking back too much and attempt to improve their own reputations. Sorry fellows, that die has been cast and can not be a do-over.
dustoffmom on March 5, 2008 at 8:35 AM
I’m beginning to wonder whether BHO is not a better candidate for Jonny Mac to face in the general than HRC.
Both the Dem candidates are having their frailties exposed, but it is BHO who is currently mired in sleaze and looking like an empty suit.
Pax americana on March 5, 2008 at 8:36 AM
Yes. I fear we may have made a deal with the
proverbialreal devil.gideon on March 5, 2008 at 8:36 AM
Both Clinton and Obama are such total jokes as presidential candidates, the fact that Democrats can seriously consider putting either in charge of the Free World is a thought so depressing - what it says about the mental health of America - that all else pales in importance. Here we are in wartime, with a very real threat of nuclear jihad, and all this attention focused on two Leftist clowns who could only have a shot at the White House in Bizarro world.
Halley on March 5, 2008 at 8:36 AM
Wladimir Klitschko vs. Lamon Brewster pt.3
Or, what Hillary hopes to do to Obama. Glass Jaw.
TheBigOldDog on March 5, 2008 at 8:39 AM
As a Republican strategist this is a “perfect storm” scenario to see the Democratic nominees still going toe to toe with no apparent end in sight. The morning crew at MSNBC* sees no other alternative than both Obama and Clinton to join forces to defeat McCain in November. With both candidates understanding that neither can win if they alienate a large portion of each others segments of their constituents, how will Howard Dean and the superdelegates go about deciding the clear winner with out fracturing the party in the process? Christopher Hitchens says Hillary’s victory speech last night—- where she rattled off her “big battle ground states” victories INCLUDED Florida and Michigan. The fact that Clinton is “claiming” she won these two states that were not contested by Obama AND have been disqualified by the Democratic Party, suggest that (according to Hillary) the rules only count if they are in her favor. This could potentially become a character issue that may prevent her from having the opportunity to answer that 3 a.m. call in the White House.
* (The reason I have quoted MSNBC (a network I despise for their un-mitigated bias) is because this gives a more accurate pulse of what the mainstream media will be framing in the months ahead. And there’s nothing more satisfying than to see them twisting in the wind.)
Rovin on March 5, 2008 at 8:47 AM
Between his glass jaw and the depressing rhetotic from his wife … a good time should be had by all.
If only the MSM would get into the game.
darwin on March 5, 2008 at 8:49 AM
For me, the end of every political/social thread comes down to this. You may have grown up in one country, but you now live in another. Act and plan accordingly. Things really are not the same any longer. I’m sorry for you and for me. I think we are witnessing the passing of one age and the dawn of another. Most people are simply not intelligent enough to see the dangerous mix of technology and socialism and the monstrous totalitarianism that is the likely product. This is the only reason I sometimes wish I didn’t have kids.
JiangxiDad on March 5, 2008 at 8:49 AM
Dear Ed,
Are you trying to go all “Buckley” on us with the big words like “hagiographers?”
Cordially,
BR
Branch Rickey on March 5, 2008 at 8:50 AM
He’s young. He’ll join the bottom of her ticket. BUT, will that be enough for the Obamamaniacs?
Rational Thought on March 5, 2008 at 8:50 AM
Not without her broom.
steveegg on March 5, 2008 at 8:51 AM
Thank the Lord McCain and Hillary are friends.
emailnuevo on March 5, 2008 at 8:52 AM
Before people cry glass jaw, keep in mind that if BO converts, he’ll come out even stronger. There isn’t a deep well of scandal to write about with the Obamas, unlike the Clintons. If they can weather this, all they’ll need to do is refactor the socialism as populist “capitalism with a conscience,” and they’re sitting pretty for the general.
spmat on March 5, 2008 at 8:52 AM
I’m sure many of you know how it feels when you get the praise all the time, and then suddenly you’re hit by a harsh criticism.
It’s like the feeling of a spoiled, rotten, safe-in-his-corner child when -out of nowhere- he faces an avalanche of punches.
I’m sure Hussein knows what I mean.
That boy Hussein is a puppet, a sissy boy, immature. Not qualified to be Commander-in-Chief.
Indy Conservative on March 5, 2008 at 8:52 AM
I think for the most part that would just be his very young supporters.
