Woe is Me, and My Name is Barack Obama
I have found in recent weeks to be perturbed with the behavior of Senator Barack Obama. It is not an unknown fact that I am a Hillary supporter, however, I do not dislike Barack Obama. I would not even mind if Obama became President, but I feel that he is not as qualified to do the job as Hillary is. The most shocking behavior of Senator Obama lately took place on Tuesday, when he was said to have left Pennsylvania early on in the race because he expected he would lose. Fox News indicates on their site, that the camp claims that by winning both Mississippi and Wyoming that Obama has no reason to doubt his success in the future. Phil Singer, a member of the Clinton Camp, claims in this same article that: "[N]o candidate has won the Democratic nomination without winning Pennsylvania since 1972[.]" I found this point particularly appealing for two reasons. First, being a Hillary supporter, that is a great statistic to have on our side. It could strengthen undecided voters to realize the probability of truth in Singer's statement. Also, on the flip side, I find it intriguing to see if Barack Obama can defy the odds and win the White House without winning this big state.
Another act of Obama's behavior that has troubled me was his speech in Evansville, Indiana that took place on Tuesday, after he had lost Pennsylvania. An excerpt from the speech can be found here, I would post the quote directly up here, but my analysis should be able to clue you in. Obama talks about the two going head to head for some months now, and how that is not what type of politics he wants to partake in. This also draws in our class's understanding of incivility. At this speech, Obama comes out and claims that any form of uncivil political bantering is NOT something he wants to be apart of. However, I feel his actions show different feelings about political incivility.
In this speech, New York Times reports of how quickly Obama switched from targeting the race against beating Hillary to beating that of John McCain. Now, I realize it must be hard to just come out and say "Ya, you're right I lost. I spent two to three times the amount of money of the Hillary campaign, but I still lost." I mean, it can't be an easy feat. However, I believe that the route that Barack took has left much to be desired. I am looking forward to listening to his next speech to see if his mood and outlook had improved.
posted by Alli Grimmer | 10:49 PM
6 Comments:
I think there are some interesting points made here. When Obama left PA when he could see that he was going to lose I thought that maybe he was a little bitter (no pun intended) or maybe he was just wanting to move on to another important state. Either way I think both candidates are proud of what they have done thus far and do not want want to admit if they are struggling. The gap between Clinton and Obama is narrowing so Obama is probably feeling the pressure more. Though it may not be the kind of politics he wants to engage in I think it's inevitable. I think it would be very hard to run a race without "bashing" the opponent a little. Especially during this race I think the candidates feel like they have to engage in incivility to differentiate themselves.
I agree with Caitlin that Obama cannot always be "Mr. Nice guy" and he does have to differentiate himself. However, I do agree with Alli that it is somewhat disheartening to know that Obama just got up and left PA. Maybe he felt like everything was said and done that needed to be done. Perhaps it was a good move on his part just to move on and hope for better results in the future. It will be interesting to see if he can break history's streak and win the candidacy without PA.
I definitely think that there are some interesting points being made here. I think that it is disheartening that Obama left Pennsylvania, because he thought that he would lose. From someone who goes in between both candidates, it makes him look like a "bad sport" having left and then going straight to the presses in Indiana. On the other side it can also be seen as him trying to recover from his loss.
I agree that Obama has made himself look like a "bad sport" because he lost a big state. Alli quoted that "No candidate has won the Democratic nomination without winning Pennsylvania since 1972[.]" With this being so, Obama should see this as a challenge to change past trends and prove everyone wrong. He is only hurting himself by backing down. I know I do not want someone in office who isnt confident and willing to accept a challenge.
Obama is a sore loser and a sore winner. Hands down. When he wins, his campaign throws it in everyone's face. When he loses, his campaign throws a hissy fit. It used to be just his campaign that was throwing punches, but now Barack Obama is comparing Hillary Clinton with John McCain, which is an absurd claim, if I may say so myself. Tomorrow is an important day, with nearly 200 delegates hanging in the balance. It will be interesting how this will be handled, regardless of the outcome.
Candidates have very tight schedules, as we have discussed. When he realized that he was not going to win her probably thought it would be more productive to move on and continue his campaign. I am sure that after this loss he and his campaign needed time to re-evaluate and regroup.
Post a Comment
<< Home