Patterico's Pontifications

9/11/2008

Obama’s Campaign as a Measuring Stick for His Executive Experience

Filed under: 2008 Election — DRJ @ 8:45 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

Barack Obama wants to be judged on his ability to lead but he has limited executive experience. His position in the Annenberg Challenge might give us some clue about how he makes executive decisions but, so far, Obama seems unwilling to discuss his role detail.

Instead, the Obama campaign and the media have urged American voters to judge Obama on the way he’s run his Presidential campaign. Jennifer Rubin (writing at Pajamas Media) isn’t impressed:

“Has he shown grace under pressure? Not exactly. Has he controlled his own message? Nope. Did his own personnel pick (the serially obnoxious Joe Biden) set this slow-motion pile up in motion? Yup.

So here’s the rub: Palin has energized the GOP base, driven women and independent voters into McCain’s camp, and flummoxed the MSM, but her greatest accomplishment has been to unveil the Democrats’ true liability.

That basic liability has nothing to do with the fact that they are ultra-liberals and lack credibility on national security issues. Their biggest problem is that they have never led, never managed, never navigated during a crisis, and as a result never demonstrated calm under fire. It is one thing for the GOP candidates to state that in a speech — as many did at the Republican National Convention — but it is quite another to see it being played out before your very eyes.

Like water dumped on the Wicked Witch of the West, Palin’s popularity has melted the façade of professional competence and personal stability which cloaked her opponents’ weaknesses.

Now we can all see for ourselves their executive prowess. When pressured they whimper, whine, and insult.

Is this the message Americans have gotten in the past weeks?

— DRJ

17 Responses to “Obama’s Campaign as a Measuring Stick for His Executive Experience”

  1. DRJ — the truth is that Obama’s “campaign” has been getting battered, first by Hillary and later by McCain, since April. He didn’t beat Hillary so much as run out the clock on her.

    How many primaries did he win after Super Tuesday?

    He made an “executive decision” to opt out of public financing — how’s that working out?

    He picke Joe Biden, who has been a drag on the ticket since the day he was announced.

    His campaign has turned an 8 point poll lead into a 5 point deficit.

    MORE significantly, in the InTrade wagering market, Obama went from being a 2-1 favorite to just slightly less than even money in the last 45 days.

    “Change you can beleive in”?????

    WLS (26b1e5)

  2. seems like here that the only insulting is coming from ‘Republicans’. Obama’s moved on to more serious matters than Sarah’s insults and jibes.

    Of course I never thought Obama would win but just maybe? The Intrade thing was inflationary wasn’t it? Watched for awhile and it didn’t move until the last few days. If the public tires of Palin what?

    datadave (eb12a5)

  3. “Barack Obama wants to be judged on his ability to lead but he has limited executive experience.”

    ‘No’ and ‘limited’ do not mean the same thing, Mrs. J.

    Kevin (07941a)

  4. WLS,

    I think there is a difference between what the general public knows/thinks and what bloggers know/think. Someday there may be more overlap between the two but, for now, I doubt most Americans have heard as many Palin stories as we have … and most of them probably don’t care to hear all the details anyway.

    So I wonder: How do average Americans view Obama the candidate and the Obama campaign after the past 2 weeks?

    DRJ (7568a2)

  5. I’m betting that McCain has moles in Obama’s campaign who report every move to him before it’s reported to Obama. It’s very easy to do in an organization of 2,400 people.

    nk (d681ef)

  6. The NYT is trying to lay the foundation for a reversal in perception. There’s a story up on their website about how the Obama campaign is going to launch a fierce counterattack tomorrow morning on McCain, with new coordinated advertising, surrogates out in force, and get back to their message of linking McCain to Bush.

    But then Palin is going to be all over ABC tomorrow night.

    What a bunch of dolts.

    WLS (26b1e5)

  7. WLS – That is the only arrow in their quiver. Run against someone who is not running.

    JD (6a8c0a)

  8. The NYT is trying to lay the foundation for a reversal in perception.

    You mean something like this?

    nk (d681ef)

  9. Someday there may be more overlap between the two but, for now, I doubt most Americans have heard as many Palin stories as we have … and most of them probably don’t care to hear all the details anyway.

    So I wonder: How do average Americans view Obama the candidate and the Obama campaign after the past 2 weeks?

    Interesting question. I agree with the first statement mainly because most people have already made their commitment to a candidate and don’t want or need any more details, whether about Palin or Obama. It wouldn’t make a difference.

    Several black colleagues are going to vote for Obama and decided that the very day he announced. And yes, its because he is black. Its because they never thought they would see it in their lifetime and it represents a sort of final breaking of the past and all its injustices. And I get it. I listen to them and I understand completely. Its what they have hoped for for so long. So any more details or stories wouldn’t make one iota of difference.

    Dana (f3e70a)

  10. Side note:

    For the first time, fivethirtyeight.com has McCain as the (tiny) favorite to win the election.

    The site’s run by a Chicago-based Obama supporter, but his statistical work is top-notch. It’s a long road to the election still…. but that’s a good sign. Obama’s still 54% to win the election according to the betting sites I’ve looked at, but the election is moving the right way for the Republicans.

    –JRM

    JRM (355c21)

  11. Dana,

    I understand that this election resonates with your black colleagues but I hope they aren’t voting solely on race. If they are, they are no different and no better than white people who vote against black candidates solely because of their race. In other words, they are racists.

    Of course, I doubt they are voting solely on race unless they also support Clarence Thomas, Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell no matter what they say or do.

    DRJ (7568a2)

  12. Clearly, DRJ, you must be denounced. That has to be a first !

    JD (6a8c0a)

  13. I started to add “as JD would say” but I didn’t want to drag you into it.

    DRJ (7568a2)

  14. I could not let that go without comment. You bring up an interesting dynamic in which you reference a white vote against a black politician based solely on skin color as being racist. If you really wanted the apples to apples comparison, it would be the differing views and perception of a black voter voting for a black candidate based on skin color, and a white voter voting for white candidate based on skin color. Generally speaking, the former would be considered acceptable, and the media would not question same, but the latter, not so acceptable.

    JD (6a8c0a)

  15. OK.

    “Obama’s Campaign as a Measuring Stick of His Executive [Qualifications]”

    Considering that the Rasmussen polls are tied (and we can go back and forth about the relative legitimacy of this poll or that poll all day), the logical conclusion to be drawn, in my eyes, is that Obama is no better or worse an executive than McCain.

    Wow – you really showed him!

    Leviticus (41975c)

  16. Obama’s campaign shows that he folds like the cheap empty suit both he and Biden are.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  17. On point! Obama has no experience (even to be VP for that matter! His attacks on McCain.. “Washington insider… been in Washington a long time.. ” all intended as negative.. Hey.. that’s your own VP your talking about.. good ole boy Biden.. and where does Obama run for help.. good ole boy Clinton.. and what does Obama do when he gets to Washington.. drain the budget $1 Billion in Pork Barrell (to the tune of $1 million per working day).. that’s cha-ching… you can believe. in… On the Denver Big Stage Obama looked small.. and on the World Stage in Berlin.. even smaller.. a small minded man.. with a big ego. I was unimpressed with either.. In Europe he did show he could care less about the troops …he could have visited without staff.. but since there would be no cameras.. that stop was not worth the effort.. Tells you a lot about a man’s values… He should have started there and then gone elsewhere.. instead his egO with a capital O for zero.. got in the way… Will not, cannot and won’t vote for Obama!

    Daniel G Garcia (714735)


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