The Education of Barack Obama

So far Bilary's strategy of dragging Obama down into the mud and off his message and transforming him in the media from the post-racial candidate of hope who wasn't black enough to the angry black politician seems to be working. Bill Clinton is the most talented campaigner and politician of his generation. He's proving much more subtle and devious then Rove and his crude Republican ilk at the politics of slime. Many might say that the Republicans will do worse to the Democratic candidate in the general but I don't agree. The Republicans will be much cruder and sleazier and easier to parry. Bill is a much more formidable opponent and this is turning out to be Barack's trial by fire. So far he has played right into the Clinton's hands and if he can't find a way to blunt the Clinton's slime machine and stay on message well maybe he's not ready for prime time.

While the hit on Hilary in the debate for being on the board of Walmart was absolutely true. You could see Hilary was positively giddy that Barack was getting down to her level. She was looking forward to the food fight. See Obama's as bad as I am! Just another sleazeball politician and I'm better at it. I can beat the Republican's at their own game so I'm your best shot at winning!

The down in the trenches mud fest going on now between the Clinton's and Obama must have Mike Bloomberg grinning from ear to ear. If African-American's, independents, new and young voters get disgusted with the process Clinton may think that they have no place to go and will return to the fold but they shouldn't be so sure. They may win the battle only to lose the war. Bloomberg is ready with a $Billion to pick up the pieces in a three way race with a discontent electorate.

Rather then Hilary being able to leverage a general warm and fuzzy nostalgia for the economic good times and pax Americana of the 90's. Having the sad spectacle of an ex-President playing attack dog and asking us to believe he is not being fast and loose with the facts about Obama brings back much less pleasant memories of "I did not have sex with that women" and other Clintonian tortured contortions of the facts.

I'm still planing on voting for Edwards as I want his message to get to the convention but I wish Obama luck. I hope he finds his footing. There was a time when I would have been happy with any of the Democratic candidates but after the circus of the last month the thought of the Clinton's in the White House makes me ill. Not just because it would be a victory for the DLC, corporate wing of the party but it would mean 4 more years of the same old sleazy politics. Edwards and Obama are politicians, not angels and all have done things that reflect poorly on them but Bill and Hilary are beyond the pale for me and represent everything I hate about politics.

•  no one's a saint

  but not everyone's a devil.

  by Stroszek on Wed Jan 23, 2008 at 09:47:26 AM PDT

•  These "leading" two Democratic candidates

  have become an embarrassment to the party.  John Edwards, as he reminded us, is the only adult left standing.

  by moose67 on Wed Jan 23, 2008 at 09:50:45 AM PDT

•  will vet kossacks listen

  There are so many of us here saying the same thing, and yet vet kossacks tell us to shut up because it does not matter who the dem nominee is so long as there is a D next to their name, nothing else supposedly matters.  If they really do know anything about winning elections, they should know its all about GOTV.  And my friends, with Hillary, the writing is on the wall, or rather in all the diaries and comments.

  by Joes username on Wed Jan 23, 2008 at 10:00:45 AM PDT