Although he makes his older supporters feel good too, they are not quite so naive.
That is why Hillary won by 10% in Ohio.
ArmyAunt on March 5, 2008 at 8:53 AM
At this point, after all of the “hope” if Hillary manages to wrest the nomination away from Obama, especially if Obama still leads in committed delegates, or if he is very close, there are going to be lots of extremely disappointed blacks and far left liberals who aren’t going to forgive and forget.
My hope is that Hillary and Obama continue going negative on each other, they split the remaining primaries, with a slight lead going to Hillary.
Hillary is given the nomination in the convention.
And that the Greens are smart enough to add Cynthia McKinney as the VP to their ticket.
In such a scenario, I could see the Green ticket breaking 10%, with all of it coming straight out of the hides of the Democrats.
MarkTheGreat on March 5, 2008 at 8:54 AM
This is the point of the “dangerous game” mentioned above, which should actually be called a “brilliant maneuver” on Rush Limbaugh’s part (who of course is getting no mention in the post-election press even though his call for Republicans to cross-over clearly had an effect). It means that both Obama and Clinton will have to unload their war chests on each other while McCain plays catch-up in fundraising, which will level the playing field a bit (though common man Republicans will still be at a disadvantage through November against the party of the rich). More importantly whichever Democrat wins will be wounded and McCain will be able to simply follow up on the line of attack already established by their opponent.
My wife is a staunch Democrat and was furious at me for heeding Rush’s call to crossover yesterday and vote Hillary in Ohio. She voted Obama and wants him to win. Yet even she conceded today that it isn’t necessarily a bad thing for Obama to get roughed up and see how he handles this “crisis”.
So you see, everyone’s happy today. Maybe Rush Limbaugh really does deserve that Nobel Peace Prize.
miles on March 5, 2008 at 8:55 AM
With the way Hillary and Obama are going at each other, it’s hard for me to imagine either of them being on the bottom of the others ticket.
I don’t know how many of the Obamamaniacs would accept that as well.
On the other hand, having Obama as VP allows Michelle to maintain a presence on the national stage. She’s the gift that keeps on giving.
MarkTheGreat on March 5, 2008 at 8:59 AM
Hugh Hewitt’s quote last night during HillaryFest was that at the coronation of Queen Hillary, Rush was going to have to place the tiara on her head.
Heh.
I think we’re just a little ahead of ourselves. I think Hillary didn’t want to go negative on Obama, because all of her arguments against him can be used against her. Let the fight continue.
Jaibones on March 5, 2008 at 9:00 AM
All right…I gotta say that little AOL poll thingy is pretty slick. You guys are really feeling it at HotAir, aren’t you?
Jaibones on March 5, 2008 at 9:05 AM
Conservatives and liberals are engaged in a life or death ideological battle for the future political system for this country. I have family members I rarely see or talk to because they are my ideological enemies, and want to fashion the country in such a way that would make my life a misery. How do you do it?
JiangxiDad on March 5, 2008 at 9:05 AM
Let’s not forget the fact that Mrs. Obama has really started to show her true colors in the last few weeks and that is not helping either…
rbb on March 5, 2008 at 9:06 AM
I’ve always thought that once we get to the general election, should he be the dem candidate, he would fall apart in the debates. People would finally see him for what he truly is: An extreme left-wing empty suit.
Rod on March 5, 2008 at 9:08 AM
He can’t. He and his wife have had everything handed to them all their life. Over/Under on days till race card play?
LtE126 on March 5, 2008 at 9:08 AM
That’s just it. It’s not just Obama’s “jaw” that’s made of glass…his whole self is transparent. His supporters won’t be swayed by anything. They just blindly have this image that if Obama is POTUS, the whole world will be clean…it’ll be sunny and 70 degrees everywhere, every day…America will magically become beloved the world over, and we’ll all hold hands and sing Kumbaya each morning.
If the media turns on Obama…as they’re slowly starting to…Hillary could pounce on him. But only with the undecided Dem voters. It would take a major blunder on Obama’s part to cause his supporters to think twice about him.
With the Messiah, it’s all about empty style. He gives a lot of people that warm fuzzy they so desire. That’s all they want. But, if the “Big O” does become the nominee, McCain will bury him in the first debate.
