If Obama gets aggressive and starts getting hard-hitting and personal, it contradicts the very core of the “post-partisan” approach he sold himself on originally. Something that can very effectively be used against him.

(BTW, Liberals reaching out to conservatives and everybody singing Kumbaya and being happy together. Except reaching out with sincerity is the ONE thing Obama and the libs haven’t done ONCE. They’re so blinded by Bush Derangement Syndrome that both logic, as well as any concept of really reaching across an aisle, seem to have totally escaped them.)

On the other hand, if he doesn’t attack, and plays softball, he winds up looking too weak and indecisive to really lead. He really WILL be “Obambi” in that case.

Essentially the selection of Palin puts Obama and the libs into a Catch-22 and they know it…damned if they do, and damned if they don’t.

And they know it. Hence the flailing.

Obama has been trained Chicago style politic all his life. The way he won past elections was to destroy his opponents, while smiling and promising new kind of politics.

On the national stage, it would be incredibly difficult to pull it off.

Sir Napsalot on September 13, 2008 at 7:50 AM

Actually, I understand that the way he won elections before now was by removing his opponents from the ballot.

Considering how foolish and hateful it makes him seem and how much it distracts from the message in the second half it was a tactical mistake as well as a strategic mistake.

Reclaim the mantle of change and ‘new politics’ and only put ads on that proclaim what he will do. If he does it now he may be early enough to make McCains ads look petty if Obama never responds with anything but positive, “I will,” messages.

He would be locked in though — no replies at all.

That would be as bold a move as Palin was for McCain — for that reason he wont do it. He can’t face the screaming of the left and media.

The flailing is really beginning to show.
David

LifeTrek on September 13, 2008 at 7:29 AM

—–

Life,

Barry won the nomination by not having Hillary’s negatives (his own set were hidden at that point) and by allowing everyone to think he was on their side.

Were he to start saying exactly what he believes, he’d be peeling off his own support pretty fast.

Mew

Patrick S on September 13, 2008 at 10:46 AM

That might be the only thing that will work. I hope McCain’s lawyers are helping Mr. Palin get up to speed on what to expect and how to handle it. I am truly pissed at this and I hope I’m not just one of a few who see the transparency of this line of attack. What I would give for just one mainstream journalist with a sense of honor. BTW, I just got back from the Republican Party HQ. They were out of McCain/Palin yard cards, so I put my name on a list. I just may have to make my own in our sign shop. I also love the one I read about on Hot Air that says…”Obama? No thanks, keep the change.” Gotta love it.

Are they getting this vetting of the self-appointed vetters?

The more personal and nasty they get, the better it is for McCain. I hope he, Daily Kos and the rest of the MSM keep it up.

And the mainstream media!

And even if he takes his fifth amendments rights, they will point to that as a sign of guilt. This is vintage Obama; negate your opponents candidacy or personally destroy them. I am so incensed over this garbage, I am going to work even harder now for McCain.

SKYFOX on September 13, 2008 at 9:05 AM

I would recommend Todd Palin, if he even sniffs a gotcha, develop Hillary’s convenient amnesia…”You know, gosh, I just don’t recall.”

1. popular support for personal attacks evident on lib blogs for obama provides evidence that such polls can guide BHO’s campaigns actions.

2. personal attacks are clearly helping BHO . . .LOSE support in this election

I voted YES! Anything to help BHO lose this election.

But the fallout of the “McCain can not email” ad will be desevtating to Obama with the common decent folk. They will see that he is either a complete idiot or one of the meanest petty politicians ever. Obama will have done it to himmself….and he approved this message.

Good point. I read somewhere yesterday (maybe here) about a study with conservative and liberal respondents. Each was asked questions about how the other would view/respond to certain issues/questions. The conservatives always understood how the liberals would think. The liberals rarely understood how the conservatives would respond/react to something.

Ex. your teen is pregnant.

So I agree that they are unlikely to find a winning strategy. They are forced to be ultra-reliant on the messenger, and not the message.

And this is key. They think they get it because they think we are opposite of what they are thinking. They use the word nuance, and yet have no clear understanding of what true grey area ( or grey matter, for that matter) is.

They don’t understand either personal responsibility, which then entails whatever action it is that we take in a mistake.

Ex: our politicians have to step down in a scandal, theirs are celebrated, lauded, and keep littering the halls of Government.

From that they surmise we think that people that make mistakes should be excoriated forever, hence someone like Bristol Palin must “suffer”. I guess of course the party line is that she is being ‘punished’ by having a child.

We just think that people need to face their mistakes, and when they are in a position of leadership, show and practice much greater self discipline. You can’t tell others how to live, as the government tends to do, and not live better yourself.

We just want our government to remember is it not something special for the elite. It is the people. We just want them to stop abusing that privilege of serving us we have given them. And stop stealing everyone’s money and redistributing it to people that will not work.

I have a feeling that a new Dan Rather Memogate Moment is somewhere out there

Some “New Age” politician, eh?

William Ayers.

When McPalin needs him, out he comes.

Game.

Set.

Presidency.

William Ayers.

When McPalin needs him, out he comes.

Game.

Set.

Presidency.

On the national stage, it would be incredibly difficult to pull it off.

Sir Napsalot on September 13, 2008 at 7:50 AM

I’m not sure why you say that, Sir Napsalot. Remember, Obama has the MSM fully in the tank for him and will cover his slimey a$$ every step of the way. Sean Hannity may be right when he says that 2008 signals the death of journalism. Don’t you think this is what Obama is doing with the call in Alaska for an investigation of “the firing” and issuing a subpoena (sp) to her husband? They are going for the Scooter Libbey prosecution thread. Hoping they can get him on a “process” crime by failing to remember things. And even if he takes his fifth amendments rights, they will point to that as a sign of guilt. This is vintage Obama; negate your opponents candidacy or personally destroy them. I am so incensed over this garbage, I am going to work even harder now for McCain.

Doc Rochester on September 13, 2008 at 8:34 AM

Yeah. bush doctrine. preempt.