The Six Trials of Obama: Prepping for the Nastiness to Come
I rarely discuss politics here but I am thrilled to see the insurgent success of Barack Obama’s campaign.
The guy makes me proud to be American again. After the travesties of the Bush administration, and the viscious partisanship fed for 15 years by the Bush/Clinton tug-of-war, I am ready for a gust of fresh air - and Obama fits the bill.
This weekend I spent a little bit of time sniffing around the outer edges of the Web, to see what the right-wing zealots are brewing up for Obama. It wasn’t pretty.
Here, then, are The Six Trials of Obama: the most-likely challenges he’ll face in the nastiness of the General Election…
Readiness – This line of attack is already on display in the primaries, as the Clintons strive to portray Obama as “all talk no action.” The question of experience is probably the single biggest question mark for Obama …
As Obama justifiably points out, our current president was the former governor of a large state, and surrounded himself with the most experienced Washington players available, and look where that got us.
Still, the way in which this question will be raised, hauntingly and yes, exploitatively, will likely be: “Imagine there’s another major terrorist attack on American soil. Whose hand do you want on the tiller? The untested Obama, or (fill in the blank: McCain, Guliani, etc.)”
It’s been suggested that Obama start making noise about potential Cabinet positions (Biden for Sect’y of State?), to give folks a sense that he’d surround himself with some steady gray beards. For my part, I trust the fella’s judgment; I feel sure he’d react without over-reacting (or over-reaching).
Questions re: Patriotism – The Red Staters are apoplectic over this picture … I am sure it will make the rounds more heavily, along with the “news” that Obama stopped wearing the ubiquitous American flag lapel pin.
Obama has noted – rightfully, I think – that those pins have become empty political fashion statements. By “pinning” this issue as a red-herring of the Republican cronies who wore the lapel pins even as they did nothing to keep America’s power or reputation from fraying under the Bush Administration seems a neat sidestep.
Drug Use – Obama has admitted to teenage drug use. Hopefully the country that elected a self-professed alcoholic to the Oval Office will realize that “when (Obama) was young and foolish, he was young, and foolish.”
Muslim Misinformation – From seedy Republican phone banks, the largely uninformed electorate will hear about the fact that Obama attended a Muslim school in Indonesia (they’ll call it an extremist madrassa: it wasn’t); and, no doubt his middle name alone (“Hussein”) will stir up some ignorant and intolerant people.
This one’s tough. The Republican PR machine was able to convince broad swaths of the electorate that Saddam Hussein was responsible for the 9/11 attacks, and that John Kerry’s heroism during the Swift Boat incident in Viet Nam was actually a mark of cowardice. The same evil geniuses will no doubt find a way to enflame the masses with misinformation about Obama’s heritage and religion.
Frankly a few high-profile photo opps of the Obama family praying in churches would be a good way to start combatting this early misconception.
The Guy’s Black – So far, Obama’s been able to sway lily-white states like Iowa and New Hampshire (fingers crossed) to vote for a black man. But pundits fear a “voting booth conversion” on Election Day, in which white people who profess support for Obama decide – in the privacy of the voting booth – that they just can’t pull the lever for a black man.
I hope the pundits are wrong. Imagine the soaring hope that a disadvantaged, disenfranchised kid might feel, seeing a black man ascend to the presidency. It’s the embodiment of the American Dream, which has seemed beyond reach for too long.
“Liberal” – Any Democratic nominee will face this old chestnut. If he can sew up the Democratic nomination, Obama can tack rightward, to the centrist positions that seem more his style.
Seems to me that all of these challenges can be overcome, with some judicious forward planning. I presume that the Obama team includes some smart folks who are already strategizing for how to deal with the nastiness ahead. Hopefully they are fired up & ready to go – the distance.
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Comments
FWIW, I was a lifelong NH Republican until just recently, when I decided to register as an Independent. I'm *officially* still undecided in this race, but I'm leaning more towards Obama every day. I probably won't make up my mind until I enter the booth tomorrow, but he definitely appeals to me. The general election would certainly be grueling for him though, depending on who the GOP nominee ultimately is...it's going to be interesting!
Posted by: Sarah Wurrey | January 7, 2008 01:08 PM
People that will make a difference in this election, I see two, Obama is one of them simply because I think he will have a cabinet the likes of which Washington has never seen.
Another is John McCain. My wife asked me, what is the most important quality in a candidate? For me it's a person who is not afraid of losing. McCain's held the line on politically unpopular positions, that's leadership.
As the father of an 18 year old son, McCain is the only person I'd trust to make a decision based on the horrors and sacrifice of war, given what he has sacrificed for this country.
One can mention Ron Paul, but at this point he's a long shot.