JetBoy on March 5, 2008 at 9:12 AM
THANK GOD FOR CAPTIAN ED MORRISSEY! HotAir certainly needed the FreshAir he brings to the blog!
Dread Pirate Roberts VI on March 5, 2008 at 9:13 AM
I think McCain will fight him harder than he would against his friend Hillary.
JiangxiDad on March 5, 2008 at 9:13 AM
McCain’s timing seems a little off. Shouldn’t he wait until Obama crushes Hillary before he unloads this line of attack? Doing it now just helps Hillary. I guess if he thinks he’d rather face Hillary this is the thing to do.
Lehuster on March 5, 2008 at 9:14 AM
What did him in in Tuesday race were two things: His wife’s big mouth and Rush Limbaugh’s urging voters to cross over. These were significant. Following up would be him being bloodied by the Chicago press and the Rezko affair.
wepeople on March 5, 2008 at 9:16 AM
Those AOL Polls are useless, only peolpe on AOL are counted
KBird on March 5, 2008 at 9:18 AM
McCain needs to focus his attack on the mismatch of the rhetoric, not the emptiness, loftiness, or the platitudes of the rhetoric. If he doesn’t do that he sets himself up for bad comparisons.
ninjapirate on March 5, 2008 at 9:19 AM
Reporter. “So, Mr. Obama. What are your plans for the economy as we experience a downturn?”
Obama. “Hopey! Hopey! Changey! Changey!”
Reporter. “What are your plans in our on-going war on radical Islamists?”
Obama. “Hopey! Hopey! Changey! Changey!”
You get the picture. And I can’t believe so many people lap it up.
BowHuntingTexas on March 5, 2008 at 9:20 AM
This was so good, I thought it should be repeated. I wonder daily what is going through a person’s mind to even begin to consider these two.
As depressing as it is, I admit I find myself thinking the same. The direction this world seems to be going in at times is scary.
4shoes on March 5, 2008 at 9:23 AM
Having listened to his
gut the militarycut wasteful spending speech, I listened with interest a few minutes ago about China’s efforts to weaponize space.Our friends the Chinese are spending a great deal of money (% of GDP) and are increasing their ability to track and shoot down hostile (our) satellites.
Thank goodness under an Obama administration we’re not going to provoke conflict by doing R&D and developing space-related weapon systems. Once the PRC recognizes our good intentions they will surely shelve their plans and likewise unilaterally disarm.
Naivete is like a warm sweater. It makes us feel good and goes well with birkenstocks.
moxie_neanderthal on March 5, 2008 at 9:28 AM
Yup, glass jaw and punch drunk.
Obambi got a whoopin last night and all he could do was step up to the microphone and spew out the same old stale platitudes and neverending heart-touching stories of people he’s met who, “for no reason of their own” got screwed living here in the greatest country in the world, a country with endless opportunities and a health care system envied by the rest of the world. Boo-freakin-hoo dude.
If he’s just going to stand there, continue with the toughy-feely garbage and say he’s a different kind of politician who plays the game with his non-confrontational rules, he’s in for a rude awakening. Speaking softly while Hillary’s wielding a big stick is a losing stategy.
Obambi’s a talker, not a fighter. He’s for cutting and running from the most significant fight of our lifetime. If he were backed into a corner in a dark alley with a couple of street thugs he wouldn’t fight back. He’d recite a few verses of Mary had a Little Lamb to show his attackers he was a pacifist peacenik, then hope they would change their mind about stealing his lunch money.
There’s no hard outer shell, only a gooey soft center.
fogw on March 5, 2008 at 9:31 AM
I dont think it was Glacier going negative so much as her and SNL embarrassing the press into actually asking Messiah a tough question.
Dash on March 5, 2008 at 9:32 AM
In response, on this morning’s Today show, Obama listed Michigan first as one of the states he’s won, which is odd given that he wasn’t on the ballot. He can speechify wonderfully, but speaking extemporaneously is not his strong suit.
Meanwhile, Hugo Chavez just moved 10 tank brigades to the Columbian border. Someone please ask the Messiah: What would you do?
Pablo on March 5, 2008 at 9:32 AM
That’s his wife’s job. They’re a team. She’s the thug that takes the heat and protects Bambi’s innocence.
JiangxiDad on March 5, 2008 at 9:33 AM
ROFLMAO!
TheBigOldDog on March 5, 2008 at 9:36 AM
Is that picture of Obama darkened?
