Obama borrows Clinton’s failed ‘I am more experienced’ line
As long-time readers know, I have come down on Sen. Obama’s side fairly regularly during the Democratic primaries but I have criticized him a few times, too. The first I can recall was I thought he was being petty about The New Yorker cover. Now he claims that he has more executive experience than Gov. Palin.
I want a fairer fight than this but it is politics, and the fights are never fair.
The Murdoch Press has reported:
“Well, my understanding is that Governor Palin’s town of Wasilla has, I think, 50 employees. We’ve got 2,500 in this campaign. I think their budget is maybe $12 million a year. You know, we have a budget of about three times that just for the month. So I think that our ability to manage large systems and to execute I think has been made clear over the last couple of years,” Obama said.
These numbers’ arguments are never clear-cut. But the fact does remain a governor has more executive experience, and I would have said that if the Democrats had put in a governor on the ticket.
Now, let’s look at these numbers from Gov. Palin’s time as mayor—which is not even that relevant now. I do not dispute these figures. But think about it: then-Mayor Palin ran a town with a mere 50 staff with a $12 million budget which is no small feat. That means dealing with everything from rubbish collection to collecting rates. I don’t think there’s much waste there. She ought to be congratulated.
Sen. Obama has a 2,500-strong group dedicated to glorifying him. A single issue. He spends $36 million a month for that one thing.
I am exaggerating, I admit that. I can use the same logic and say that John McCain is spending tens of millions to paint the war-hero image for himself.
But there are many, many things on which Democrats can disagree with Sarah Palin on—pro-gun and pro-life for starters. How about the environment? Much easier things to go after than this comparison.
A similar approach on ‘experience’ did not work for Sen. Clinton, and it will not work for Sen. Obama.
Sen. Obama has, for the second time, handed a big red target to the Republicans. He was lucky they left him alone on The New Yorker gag (which was designed to help him and point out how stupid some of the anti-Obama dialogue was), but I can just see the GOP now go on about how he needs 2,500 people and $432 million a year to promote himself.
On lighter fare, I was encouraged to put this up by friends because I use it as a bipartisan gag at the office. ‘The problem with Barack Obama is that he thinks he’s Jesus Christ. The problem with John McCain is that he’s met both gentlemen.’ Hmm, it’s not that funny now that I write it out. And wouldn’t it be way cool to actually meet Jesus? The humour must all be in the delivery.
Comments
His drawing attention to being compared to Palin shows that were are now in a season of the Republican's defining the debate. Which would be a first this go around.
Randy: I agree. Sen. Obama has many things he can claim that traditional Democratic voters surely agree with, without needing to draw comparisons on “executive experience”. He should also know that such comparisons did not work with Sen. Clinton, and one of his first attacks on Gov. Palin made him look petty and unpresidential. (The same thing happened with his New Yorker cover reaction: a real president, as people imagine him or her, should rise above that and he should have left the criticism, even if he felt it deeply, to a campaign staffer.)
It certainly would be a first for the Republicans to define the debate.
He has ZERO exp.
Hi Mr Yan,
Hope you are well...
" Voters are basically lazy, basically uninterested in making an effort to understand what we're talking about..."
"...Reason requires a high degree of discipline, of concentration; impression is easier. Reason pushes the viewer back, it assaults him/her, it demands that he /she agree or disagree; impression can envelop him, invite him in, without making an intellectual demand...the emotions are more easily roused, closer to the surface, more malleable..."
These are the words of William Gavin, he was a thirty-one-year-old high school English teacher in 1967 and went on the serve Nixion; he urged Richard Nixon to run for President, and use the new media called Television.
In Gavin's first letter to Richard Nixon, he stated "...the real Nixon can revolutionize the use of television.."
Hubert H. Humphrey also remarked "...The biggest mistake in my political life was not to learn how to use television..."
These excerpts are from " The Selling Of The President 1968" written by Joe McGinniss: Trident Press.
Mr. Yan, not much has changed in 40 years...well except one huge factor: online media.
Sadly, Obama..seems to utilize this old playbook, and not consider the element of reason. The American public, and I may add the global audience has become numb to the construct of" Selling of the President" they now have too many economic, and personal issues to contend with.
Actually, the notion of [slips] in strategy, not only cause an impression, but may provoke voters to reason that it is all about selling. And there is the concern; to assume that America can't understand style, acting...and statements such as:
"I have more experience then you" is silly, careless, and may lead to Mr. Obama's failure to win the big chair in the Oval Office.
Non-traditional media has allowed the world to take an active role, and has produced a voting public that must reason, as they search for [news]
that fits there specific needs, assumptions and lifestyles.
The business of [selling] has shifted, and become more diverse with options such as blogs and viral videos. Today selling could be more about effectual communications, engagement is considers two viewpoints. In 2008, verbal fist fights with the a female that is seeking the office of VP, are at best a waste of time, and at worst a waste of important votes. America is still not sold on Mr. Obama, his education, community service, and/ or ethnic legacy.
My mom had an interesting thought, "...Obama is tired, worn, looks like he needs a good home cooked meal; the real Obama is now showing beyond the hype, glamorized style that has been created by so called experts. I add - how sad, yet true. She continued... "Bill, this is where he is lacking in experience.."
She often called me to order as a kid..." If you don't have something nice to say, just be quiet..."
Simply,
bill
Mr Gavin was right, Bill: usually it is about distilling something about the candidate into something bite-sized—sad but true. Sen. Obama did a good job in the primaries because I feel his advisers did summarize him well, but your mother is right in where exactly he lacks experience: he gets into petty fights which, even as someone younger than he is, I don’t. There is no point for a presidential nominee to debate The New Yorker or the vice-presidential nominee of the rival party because he should be above that. (Having said that, he did marvellously on The Late Show this week and showed his traditional speaking strengths.) Non-traditional media, especially on the right, were influential in getting Gov. Palin chosen, and they in turn have promoted her. That shows a understanding—or more likely serendipity—among the Republicans of a bottom-up approach to electioneering.
Hi,
PETTY...yes Mr. Yan, petty politics has no place in our culture, well not at this time!
And the American people are really sending/ exporting an unstudied posture, this can lead to global strife, and hate for America. We tend to over play this partisan game, and in this election season there is a high price.
Its not just Obama, or McCain..but - America is showing how full of entertainment we truly are, even at a time of great crisis, economics and war.
When will American politics wave the grand flag for sustained peace..?
b.