[BRIGADE] PJB: How Obama Won -- and May Win
Published: Tue, 06/10/08
See Pat's Tuesday column below. Also see both websites. I added
several videos of Pat, radio show interviews, and articles on the
Madness of John McCain; Obama's Israeli Connection; the USS Liberty
[the anniversary was June 8] and more. See them at:
http://buchanan.org/blog/
and
http://patbuchananbooks.com/
For the Cause -- Linda
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How Obama Won -- and May Win
by Patrick J. Buchanan
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
"I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is
articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. ... I mean,
that's a storybook, man."
Thus did Joe Biden famously describe his rival for the nomination,
Barack Obama, to the The New York Observer, a year ago.
Biden, however, thought Obama might not be able to win the fall
election, as he is "a one-term, a guy who has served for four years
in the Senate. ... I don't recall hearing a word from Barack about
a plan or a tactic."
Biden was forced to apologize, but was dead on in discerning
Barack's strengths as a candidate in the primaries, which might
prove weaknesses in the fall.
A new face in the game, Barack opened with three aces. He opposed
the Iraq war, the defining issue in a party that had come to detest
the war. He was an African-American. Thus, as the hopes of millions
rose that he could be the first black president, there were surges
of black voters whom he begin to sweep 90-10.
Lastly, Barack is a natural, a Mickey Mantle, a superb political
athlete like JFK, who has looks, charm, youth and a speaking style
that can move crowds to cheers or laughter.
Barack was thus able to unite the McGovern wing -- young,
idealistic, liberal, anti-war -- with the Jesse Jackson quadrant of
the party, black folks, and defeat Hillary's coalition of
working-class Catholics, women, seniors and Hispanics.
As of today, by the traditional metrics of national politics,
Democrats should roll up a victory this fall like FDR's first in
1932.
Bush's disapproval is near 70 percent, and 80 percent of the
country believes the nation is on the wrong course. Unemployment is
rising. Surging gas and food prices compete for the top story not
only on business pages but front pages, with home foreclosures and
the housing slump. Family incomes of Middle Americans have ceased
to rise, as millions of their best jobs have been outsourced
overseas.
Yet, national polls show McCain-Obama a close race, and the
electoral map points to critical problems for Barack.
He seeks, for example, to target Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico.
But in all three the Hispanic vote may be decisive. And Barack was
beaten by Hillary two to one among Hispanics, and between these two
largest of America's minorities, rivalry and tension are real and
rising.
Barack must hold Michigan and Pennsylvania and pick up Ohio or
Virginia. Yet, his weakness among Southern and working-class whites
and women is remarkable. By two to one they rejected him.
After his string of primary and caucus victories in February,
Barack proceeded to lose Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, then
West Virginia by 41, Kentucky by 35, Puerto Rico two to one and
South Dakota by 10. That last one Barack was supposed to win.
The longer the campaign went on, the more reluctant Democrats
seemed to be to embrace his nomination.
What is Barack's problem?
Middle America knows little about him, and much of what they know
they do not like. When West Virginians were asked what they knew
about Barack, a plurality said the Rev. Wright was his pastor. In
Pennsylvania, a goodly slice of Democrats knew Barack had said they
were "bitter" about being left behind and were clinging to their
bigotries, Bibles and guns.
By June, resistance to Barack's nomination in the party that he now
leads was extraordinary, stemming from a belief that he is too
naive to be commander in chief in wartime and too far left, and
does not like or understand Middle America or its values.
"He is not one of us."
And if Barack cannot erase this hardening perception in the
American mind, he will not be president.
Democrats may talk of making the economy the issue this fall, but
Republicans are going to make Barack the issue. Story line: We
cannot entrust our beloved America, in a time of war, to this
radical and exotic figure who has so many crazy and extremist
associates.
Barack's problem is thus Reagan's problem.
As the country wished to be rid of Jimmy Carter in 1980, so the
nation today wishes to be rid of Bush and his Republicans. But
America is apprehensive over a roll of the dice, in Bill Clinton's
metaphor.
How did Reagan ease the anxiety? In the debate with Carter, he came
off as conservative, yes, but also traditional, mainstream, witty
and the more likable man. The real Reagan came through.
With his persona, Barack may be able to do the same -- in the
debates. The problem is that he had two dozen debates with Hillary
and, by the end of the primary season, five months after it began,
he was still losing ground.
SOURCE:
http://buchanan.org/blog/2008/06/pjb-how-obama-won-and-may-win/