Rode Werk on March 5, 2008 at 9:36 AM
Insightful observation.
TheBigOldDog on March 5, 2008 at 9:38 AM
The thing I like about this post is how the “AOL Hot Seat” button gives Ed a dramatic, sort of Gary Sinise, CSI:NY look.
I voted “no”, but if his pre-PA campaigning involves mostly whining, I’ll switch.
eeyore on March 5, 2008 at 9:44 AM
McCain needs to focus on the emptiness of the suite. There is an effective way to do this:
Political Ad Idea.
First shot…business shoes/suite pants…with briefcase next to feet. Obviously in a non descript waiting room.
“Next”
Camera catches the small sign outside the door that says Human Resources.
Door opens and a woman in business attire sits behind the desk. She rises and reaches out her hand and says “Please be seated.”
The man (we don’t see his face) says “Thank you”
HR Woman: “I’ve heard so much about you, I’m glad we have an opportunity to talk.” “This is a very important position and we’re looking for the right canidate who can be a high impact player and make a positive difference to the bottom line.”
Man: “I can be whatever you need and can do it all. I’m your candidate.”
HR Woman: “That sounds wonderful. Do you have a resume?”
Man: “Yes I do”
Man opens briefcase and slides his resume across the desk so it is facing the woman. Camera over womans shoulder zooms in and shows a blank white piece of paper with only “Resume” as a header at the top. The woman holds the paper and rubs the paper as if to see if their is another page, turns the paper over and then rests the paper back on the desk.
Camera goes slightly out of focus but remains directed at the blank resume as a voice-over says something to the effect “Shouldn’t our most important job require more in a resume?”
Just and idea, but it hits home the thin resume by comparing it to a regular job interview process….
Any thoughts…?
moxie_neanderthal on March 5, 2008 at 9:46 AM
Rode Werk on March 5, 2008 at 9:36 AM
That’s what I was thinking. Clinton’s at work again?
But then again, this might be his angry look, if empty suits can have one.
leanright on March 5, 2008 at 9:54 AM
Guess I disagree with the majority here. I think in a McCain vs Obama debate in the general, Obama’s style points will count for more than his lack of substance. Perhaps I’m a bit too cynical about what the average voter feels is important. Here is a question, I’ve been mulling: If Obama is given the bottom of the Dem ticket, will his position on the bottom rather than the top, create a significant number of disgruntled Obama groupies who stay home, particularly if the Michigan/Florida issue is the deciding factor?
a capella on March 5, 2008 at 10:00 AM
I honestly think it would be better to face Hillary in the general election. Her negatives are really high, not just among republicans, but independents as well. If she is the nominee, I really don’t think the conservatives who are unhappy with Mccain will just stay home and let Hillary win. Their hatred for Hillary will drive them to the polls.
Obama’s followers will blindly follow him, every time the young, naive voters fall under his spell. I can’t tell you how sick I am of hearing his supporters talk about how he is for change. The Grand Wizard of the KKK is for change as well. Would they vote for him? Granted, he’s for a different kind of change, but as long as he just sticks to saying he’s for change maybe he could get some votes. I guess the only requirement to becoming president is to be in favor of change.
Erockk on March 5, 2008 at 10:02 AM
They are both going to have to spend a ton money fighting this out. Woo hoo!
I don’t know - HRC just doesn’t have that seductive quality BHO has.
Bingo, although at least she knows when and how to salute the flag.
Buy Danish on March 5, 2008 at 10:06 AM
What pisses me off is this is something that should’ve come out, immediately. Had the media not made an all-out blackout of anything negative that even had the word “Hussein” in it, we would’ve been hearing a lot more about this, a lot earlier. We would’ve heard about his shady deals, his utterly ineffective and lackluster political career, his psychotic wife, etc., and he would’ve been getting bombed from the beginning. The same with Hillary. Why isn’t anybody talking about her illegal (felonious?) possession of FBI files on people she regarded as political enemies? Why aren’t people talking more about the books about her?
“Unlimited Access: An FBI Agent Inside the Clinton White House”, by Aldrich, Gary.
“Hillary Rodham Clinton: What Every American Should Know”, by American Conservative Union.
