My fellow Obama supporters- My take on the events last night

[NJmaverick]

I consider what happened a set back. Obama was hurt by Hillary's Karl Rove style scorched earth negative campaigning. On top of that the Clintons showed all their political skills and ability. Their use of Saturday Night live and other tactics to turn the media against Obama was a masterful stroke. So this is now Obama's first real challenge. He is going to have to examine what happened, see how things went wrong and make adjustments. If he is the solid man, I believe him to be, he will meet this challenge head on and succeed. This sort of problem, is exactly what he will face in Washington. If he can't overcome the bitter but politically savy Clintons, maybe he isn't the man to lead our nation. So I am looking forward to seeing how Obama rises to this challenge.

[mirrera]

1. I hope with the same humor and cool that has him winning just like yesterday. n/t

[NJmaverick]

2. No question I don't want to see him change from

a postive agent for hope and change, but he is going to have to do a better job countering what Hillary and company did.

[CoffeeCat]

3. As an Obama supporter, I agree with you...

Obama has shown the nation that he is an inspirational leader.

Now, he needs to show the nation that he is a fighter who is ready for the Presidency.

He thought he could run a clean campaign, show everyone what a decent person he is--and
win on his impressive record as a community organizer and Senator. However, he needs to
close the sale.

We know he's a great leader and a man of integrity. America needs that last piece of the
puzzle. They need to know that he is a fighter and that he is tough enough to be in the
Oval Office.

I was an Obama precinct captain and I support him wholeheartedly. However, I also have 15
years experience in media relations/PR. When I crafted PR plans, the first step was was
to identify challenges/opportunities. Obama's challenge is to demonstrate what he would be
like as commander-in-chief. We need to see tough, and yes, we need to see him attacking
Clinton. It may not be his style...but he needs to do it.

Obama is the best candidate to lead this nation. Hillary is tough and has more years of experience, but
that's all she has. She is not a leader. She is a manager and her negatives--which Obama really
doesn't have--are bountiful. Start talking about her invisible tax returns and those White House
records. What's with the secrecy? What about her corporatist mentality and her taking of Federal
lobbying money? Parallel her behavior to Bush.

I'd also like Obama to ask Hillary: "You say you regret your Iraq-war vote--that was based on your
belief that Bush would do the right thing. Why then, are you following him down a rat hole ONCE
AGAIN, with your Kyl/Lieberman vote on Iran? You appear not to have learned one thing." Let
Hillary retort by saying that Obama didn't show up to vote for Kyl/Lieberman. Obama can come
back at her with, "Because I refuse to play George Bush's games." Voting "yes" is a hell of a lot
worse than not showing up at all.

He has to go for the jugular. He must demonstrate to everyone that he will fight for Americans
once he reaches the Oval office. Doing this will close the deal for Obama. She can't close the
deal on her negatives--all she can do is deflect attention from them. Obama has to continually
shine the spotlight on them and do it aggressively.

[NJmaverick]

5. Great post!

I think it's possible to be a fighter and still maintain one's honor. It's more difficult, which is why it's rarely done, but it's not impossible. I think he needs to change his tone from one of understanding to one of authority. He needs to start acting like the tough agent of hope and change. Show he is not going to let our dreams be derailed.

[KittyWampus]

23. Obama has failed to highlight his success organizing Democrats in every primary state

And the Clinton tactic of "Abandoning 40-States". This dovetails into the loses the Dem party suffered under Bill Clinton.

This is something he can attack Clinton on and look good.

She went on the Daily Show the other night and said "on to Pennsylvania" totally ignoring WY and MS.

THAT is a great attack ad waiting to happen.

The "Pregnant Pause" Audio Dickerson posted where Hillary's own campaign couldn't give an example of what foreign policy crisis she's handled.

Her using Monica in the last debate as her personal crisis.

[NJmaverick]

24. Just my preference

I would rather see Obama build up his own candicy, rather than employ the Hillary, look better by tearing down your opponent, approach. Sure Hillary has tons of faults and failings, but I would rather not go that route.

[NJmaverick]

25. I do like that he followed the Dean 50 state model

worked well in 2006

[JCMach1]

4. scorched earth??? Try getting spanked with a wet nooble compared to what's coming

from the Republicans.

That's why this whole process is important.

If Obama can pivet and pull out Pennsylvania, he deserves the nomination.

IF not, it's still an open question.

[NJmaverick]

6. You can't have it both wasy

You can't get the benefits of a Karl Rove scorched earth campaign and try to claim that Hillary is just campaigning. It's one or the other.

[JCMach1]

9. This is not hardcore stuff though...

that will be brought to you by ROVEco

Not saying that Hillary is an angel (she's not), but neither is Obama.

What Obama need to learn is how deal with the negative campaigning... just saying you will keep the moral high ground makes one look at best a prig and at worst an arrogant SOB. This is especially true if there is a dose of truth in the negative mix (NAFTA/GOOLSBEE for example).

[NJmaverick]

13. Hillary's moves were classic Rove

Suggesting McCain is a better candidate than Obama

Scare ads

The inuendo campaigns

The "Shame on You" speech

Pretty nasty stuff, and damaging to Obama's November prospects.

[JCMach1]

20. I do see them as negative, but not particuliarly Rovean 'a al Bush's Brain'

My take:


Suggesting McCain is a better candidate than Obama

-Nasty, but does point out the need for her as nominee (may not have been intentional/read gaffe)


Scare ads
The infamous 'red phone' was scary because it was highly effective in punching people's experience button.


