Dixie - In Memoriam
New member
A while back, I posted a thread detailing 5 critical mistakes of McCain in this election campaign. In fairness, I have decided to do the same for Senator Obama. I know this will be met with the typical partisan rhetoric, but what the hell... if I did it to McCain, I can do it to Obama as well.
1. Running against the wrong opponent.
McSame, McBush... Bush's 3rd term... all indicating that John McCain is equivalent to George W. Bush. They have based their entire campaign on this illusion, and nothing is further from the truth. McCain' track record shows him to be much more fiscally conservative than Bush, and less socially conservative. He has a history of 'bipartisanship' which Bush has never been able to accomplish as president. While I understand the temptation to place the yoke of an unpopular administration around the neck of McCain, you really can't be more 'opposite' of Bush than McCain has been, and still be called a Republican.
2. Hope and Change.
While many Americans do indeed want and hope for change, most of them realize, regardless of which candidate is elected, we will have change. This ties in to the previous point, where Democrats seem to think they are running against Bush instead of McCain. The mantra of Hope and Change has been largely undefined, except to continually point out, Obama is a change from Bush, but so is McCain.
3. Wrong VP Pick.
During the primaries, we saw a stark division in the Democratic party. Almost evenly split between the Hillary and Obama supporters. The chance for party unity came with the VP selection, and Obama missed the opportunity by not selecting Hillary. She would have solidified the party, and made the ticket 'bulletproof' going into the general election. Instead, Obama has endured the constant 'gaffe machine' known as Joe Biden, who basically detracts from the momentum previously established by Obama.
4. Wrong platform.
Starting out, the 'popularity' of an Obama candidacy was his position regarding the Iraq war, but things have gotten better in Iraq and the war is not the primary issue on the minds of the voters. It has turned into the issue of the economy, with an emphasis on energy cost. Meanwhile, the Obama campaign has dusted off, and trotted out the old Walter Mondale platform regarding the economy, talking about 'windfall profits tax' and more government spending than we can afford. The American people soundly rejected these ideas in 1980, but the Obama campaign is banking on the fact that most young voters won't remember this, and will embrace this 'new' old stock.
5. Reactionary politics.
How many times have we seen Obama compelled to react to something that has been said in the media? Each time he does this, it actually draws more attention to the charge, than if he had just ignored it and moved on. People look for a leader who is 'unshakable' and can rise above petty complaints, without feeling the need to respond to every thing that comes down the pike. Obama expends an awful lot of precious political 'air-time' responding to the latest accusations, or addressing the latest rumor, instead of focusing on his message and rising above this sort of thing. He comes across as being on the defensive, and there is no need for it.
1. Running against the wrong opponent.
McSame, McBush... Bush's 3rd term... all indicating that John McCain is equivalent to George W. Bush. They have based their entire campaign on this illusion, and nothing is further from the truth. McCain' track record shows him to be much more fiscally conservative than Bush, and less socially conservative. He has a history of 'bipartisanship' which Bush has never been able to accomplish as president. While I understand the temptation to place the yoke of an unpopular administration around the neck of McCain, you really can't be more 'opposite' of Bush than McCain has been, and still be called a Republican.
2. Hope and Change.
While many Americans do indeed want and hope for change, most of them realize, regardless of which candidate is elected, we will have change. This ties in to the previous point, where Democrats seem to think they are running against Bush instead of McCain. The mantra of Hope and Change has been largely undefined, except to continually point out, Obama is a change from Bush, but so is McCain.
3. Wrong VP Pick.
During the primaries, we saw a stark division in the Democratic party. Almost evenly split between the Hillary and Obama supporters. The chance for party unity came with the VP selection, and Obama missed the opportunity by not selecting Hillary. She would have solidified the party, and made the ticket 'bulletproof' going into the general election. Instead, Obama has endured the constant 'gaffe machine' known as Joe Biden, who basically detracts from the momentum previously established by Obama.
4. Wrong platform.
Starting out, the 'popularity' of an Obama candidacy was his position regarding the Iraq war, but things have gotten better in Iraq and the war is not the primary issue on the minds of the voters. It has turned into the issue of the economy, with an emphasis on energy cost. Meanwhile, the Obama campaign has dusted off, and trotted out the old Walter Mondale platform regarding the economy, talking about 'windfall profits tax' and more government spending than we can afford. The American people soundly rejected these ideas in 1980, but the Obama campaign is banking on the fact that most young voters won't remember this, and will embrace this 'new' old stock.
5. Reactionary politics.
How many times have we seen Obama compelled to react to something that has been said in the media? Each time he does this, it actually draws more attention to the charge, than if he had just ignored it and moved on. People look for a leader who is 'unshakable' and can rise above petty complaints, without feeling the need to respond to every thing that comes down the pike. Obama expends an awful lot of precious political 'air-time' responding to the latest accusations, or addressing the latest rumor, instead of focusing on his message and rising above this sort of thing. He comes across as being on the defensive, and there is no need for it.