“American Evita: Hillary Clinton’s Path to Power”, by Andersen Christopher
“Whitewash: How the News Media Are Paving Hillary Clinton’s Path to the Presidency”, by Bozell, L. Brent and Tim Graham.
“The Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy’s Dossier on Hillary Clinton”, by Amanda B. Carpenter
“Liberal Fascism: The Totalitarian Temptation from Mussolini to Hillary Clinton”, by Jonah Goldberg
“The Shadow Party : How Hillary Clinton, George Soros, and the Sixties Left Took Over the Democratic Party”, by David Horowitz David and Richard Poe
Both of them are similar destructive politicians that are looking to do nothing more than tear America down, and remake it in their own image. It’s about time somebody started at least tossing Obama softballs, as opposed to the cottonballs they’ve been underhand tossing his way, before.
Virus-X on March 5, 2008 at 10:07 AM
I’m probably in the minority but I honestly think the race is McCain’s to loose. Unless McCain fails to get on message and consolidate the base, he’ll beat either Clinton or Obama by a reasonably comfortable margin.
moxie_neanderthal on March 5, 2008 at 10:11 AM
I believe Michelle Obama hurt Barack like Bill Clinton hurt Hillary in South Carolina. What an eyeroller to hear someone who went to an Ivy League school and is paid over $300K as a hospital administrator complain about the costs of her kids’ extracurricular activities, that she can’t keep her head above water and that she’s never been proud of the country.
For goodness sake, she’s fortunate to be married to someone who is running for President and has the means to travel with him! And if she can’t handle activites for her two children how the heck will she handle being First Lady? She comes across as mean and entitled and not the least appreciative of all the wonderful things the country has afforded her.
If Obama wants to do well they need to put her mouth in a lockbox the same way Hillary did with Bill.
Sensible Mom on March 5, 2008 at 10:22 AM
Psst…quit looking at my posts before I hit submit. :)
Agree. Obama may well be an empty suit but he has style and that is all his followers want. Look at Johnny Mac talking last night. Stinted, my friends, squeeky, yada yada. The public won’t listen to what is said in the debates, but how it is said. Hillary is easier to beat. Her and McCain both sound like broken washing machines at the podium.
Limerick on March 5, 2008 at 10:30 AM
Soon we shall receive a lesson on the difference between real character and fiened character.
ronsfi on March 5, 2008 at 10:32 AM
The media giveth and the media taketh away.
Oboomlet.
profitsbeard on March 5, 2008 at 11:03 AM
How about this gem:
Who’s got time to go to the fruit stand? Who can afford it, first of all?”
Buy Danish on March 5, 2008 at 11:12 AM
I don’t know that we would ever discover the glass jaw in the general election, if it wasn’t exposed in the primary. In the primary, the MSM has divided loyalties - some are for Hillary, and some just want to make sure they “vet” the strongest nominee. In the general, the press (except for Fox and the WSJ) will be 100% unified behind Obama, healer of the sick and saviour of our souls.
So the dirt either gets out during an extended dem primary, or not at all.
BuzzCrutcher on March 5, 2008 at 11:14 AM
If conservatives are smart, they could take advantage of this. Sometimes ideological differences are not as great as they seem and it doesn’t take a whole lot to swing them right.
Connie on March 5, 2008 at 11:18 AM
Who oddly decided to become a full time mother only after her husband decided he deserved to be President.
drjohn on March 5, 2008 at 11:30 AM
The race will be over before the debates if Obama gets the nomination.
The toxic combination of the contents of Obama’s steamer trunks and his blabbermouth wife will, in the end, make the electoral college map look something like the 1988 one. Of course, the rabid Obamaniacs will jump off the cliff like lemmings for their new messiah but that will not be enough to win an election or even get close. I suspect that the closer we get to the election a good portion of them will have melted away like a fog on a sunny morning. Some will vote for Nader or McKinney, many will just sit at home with their bongs and bitch about being disillusioned and depressed.