The inuendo campaigns

This stuff was out long before it hit Drudge. Obama's overreaction actually might have hurt him with people perceiving "hmmmm. maybe he does have something to hide"... Instead, he should have brought it up as a joke in a speech (as in fact even an innuendo concerning the pics was a joke), BS over.


The "Shame on You" speech

A completely over the top reaction (or stunt straight out of WWF), but showed she was ready to fight.


Pretty nasty stuff, and damaging to Obama's November prospects.

Nah, just a preview of the 527 slime to come.

[NoBorders]

7. 'scorched earth'

I tend to stay away from hyperbole, but I think people are referring here not only to the fact that she is going negative, but by doing so against a fellow Dem candidate she is putting at risk our chances in Nov. In other words her negative campaign is dividing the party, and will result in many Dems not going to the polls or some such thing. Hopefully it won't turn out that way, but that I believe is the concern.

I think we know that the Repubs will campaign for more negatively against whoever the Dem nominee is.

[NJmaverick]

8. Thanks for explaining that

Yes it was not an accident that I used the term scorched earth. The style of campaigning that leaves nothing undamaged, when it through. Might be an option for a general election, but it's never acceptable in a primary.

[NoBorders]

10. And based on her rhetoric this morning, it appears that's the plan going forward.

[Medusa]

14. Please. Stop and consider ALL the well-documented garbage out there about Hillary

what she threw at Obama is nothing compared to what the GOP has on her and WILL use against her. Meanwhile, she continues to stay in the race for another 7 weeks, damaging both herself, Obama, and the party as a whole. And we "win" what exactly in that process? She's been vetted alright-and it's why the GOP is jacking off in delight this morning.

[Dogmudgeon]

15. Obama will NEVER have another opponent as gentle as Hillary

For all the whining I'm hearing about how terrible Hillary is, this has been a genteel primary season.

They ain't seen nothin' yet.

--p!

[NJmaverick]

19. Hillary is as bad as the bush/rove people

Obama is never going to face a nastier and deadlier campaign than hers.

[ORDem]

11. Obama supporters (of which I'm one): why the long faces. Obama got done what needed to be done

He erased her 20 point leads, kept it close, the delegate count didn't budge and she's got 4 states less to catch up (she never will).

Why the long faces? Have a little more faith in the man, for heaven's sake. You can't win every friggin' primary, but you can win the nomination. HRC is going to spin, spin, spin, but she can NOT win the nomination. We will win many states coming up.

Buck up!

:dem:

[NJmaverick]

16. The long faces is that Obama faces another 7 weeks

of waging a war on two fronts. He has both Hillary and McCain attacking him. My hope was to put an end to the one source of attacks (which so far have been the more effective and damaging). McCain clinches and gets to build his campaign and image for the next 7 weeks, while Obama is going to have to fend off the greatest slime attack in political history (the combined attacks of Hillary and the right wing attack machine).

[Emit]

12. Obama yesterday "I don't want to change the tone of our campaign because that's how ..."

"I don't want to change the tone of our campaign because that's how I ultimately think we're going to able to govern"

'We do things differently' 3:13
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama says he wants to stay focused on the issues.

http://www.cnn.com/video/?iref=videoglobal

[NJmaverick]

17. I hope that doesn't mean that he doesn't

Look at how he handled the last round of mudslinging and see how he could have better dealt with it.

[redqueen]

18. I don't. It was nothing to do with Hillary's negative tactics.

Did you see the report from the Obama campaign, predicting which states they'd win, and by how much?

I'm not worried at all. :)

[ooga booga]

21. I agree. I think too much is being made about some tactics.

Last night, I went out to the precinct convention (Texas), and I was part of a Democratic tsunami. There might have been 1,000 people at the local elementary school wanting to caucus on the Democratic side. The dozen or so Republicans there all looked like somebody just shot their dog. Since a great many of the caucusers were African-American I assumed that Obama would have a big night statewide.

The analysis seems to show that Clinton won all over the state except for most of the major urban areas. Her margin in the Panhandle was like 62%. Her margins were sizeable in those rural and smaller urban areas. She also won the heavy Hispanic urban areas of El Paso and San Antonio. That was key, because had she lost those two urban areas the result would have been an Obama win, I think.

Barak Obama definitely had a BIG turnout of the black vote. He also got a lot of the youth vote and a slice of the white vote. Hillary Clinton appears to have held on to the Hispanics, the women, most of the white men, and, of course, the Republicans hoping to help McCain.

I want to believe that the Republicans who voted for Hillary Clinton but who will run back to McCain in November are in fact a fairly insignificant segment of the electorate. However, I still don't think that Hillary Clinton has any realistic chance to carry Texas in November unless she has Barak Obama on her ticket. Personally, I think Barak Obama has a shot at carrying Texas in November without Hillary Clinton on the ticket. Texas is still a Republican state. Obama might be able to tip it into the blue. I don't think Hillary can.

[NJmaverick]

22. Polls show her dirty tactics worked

That many last minute deciders went to Hillary.

[ooga booga]

26. OK, if the Clinton campaign played dirty....

as you said in your original post Obama has to formulate a response and a way to move forward.

Dirty pool seems to always be part of the game especially in close races. Swift boating happens. Real winners find a way.

All of that said I worried about what a new Clinton administration might be like.