The reality is that these "crises" actually present political opportunities to Barack Obama. Once the members of the press whip themselves up into a froth over the latest "breaking news", a great deal of interest gets stirred up, the potential audience is maximized, and then Barack hits another home run by simply presenting himself, The Real Barack Obama, to his questioners, and of course he picks up a few more supporters who had doubted him previously. It may sound strange, but this is precisely the formula that will enable him to win the general election in November.
One thing we know is that the Republicans will crank up their character assassination machine and try to convince the Swing Voters out there that the Democratic Nominee is 'character deficient' in some significant way. For example, if Hillary Clinton were actually to pull off her party-destroying scheme, she would find herself relentlessly crucified by the Republicans as a habitual liar.
Clips would be repeatedly shown of her Bosnian Memories and then other clips would be shown (of her making campaign promises) and viewers would be constantly asked [with dripping sarcasm] how it is possible to believe anything that she says? Hillary's character would be THE focus of the campaign and unfortunately for Hillary, it would be a campaign that she would not have any answer to. Obama has been too principled a person to exploit this profound vulnerability, but the R's will go after her with relish.
The bottom line reality about negative campaigning is that it is extremely effective IF it goes unanswered. When you respond to character assassination attacks, you have an opportunity to present the reality of who you are to the voters, which will largely displace the scary image your opponent is trying to create of you in the eyes of Swing Voters. (This assumes, of course, that you are actually innocent of the criticism that is being leveled at you.)
Yesterday, the talking heads on cable news could never stop asking if the Rev. Wright issue had finally been put to bed, or if it was likely to re-surface again later. The answer to their question is yes, it is going to come up again and again, but every time it comes up, it will simply provide Barack with yet another opportunity to replace the nightmare characterizations of 'Barack Obama' that the Republican/Clinton alliance has created with the reassuring truth. People will feel that they know Barack Obama a little bit better.
That's right, everytime it is brought up, he is going to have to give another presentation of himself to the electorate, which will simply bring more honor upon him. At a certain point, the press will finally begin to be dismissive of the claims, because they've simply heard it all before. If you happen to be someone who is utterly without guile, then these challenges are simply an opportunity to clear your name and reaquaint people with the reality of who you are.
Superdelegates take note: Barack Obama has continually demonstrated that he knows how to use the negative attacks of others to advance his campaign. Hillary Clinton, in contrast, would be crucified in a way she could not survive if the Republicans actually had a chance to go after her Chronic Liar problem. If you spend a little time reflecting on these two key points, it should start to become quite clear to you that Hillary Clinton is utterly unelectable.
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