As far as the MSM goes I do find it interesting that it appears that the American wing of the MSM is being driven by its Euro/Anglosphere counterparts. The Times of London and either the Sydney Morning Herald or The Age (can’t remember offhand which it was) both had lengthy articles on the Rozko affair a week or two ago. They have also run opinion pieces stating essentially that Obama is the poster child for the adage “be careful what you wish for, you just might get it”. They know that the world (and western civilization in particular) can not afford to have someone who makes Jimmah Carter look like he has cajones as President. The Euros are seeing not only the sun rise in the east but the birth of a neocommunistic Russia that has them by the shorthairs coupled with the large Islamofascist problem of their own creation that they have in their own countries. It is dawning on them that perhaps they have been a bit too hard on the “cowboy Amerikkkans” because they are no longer sure we will be there to bail them out anymore and they know that they are going to need bailing out. The kerfluffle over NAFTA is not helping with the Canadian MSM, either, and many in the border states get a good portion of their news from Canadian sources. I know I did when I lived near the border.
The American MSM has done it’s best to cover up the Obamabaggage but their attempts have failed in large part because of the Euro MSM and blogs. Their modus operandi when “an inconvenient truth” that makes their candidate look bad surfaces is to mention it then bury it like a cat buries its turds, just so they can say they covered it. If they can not bury it they try to spin it along with the usual attacks on any and all who dispute them. Obama’s own reaction to being questioned on these matters does not bode well for him and these matters are just the tip of the iceberg. If he continues to treat the MSM like this he will find that his “good doggie” press will bite him in the arse.
Toss into this mix that wonderful woman named Michelle Obama. She will truly be the gift that keeps on giving. I did not think it was possible to find someone who makes Teresa Heinz look “good”. She will make excellent ad campaign fodder which will expose a great many truths about Barak Hussein Obama. Truths that will drive away all but the rabid Obamaniacs, the race warriors and the Democratic nutroots. Despite what the Obamas and their BFF’s think think the vast majority of Americans do not hate their country as much as they do.
I am going to make a little prediction…
If Obama is the nomineee (and I am being generous to Obama here):
McCain-328 electoral votes and 52% of the popular vote.
Obama-210 electoral votes and 39% of the popular vote.
Nader/McKinney/Others-0 electoral votes and 9% of the popular vote
Nahanni on March 5, 2008 at 11:45 AM
It’s about time that somebody put the Anointed Oprah-Messiah in his place–he’s just another crooked liberal politician from Chicago, like the Daleys and Hillary Rodham!
McCain was right to go after Obama (not Hillary) after Obama’s 11 straight wins in primaries and caucuses, rather than let Obama skate by for six months on empty platitudes of “hope” and “change” that hypnotize the dreamers, then try to win debates in the last two months. Obama’s responses about the Farrakhan question showed that he’s a slippery debater. Obama’s inexperience, naivete, and unfitness for the Presidency should be obvious to mature adults, but McCain needs time to explain the issues to the voters. Since he now has the GOP nomination clinched, he has the time. With enough time, he can win the votes of enough clear-thinking adults to outnumber the fainting dreamers and wishful thinkers at Obama’s speeches.
Clinton’s wins in Ohio and Texas practically guarantee that the Democrat race will continue at least through PA on April 22, and probably well beyond. Many diehard Democrats have discovered weaknesses in Obama–he’s not squeaky-clean and has lied to the voters. But Obama still has a slight lead in delegates (about 3%), and will probably win NC and MS due to their heavy black population, so the pledged delegates will be nearly tied after all primaries and caucuses are over.
If the super-delegates follow the lead of the pledged delegates in their states or districts, they will probably split nearly evenly between Clinton and Obama. Unless either Clinton or Obama concedes or makes a major gaffe, it seems likely that neither candidate reaches the nomination threshold after all primaries even with super-delegates, due to the absence of delegates from FL and MI, and delegates pledged to Edwards. Unless some arrangement is made for FL and MI delegates, or “do-over” primaries, this race might not be decided until the Dem convention in August.
The Democrats are divided–can McCain conquer?
Steve Z on March 5, 2008 at 11:54 AM
To me, it’s becoming obvious that it doesn’t really matter which Dem is put forward-neither is Presidential, both are too flawed, too corrupt to make it.
The world has changed in 30 years, and if the last “Change Messiah” the Dems won with were running this year, Jimmy Carter wouldn’t have made it past Iowa. He was the “anti-Nixon/Ford” just as Obama/Clinton want to be the “anti-Bush”.
Will McCain win? Maybe-maybe not. The populace proved in 2006 that they can vote foolishly. They might just go Democrat,just as the earlier generation,’sick up and fed’ with Nixon, went with Carter, only to regret their mistake for years. See you in November.
