There really can be too much of a good thing. 

For weeks - months - Obama has dominated the media like an omnipresent figure at the background of everything. When McCain complains that the media is biased to Obama, he’s got a point. For starters, an old, balding white guy who’s been a fixture of Washington for years is just less interesting than a young, handsome african-american with a gift for public speaking…

…so he probably does have a point about Obama being a “celebrity”.

But the flip side of the coin is audience burnout. I think I’ve mentioned it before, but now quite a few in the mainstream talk about a public burnout on Obama. Obama, Obama, Obama - all hours of the day. It gets wearisome for anyone who isn’t a die-hard Obamaniac. 

Unfortunately, this burnout couldn’t come at a worst time for Barack - at least that’s what I think. McCain has been industriously trying to define Obama on his own terms. With people so worn on Obama, I think it actually makes them more receptive than usual to McCain’s accusations. You know, just for variety. 

And Obama simply HAS to hit back at McCain over those accusations or risk being “Kerry-ised” - finding himself defined as a leftist rock-star or (more…)

The innocence didn’t last even beyond July. To be fair on McCain, it’s been painfully clear that he needed to shape up his campaign into a leaner, sharper-edged machine compared to it’s amorphous and sedate nature to this point. I’m not privy to the quiet machinations behind the Republican’s campaign, but I’m pretty sure he’s been doing his own homework. While it would be nice to think that Obama’s current weaknesses (and I use that word relatively) are due largely to external events, I don’t think anyone should be deluded into thinking that the Republicans are going to take prospective defeat lying down.

It’s been fashionable to compare the elegant, eloquent Obama campaign to McCain’s apparently bumbling, stumbling advertising, pandering and roundhouse gaffes. It’s also fashionable to propose that the panacea to Obama’s current travails is to present concrete, detailed policy positions. By contrasting himself to the bumbling McCain and demonstrating his intellectual and personal gravitas, so the story goes, Obama can counter the Republican’s clumsy, offensive swipes at him.

That’s a big mistake.

Over the past few days, the Huffington Post has had a couple of interesting posts concerning the Republican’s advertising tactics: E-mailing, swarms of ‘flailing’ attack ads, and (and I think this is the most telling of all) simple keyword messaging.

I think the last one sums things up pretty well. It has nothing to do with people “not paying attention” or not being discerning enough. It’s actually a well known science in marketing circles, particularly e-marketing circles, that certain words can subtly influence a reader’s/listener’s/viewer’s attitudes. It’s a  game of putting people in a frame of mind (more…)

First of all, I should apologize for the horribly inconsistent posting. Jim hasn’t been able to follow up with me much and I personally haven’t had the inspiration to write anything good about the campaign. The last few attempts at humor and personal potshots fell flat and I never posted them in the end (I thought about making a crack at Obama and his 300, but THIS IS SPARTA jokes are getting old)

Anyway, on to the post - in the TIME magazine’s tribute to Nelson Mandela, author Richard Stengel listed 8 lessons of leadership. No.2 was; lead from the front, but don’t leave your base behind. I can think of two ways where this can apply to Obama.

The first and most obvious is the implicit lesson of “dancing with those who brought you”. The far left has been seriously riled by Obama’s perceived moves (more…)

I mentioned it in passing that Obama’s greatest challenge would be to hold his disparate coalition together long enough to win. As the campaign wears on, he’ll be forced into more concrete positions that will almost certainly alienate a portion of his current base.

That seems to be what’s going on right now with FISA and the faith outreach.

Tacking to the center would seem the safe route for any politician, but in Obama’s case, it may merely be one of two exceptionally risky routes to the Presidency. He’s (more…)

Now yes, Clinton is still in the running, but I think everyone is settling in to the thought that she’s finished. Obama will certainly act that way (though he’s also likely to continue to keep an eye on her and smack her down if she gets too uppity - he’s not going to repeat New Hampshire, not now.) I think Clinton is also adjusting to that reality, or at least the reality that she’s (more…)

It’s been an open secret for a long time, but now with MSNBC’s latest report on it, I figure it’ll be a good time to make a point – Obama’s got a dog problem and I’m not referring to Clinton.

This is a blog, so I’m not going to nuance my post or make it seem less harsh or something; “I’d rather vote McCain” = “I’ll never vote for a black man”. It’s as simple as that. No need for metrics. If Clinton and Obama hold such similar policy positions, then it isn’t a problem with (more…)

And once more we herald another series of primaries in an already overextended primary season. Hillary and Obama go at it again in Indiana and North Carolina this week. Any bets on the result? Both The Furry and me seem to be under some pall of foreboding – Clinton just might sweep this. The momentum has shifted and I haven’t really seen or heard anything from Obama to conclusively change the current dynamics. Quite possibly, he’s unsure about his next moves – Obama heads an uneasy coalition of die-hard liberals and more moderate centrists. His dilemma is getting the Reagan Democrats on board without alienating either of these two power blocs. Apparently, partisanship dies hard and people still obsess over the old base while scrabbling around for a new one. Unfortunately, for all of Obama’s high rhetoric, even he appears unable to bridge the divide between progressives and reactionaries.

Of course, the big question should be – does it matter anymore? Maybe it’s time for Democrats to let go of the past and embrace the future – or better yet, make the future.