04.17.2008
The debate last night will have no real impact on the election. Paid media is driving Obama’s movement in Pennsylvania. But what was happening in the debate is that Obama’s essential decency and moderation — and his fear of appearing strident — leads him to pull his punches and come on far too weak to defeat anybody in November. He has got to develop more strength and take the shots that are open to him. He let chance after chance go by during the debate. He just has no instinct for the jugular.
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I don;t have your political savvy nor your political experience, but I don’t agree with you. Obama has establish his footprint on who is as a person and as a candidate. His strength will grow out of his weakness. What the lion in Obama cannot manage to do the fox in him will achieve. I was always told by my mother in Brooklyn; weakness is a sign of strength and the weak are more likely to make the strong weak than the strong are likely to make the weak strong. Please!!! get you own show or get Bill O’Riley to let you sit in for some of those lame replacements he has now and then……not there is anything wrong with that.
I just want to say how consistently impressive Dick Morris’s analysis is. Once again, spot on with this comment. Bill Clinton - who does know how to land a punch - was at it today saying, “Obama is whining. it’s a contact sport, if you don’t want to get hit, don’t put on the pads, etc.” Basically the Clintons are calling Obama’s masculinity into question and on a gut level I think his weak responses will unnerve a lot of voters - men and women alike. Remember playground politics, if someone calls you a wimp you better hit first and ask questions later or else your credibility will crumble. McCain is obviously the antithesis of this with his war record and tough foreign policy posturing. This weakness of Obama’s will become even more of a sore spot in the general vs. McCain given the comparison. McCain won’t even need to do or say anything — it will be implicit. Yikes. Obama needs to develop some steel quick or else.
Michael you are RIGHT! The apparent “weakness” will be Obama’s strength in the end. Everyone is sick of the Clintonesque go for the jugular campaign machine …I find Obama’s approach refreshing. He will STOMP McCain in a debate..why? Because of his alledged weakness! Can’t wait.
These are legitimate questions which Obama has still failed to answer honestly. Ever heard the expression, “You’re like who you hang around?” Of course Obama wants to deflect his associations because he knows they are indefensible. It’s easier for him to parrot his thoughts on health care, Iraq, the economy and other issues as political fodder since they mirror Hillary’s positions for the most part. The two candidates chatter more like Heckel & Jeckel by inflating their resumes and attempting to bury character talk because both have a number of skeletons in their closets. That’s why Hillary can’t really explore these issues like she should.
Obama may have a teflon image with the media now, but when America starts really paying attention to what’s going on here > hold on to your hat!
randywhitman:
Character, not circumstances, makes the man.
Once again, the problem with your analysis Mr. Morris, is that your opinions (although always fascinating and delightful) are based in experiences that are as not squarely applicable to the hearts and minds of the American people in todays political climate. In addition, the younger generations do not think the same way as the previous generations and you have failed to calculate the level of their influence adequately in this election process.
Clinton and Bill have recently lost the hearts of the majority of the democratic party base. Senator Clinton will do very well in Pennsylvania but will be stomped like an bug in the majoirty of later primaries. It is over. I predicted earlier that if Obama survived Feb. 5th ’s super tuesday he would be our next President. I standing by my predicition.
Now, in regards to your weakness comment about Obama in his response or lack thereof in the Debate. Obama did the correct thing. He did not turn on his fellow Democrat no matter how high the heat was turned up and that took so much steel. A lesser person would have taken the bait set for him by Corporate America. Obama has the real steel. Corporate America Knows this and is terrified that Obama will give Corporate America the regulatory neutering it deserve for… Lost pensions, poor or no health coverage due to unfair policy terms, higher gas prices despite a reduction in demand, Fraudulent loan practices/foreclosures, increased monthly payment and rates on credit cards/student loans, jobs shipped overseas due to no negotiations for fair terms in free tade agreements and, no progress on alternative energy sources despite Billions being funneled to Corporate America every year.
The bigger picture working behind the scenes of that debate is that Corporate American owns our Media and the party Establishment both Republican and Democrat. They own all the News stations to include ABC. And, until Obama’s internet compaign fundraising success, controlled the purse strings of both parties and enjoyed great influence.
How frightened corporate America must be that a Constitutional law Professor ( a man with a functioning brain and the know how to really change things) who is not owned by Corporate America is just a few 7 months from stepping into the White House as our next president. Dick, this is what you should be writing about. The real story in this campaign is the fight for the American dream as we used to know it between Americans as individuals and Corporate America. There is only one candidate that represents the people and it is Barack Obama, man of steel.