Doug on March 5, 2008 at 11:57 AM
BO may be an empty suit with a short resume, but he sure does not have a glass jaw. Axelrod is fantastic and will have BO pushing back on Hillary’s accomplishments in the past 16 years since she came to DC. The candidate of change took it on the chin last night. No doubt.
BO’s short resume (a simple grass roots candidate with a million dollar education) serves him well. An agent for change must create change or it is by definition not an agent for change. Hillary has had her turn, now is the time for her to pass the baton.
Hillary’s 35 years proves she is not an agent for change.
Unless Republican majorities are the change you seek. ; )
Angry Dumbo on March 5, 2008 at 12:00 PM
No way - all of us may already be bored of Obama, but for the majority of voters, he’s still a novelty item, one that they don’t know much about. The more work that McCain does pre-defining him, the better. Nice to have Hillary helping out, too. Instead of getting a getting a big nomination boost while being introduced to the American public as indomitable new Democratic hero, we get the scowling, tainted phony, with the taint potentially spreading over the next few weeks.
It will be interesting to see whether he can keep his promise, re-stated last night, not to go negative on Hill. In all likelihood, he’ll try to let his surrogates do it for him, but it’ll be hard for him not to step over the line he’s drawn for himself.
CK MacLeod on March 5, 2008 at 12:01 PM
What are you saying? That he is like an M&M?
cjs1943 on March 5, 2008 at 12:16 PM
Good point. Has anyone noticed that on the dems sides, all of their spouses are out making speeches; Clinton, Obama, and Edwards? The reps spouses stay in the background, like they should, because the candidate themselves should be talking about their ideas/ideals, not some windbag whose message just might not agree with the candidate. Notice that Bill has gone underground or being that its him, maybe under the covers.
cjs1943 on March 5, 2008 at 12:36 PM
More like a gummy worm.
fogw on March 5, 2008 at 12:46 PM
For me, the end of every political/social thread comes down to this. You may have grown up in one country, but you now live in another. Act and plan accordingly. Things really are not the same any longer. I’m sorry for you and for me.
It took hundreds of years for the Roman Empire to spiral downwards, and to finally be extinguished. We’re on the spiral, together. It’s depressing for us, but will be hard for the next generations, except that they don’t know it, yet. If the liberals teach the lessons, they might never know that we have had it the best, in the history of the world, ever. Much I’d like to chat with you about JxD.
Entelechy on March 5, 2008 at 1:06 PM
But only after SNL ridiculed them into shame. Now they have to justify at least some of their income and raison d’être.
Entelechy on March 5, 2008 at 1:08 PM
Sorry, I failed to quote JiangxiDad’s entire comment :(
Entelechy on March 5, 2008 at 1:09 PM
Hi E. I know you have this perspective too. I am losing faith in the philosophical ideas of liberal(before it was a dirty word) western-style democracy. I don’t think there is any population that can sustain it. Those who say it is a lousy sytem, but the best one out there, might have added that one of the reasons it’s lousy is that it isn’t long sustainable. Perhaps the stage China is at or nearing, or the kind of one party capitalist system that existed in Taiwan, S.Korea and other places, ensures a kind of social security that we no longer have. I guess what I’m saying is that I’m doubting the one man one vote model. Ben Franklin said he had doubts we’d be able to sustain this great experiment.
JiangxiDad on March 5, 2008 at 1:19 PM
JiangxiDad, I fully understand but would like for all of us not to get too depressed, real as it is. No, I’m not a kumbaya type at all, but we’re going to hum along for a while longer. It’s the next generations which are clueless about the past, the present, and the future.
Regarding the word “liberal” in the true sense, McCain, or any true conservative leader should fight hard to recapture it. It was stolen by the left. They are anything but liberal, or progressive.
Entelechy on March 5, 2008 at 1:49 PM
If Obama does have this glass jaw that’s just waiting to be shattered, it’s all the more reason Rush, AP, etc, should not have attempted to thwart Obama’s efforts to put Clinton away early.
Salvaging Clinton might not be the uber-savvy move after all. Who’s to say Obama wouldn’t actually unravel somewhere along the way, thus performing worse between nomination and November than Clinton would?
clark smith on March 5, 2008 at 2:15 PM
JiangxiDad:
Ni shi zhong guo ren?
