07-25-2008, 02:23 PM | #1 |
AKA SeattleNewt
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 7,055
|
Obama's Rock Star popularity
I wonder if this will ever begin to work against him. Right now there is little question that a decent portion of his popularity is due to people who are excited by his popularity itself. This happens all the time in the pop music world, but when it does it inevitably turns off a lot of fellow admirers who go off looking for the next best thing.
In this case, there really is no next best thing. For a while, McCain was the coolest Republican around. He would show up on SNL and John Stewart loved him, but now he's Bush III. A grumpy, ugly, old warmonger. So the threat isn't McCain, but I think it's attention span. The only way Obama loses popularity is if his fawning admirers disengage from politics altogether. He'll have to compete against the NFL, CFB and World Series. He'll have to compete against good news if it comes, the inevitable capturing of OBL, falling gas prices, etc. I think all these things pose a bigger threat to him than John McCain. Mano a mano there is no contest. It will be fascinating to see if he's able to sustain his popularity, not only through November but far beyond that. Though I won't vote for him, he is probably the most unique politician I've seen in my life. It's fun to watch. |
07-25-2008, 02:28 PM | #2 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 5,084
|
Quote:
If the republicans can make his record stick, he might not be as big a shoe in as people think. |
|
07-25-2008, 02:29 PM | #3 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 8,596
|
You need to read the Book of Obama
Quote:
__________________
"Have we been commanded not to call a prophet an insular racist? Link?" "And yes, [2010] is a very good year to be a Democrat. Perhaps the best year in decades ..." - Cali Coug "Oh dear, granny, what a long tail our puss has got." - Brigham Young |
|
07-25-2008, 02:30 PM | #4 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 8,596
|
Quote:
__________________
"Have we been commanded not to call a prophet an insular racist? Link?" "And yes, [2010] is a very good year to be a Democrat. Perhaps the best year in decades ..." - Cali Coug "Oh dear, granny, what a long tail our puss has got." - Brigham Young |
|
07-25-2008, 02:38 PM | #5 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Between Iraq and a hard place
Posts: 7,569
|
|
07-25-2008, 02:58 PM | #6 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 8,596
|
Quote:
Reagan, "like him or hate him", had a solid resume of accomplishments. You had a decent idea of how he would govern. Obama? Nobody really knows. We have to simply go by his speeches, or a string of "present" votes in the Illinois legislature, or his non-existent membership on the Senate Banking committee. Obama is highly charismatic, no question. But Reagan? Please. What do you know about the man to make such a comparison.
__________________
"Have we been commanded not to call a prophet an insular racist? Link?" "And yes, [2010] is a very good year to be a Democrat. Perhaps the best year in decades ..." - Cali Coug "Oh dear, granny, what a long tail our puss has got." - Brigham Young |
|
07-25-2008, 03:10 PM | #7 |
I must not tell lies
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 5,103
|
Although I was just a lad, I remember candidate Bill Clinton playing the sax on the Arsenio Hall show while wearing his cool dude sunglasses. The other option was old man Herbert Walker.
|
07-25-2008, 03:22 PM | #8 | |
AKA SeattleNewt
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 7,055
|
Quote:
First, if elected, he'll have big time political capital. This may sound paranoid or conspiratorial, but come January or February, we'll start hearing some damn good news coming out of Iraq. The national mood will be lifted and Obama will have some serious cred. His 2009 honeymoon period could last well into the fall. Second, he'll be dealing with a Democratic congress that has a sizable majority. Unless Nancy P and Harry Reid pull a power play, Congressional Dems will be at the Presidents' beck and call. Third, I think Obama has surrounded himself with a pretty good staff. His campaign is very well run and it's likely that his administration will be equally efficient. It's very possible that at this time next year we will be discussing how we're enjoying our new universal health care. |
|
07-25-2008, 03:26 PM | #9 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 5,996
|
Quote:
|
|
07-25-2008, 03:30 PM | #10 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 5,996
|
Quote:
Yep. McCain is the worst candidate possible to run against Obama right now. A Washington insider who has been in DC forever (and looks like he has been there even longer than forever) who is an awful speaker and abandoned the one trait that would have made him formidable- being a "maverick." I think the electoral vote will be a landslide for Obama, the Congress will heavily lean Democratic, and he will have a lot of momentum in his early term to push through much of his agenda. He could transform the Democratic party in much the same way Reagan did his. |
|
Bookmarks |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|