I have to disagree with the majority of our readership here at R4′08 over the likely impact of Obama’s address to the DNC tonight. With his speech, Barack Obama began to lay the groundwork for what I’ve been fearing the most since Iowa — the conflation of a hapless incumbent party, tough economic times at home, confusion about America’s role abroad, and the power of a charismatic messenger producing a refurbished, revitalized, unapologetic American liberalism. The threat of Obama always lied more in his ability to make liberalism cool again than in any sort of Clintonian move to the center, something he wouldn’t be particularly good at due to his liberal cultural cues. But most Americans aren’t policy wonks, and very few Americans remember what real liberalism does to the nation. Add a little Bush hatred to all of that and it’s not particularly difficult for someone with the communicative abilities of Obama to make liberalism sound reasonable. The question is whether McCain and the Republicans will be effective over the next two months at explaining why Obama’s policies are not particularly reasonable and why McCain’s change is actually that which we can believe in. McCain’s status as an American hero can only take him so far. To get over the hump, he’ll need to articulate to the average middle class Middle American voter why he or she shouldn’t vote for a middle class tax cut from Barack Obama.
August 28th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
DaveG, I agree wholeheartedly. This was a good speech (not an incredible one, but good enough) and will make it very difficult for McCain to win this election.
August 28th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
68 days… 3 debates, 1 vp debate… McCain just has to get back to even by this time next week…
August 28th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
I’m in the same camp here. Look, I think he can be tremendously shallow, and he still ignites his fanbase. It reminds me of the way Clinton was ‘cool’ in 1992. I guess that some on here don’t remember Bill on Arsenio, “boxers or briefs,” the first president to hit the bong (even though he used the rather ridiculous excuse of not inhaling)…
August 28th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
Great post – Obama picked up several million votes tonight… lets see if we can get enough of them back this next week.
August 28th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
This is why I DON’T like Pawlenty… he sells out to the liberal rhetoric of “Sam’s Club” Republicanism because it’s what people *want* to hear, not what they need to hear.
August 28th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
This post is correct.
August 28th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
agree 100 percent with this post.
August 28th, 2008 at 11:47 pm
You hit the nail on the head. We’ll see if it happens, because I just think the nature of things is that younger people become more conservative as they get older so that hopefully stems the tide.
But remember that a guy who got wayyyy less of the vote than Obama got is considered one of the fathers of the modern conservative movement. Obama might be more dangerous if he loses and his followers wonder what could have been.
Ironically, both men will lose for the same reason: the Daisy ad and the 3am ad – which is essentially the same ad.
August 29th, 2008 at 12:20 am
My thoughts on Obama’s speech, from a Constitutionalist perspective: http://theconcom.blogspot.com/2008/08/constitution-vs-obamas-acceptance.html
August 29th, 2008 at 12:50 am
test
August 29th, 2008 at 4:26 am
Mark my words in 5 days after our president gives his speech Barry will be up by 8-10 points. Esp if Borelenty is indeed the pick.
And I bet many of the same people claiming Barry’s speech wasn’t good will be the first ones writing Macca’s obit.
Watch.
August 29th, 2008 at 5:54 am
DaveG,
Heath,
Unfortunately, you are dead right. I don’t really care of the mechanics of the speech. What Obama said was aimed right at Joe Beercan in middle America. It’s a message McCain cant make and couldn’t if he wanted to. I think Obama’s up by 10 after the GOP convention…especially with Pawlenty, and never looks back. The good news is this reminds me a bit of Carter, and we all know what happened after 4 years of Jimma