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Sat Aug 02, 2008 at 17:48:25 PM EDT
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| Flop sweat is breaking out on the brow of the Democratic body politic. After selling their integrity to get a candidate they thought would win in November, the Dean/Pelosi/Brazile triumvurate steering the DNC these days is hearing footsteps, and recriminations are setting in. With the number of people identifying as Democrats declining, and young people tuning out, things aren't looking too good.
Check out Financial Times' article yesterday:
But a number of Democrats, including advisers to the Obama campaign, are worried that the Democratic party's overall electoral advantage this year has not yet translated into comfortable leads for Mr Obama. On Friday Gallup showed Mr Obama just one point ahead of John McCain - a significant tightening in the past two weeks.
...But the signs are that Mr McCain's continuing attacks - most recently in a commercial that portrayed Mr Obama as a vapid celebrity against images of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears - may be striking a chord with the white working class voters who shunned Mr Obama so emphatically in many of his primary contests with Hillary Clinton.
Um, that would be those 18 million people who actually voted for Hillary, Dr. Dean.
With just one month to go before Labour Day - the traditional beginning of the general election - and only three weeks before the Democratic convention, many Democrats fear that time is running out for Mr Obama to overcome the suspicions of this key swing vote.
"We have got to move away from these beautifully choreographed speeches which appeal to groups of voters who are unassailably in the Obama camp already," said a non-staff adviser to Mr Obama. "What plays well with the educated liberal voter sometimes grates with the blue-collar folk, whom we need on our side if we are going to win."
A little late to be figuring that out, but still commendable. Sort of. |
| campskunk :: As The One™'s Halo Slips, Dems Get Nervous |
Remembering the leads Kerry, Dukakis and other Democratic candidates have frittered away, the Democratic head honchos are faced with the reality that this isn't a photo op or a caucus, it's an election. Oh, and they miss the Clinton's ability to win elections by connecting to the voters (even the clinging, bitter ones).
That only reinforces disquiet about Mr Obama's inability so far to take a decisive lead. "Even on his worst day, Bill Clinton was able to signal that he understood voters' concerns and that he felt their pain," said Douglas Schoen, a Democratic consultant. "Obama has no trouble with the campaign stagecraft. But this isn't Harvard, it's the beer hall. He has to talk in language that people understand."
Last I heard, there was still a Clinton available - one who doesn't have Obama's problem connecting to working-class voters. Obama gained the upper hand in the delegate count by working the caucus states, using inside influence to rig the allocation of FL and MI delegates, and stampeding the superdelegates. But there's still a vote at the convention to choose the nominee. That's what he's afraid of. |
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"Always aim high, work hard, and care deeply about what you believe in. When you stumble, keep faith. When you?re knocked down, get right back up. And NEVER listen to anyone who says you can't or shouldn't go on."
Hillary Clinton - June 7, 2008
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