I’ve lived in east Asia (S. Korea) and traveled through many parts of East Asia as well as having been (among others) an East Asian Studies major in college.
In fact, I was living in Korea when the first real free presidential elections were held. There is no better or greater system for citizens to maximize their utility. It is not a perfect system and clearly there are many variations (particularly as it pertains to taxation and the role/extent of government). Liberal democratic thought provides the most flexibility system for achieving human hapiness and individual aspirations.
Unfortuntely, I believe we have gotten away from the core essence of liberal democratic rule. There is something to be said for freedom from government.
“A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.”
Jean-François Revel, How Democracies Perish is a seminal read for me personally. Revel helped solidify in my mind the challeges facing liberal democracies.
Revel’s 1983 How Democracies Perish described liberalism’s debilitating effect on confronting the threat of domination by the Soviet Union. His observations apply equally today in our long-term struggle against Islamic jihad.
“Democracy tends to ignore, even deny, threats to its existence because it loathes doing what is necessary to counter them.” I think we saw just a situation nearly a decade later under the Clinton Administration.
moxie_neanderthal on March 5, 2008 at 2:29 PM
Don’t hold your breath….
Branch Rickey on March 5, 2008 at 2:58 PM
bu shi. shi mei guo ren. Wo ling ge nu er shi zhong guo ren. Am going to read what you suggested. xiexie.
JiangxiDad on March 5, 2008 at 4:37 PM
In the spirit of Obama, I voted “Not Sure”
beefytee on March 5, 2008 at 5:28 PM
Hey - who darkened his skin tone in this picture??!!
warriorlawyer on March 5, 2008 at 5:54 PM
Talk about a glass jaw? HotAir trying to take out AOL with a upper cut Update. Nice.
2Tru2Tru on March 5, 2008 at 6:42 PM
heh
funky chicken on March 5, 2008 at 7:01 PM
Glass Jaw? No.
Hillary has had her day in the Sun and she has already gone way to far with it. As usual.
She suggested that Barrack become her VP, claimed that Michigan and Florida should count, and immediately started gesticulating like Evita Perone.
The media have already killed her by letting it be known that she’s where is is today because of Republican votes.
This phenomenon will not be repeated.
Geez, will I ever learn to stop making predictions?
Dorvillian on March 5, 2008 at 7:09 PM
This discussion makes Obama look like Senator (and Presidential candidate) Stephen Whistler Fox in Jane Haddam’s Act of Darkness–and the mise-en-scene of the Democratic machine fits, too.
njcommuter on March 5, 2008 at 7:25 PM
Don’t worry about hope and change, that is just political posturing.
myamphibian on March 5, 2008 at 7:51 PM
Yes, Hussein Obama is probably easier to beat than the Hildebeast…but the prospect of a Hussein Obama presidency is just to frightening to even think about. I say knock him out of the race.
SaintOlaf on March 5, 2008 at 8:01 PM
I vote no. I think more than anything all this shows is that people that support Obama are idiots that lack substance or backbone…much like their candidate coincidentally. Throw them one curve-ball about their candidate and their whole world came crashing down. I hope this Rezko stuff literally destroys Obama…perhaps in the form of some jail time.
blankminde on March 5, 2008 at 8:24 PM
A very thin glass jaw! Welcome to the big league boy!
conservnut on March 5, 2008 at 10:05 PM
boy?
\sarc
carbon_footprint on March 5, 2008 at 10:24 PM
He was clearly rattled last night. You could see it in his face. And that speech was the shortest yet! Heh.
SouthernGent on March 5, 2008 at 11:03 PM
I think Rush would only be willing to do this if he could use a stapler.
trigon on March 6, 2008 at 12:53 AM
Surely Obama will strike back by getting his people to take a closer look at some of the Clinton’s financial dealings? If there isn’t dirt there I would be absolutely amazed. The prospect of them both pole-axeing each other over sleaze would be entertaining to watch.
Ares on March 6, 2008 at 6:46 AM
I figured this guy would flatten like a rotten pumpkin as soon as the public “came to” after their Obama drunken binge.
This guy is a house of cards without the credentials to be a Senator much less the POTUS. The next several months will show this guy’s true colors, which are probably on pace with the “Chicago 7″.
We wanted a political Tiger Woods, and we got a Ray Nagin.
saiga on March 6, 2008 at 12:19 PM
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