Everyone else is shades of the same old, same old. One's a little right of center, the other a little left.
Posted by: Albert Maruggi | January 7, 2008 01:19 PM
Thanks for sharing, Sarah. I know I probably come off as a far-left liberal in this post but I was once a registered Republican, too! I'm for fiscal conservatism, social moderation, a strong but honorably-deployed army, and a strong defense of our citizens' civil liberties. That *used* to describe the Republicans, eh? I honestly think the Dems are much closer to this ideal nowadays.
Good luck in the voting booth!
Albert - McCain's my pick for the GOP. I agree that overall, he is a man of integrity and that of all the candidates, his entire family (previous and current generations) has proven to be unflagging patriots and public servants. His cynical embrace of the Christian Right left me cold, though, especially after the So. Carolina smear campaign.
Posted by: Todd Defren | January 7, 2008 01:19 PM
Sometimes you just have to speak about something, even if it's politics!
The scariest thing I've been seeing over the last few days is the spam emails and message board comments since he started emerging as a favorite in the primaries. I assume it's the neocons spreading rumors about his education, his religion, and even another false rumor that he was sworn in to office with a koran. They are still preying on ignorance and fear ... hopefully it catches up to them.
In the past these actions would have been called whisper campaigns... care to coin a term?
Posted by: David Weiner | January 7, 2008 02:01 PM
(...are comments from Red states allowed?)
C'mon, Todd. Let's be fair about this. That's like blaming the weatherman for mentioning the rain that might or might not fall.
All of the criticisms you mention *are* already in play, because Obama's Democratic rivals are planting them. The GOP and its candidate might pursue some of those lines, but to tag those tactics with Neo-con roots is more than a bit unfair.
Clinton's campaign has been largely about inevitability and electability. The first is eroding, and the second is an excuse to level cheap attacks.
Be real... the GOP candidates are falling all over themselves running against Clinton right now - both Hillary AND Bill's legacy.
Posted by: Ike | January 7, 2008 03:08 PM
Ike, sorry but I disagree (for now). I doubt Dems are "planting" misinformation about Obama being a "closet Muslim who was sworn in using a Koran." Some of the other stuff (e.g. the experience question) is, of course, very much in play within Democratic circles, and rightfully so.
And while I don't think that the neocons are YET putting any effort into a smear campaign vs. Obama, I am not sure how anyone can argue that that's not part of their playbook. (Follow some of the links in this post for just a few examples.)
Today's post was about what I foresee from the Republicans, not about what they might be up to today.
Posted by: Todd Defren | January 7, 2008 03:36 PM
Todd, I have no doubt the GOP will sink to new depths. Problem is it will be a photo-finish to the bottom.
Your link for "seedy Republican phone banks" makes no reference to GOP smears about madrassas. The only reference to Obama is that he is sponsoring legislation that would stop harassing auto-dial and phone tricks. (A bill that the Senate leadership could pop forward at any time, by the way.)
I don't mind that most of what you linked to is opinion - sometimes that's the fastest way to connect the dots. But I do blanche at the reflexive assumption that any attack on Obama is coming from red-state southern racists in the GOP.
Posted by: Ike | January 7, 2008 04:09 PM
Ike, I think we're in AGREEMENT on the big points, just not the small ones. ;)
I AGREE that the GOP is NOT YET taking on Obama. The point of the post is to point out what attacks will be *likely* to come from that quarter, once the General Election gets into full swing.
p.s. I never used the phrase "red-state southern racists in the GOP" myself, because I think the attacks will come from Big Money GOP folks who will cynically TAKE ADVANTAGE of ignorant racists (*wherever* they live, and they're everywhere: red-staters don't have a monopoly on assholes). ;)
Posted by: Todd Defren | January 7, 2008 05:28 PM
May I just two more words?
McCain - Lieberman
Posted by: Albert Maruggi | January 7, 2008 11:43 PM
As if a President Obama would wave his magic wand and Democrats and Republicans would group-hug for four years. Want a reality check? Read Jonathan Weisman's story in the Washington Post on Monday, headlined, "GOP Doubts, Fears 'Post-Partisan' Obama."
Obama got to where he's at on luck. I live in Illinois. No one knew who Obama was before he ran for US Senate in 2004. He was a nobody state senator who did what the Democrat party bosses in Springfield told him to do. He won the primary ONLY because the leading Democratic candidate had a sex scandal. Then the Republican front runner imploded in his own sex scandal and the GOP had to bring in an out-of-state carpetbagger, Alan Keyes, to face off against Obama. Some contest. Since then, Obama hasn't distinguished himself in the Senate and for all his talk about ending partisanship, the Washington Post article points out just how partisan he is.
Posted by: SEM | January 8, 2008 02:08 PM