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Closing the Deal
I'm puzzled by what seems to me a perfectly obvious flaw in Hillary's argument about her 'electability'. It's not unlike the one in her 'experience' argument, and that makes it even stranger that no one has mentioned it.
It goes like this: "How electable ARE you when you start your race with terrific name recognition, all kinds of support from the party, plenty of favors owed you --and you can't beat a junior senator known only to the few who noticed his speech at a party convention some years back, a junior senator whose name is vaguely Islamic sounding?
What I mean, of course, is that Hillary's entire strategy, from day one (sorry couldn't resist the temptation), has been to accuse her opponent of her own weaknesses and to claim his virtues for herself.
Although I am a Democrat and can only barely remember the last time a candidate for President I voted for actually took office, I am pretty sure this November the Democrats will win. And, of course, if Hillary is the candidate I will vote for her.
But why does this scenario remind me of the greatest mistake I ever made in my Presidential voting history: the time I voted for Lyndon Johnson because I was afraid Barry Goldwater (who seemed a decent enough fellow) was wrong for the country and Johnson, though obviously not a person you would want to play cards with (or just about anything else), was right for it?
Why, in a word, do I keep hearing Lyndon Johnson's drawl in my ears, saying "Ah won't evah send Amuricun Boys to daa in Veetnam!" even while he was meeting with the Joint Chiefs to plan precisely that??
Comments (8)
The answer to that is very simple. Clinton made two mistakes in her strategy (loss of Iowa and late start with online financing). Everything that happened is a consequence of this.
Obama is simply exploiting these two mistakes. This has nothing to do with electability in November.
April 26, 2008 4:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
HER PROBLEM IS SHE WON'T TAKE MY ADVICE
I coulda handled this while I was between rehabs.
Now I'm busy!
Tanya Harding
VOTE YOUR CONSCIENCE
NOT YOUR GUILTY CONSCIENCE
April 26, 2008 4:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
It simply that Hillary is doing everything to take the focus off her and place it on Obama in a negative manner.
Think about it, if you analyse all that she has done since her campaign began you would admit that she has made error after error after error. He campaign is in a mess, her finances are in the pits, her surrogates are all over the place and her talking points change every minute. Is this the type of campaigning that can stand up to real scrutiny? No... so she has to keep the focus on Obama and away from herself.
This is easy for her because she is a Clinton. If this was any other candidate he/she would been out of the race since February. The media, her brand name and the top brass of the party is keeping her in the race.
We have to live with it till the last vote has been counted.. be patient. Obama will be the nominee.
April 26, 2008 5:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
It goes like this: "How electable ARE you when you start your race with terrific name recognition, all kinds of support from the party, plenty of favors owed you --and you can't beat a junior senator known only to the few who noticed his speech at a party convention some years back, a junior senator whose name is vaguely Islamic sounding?
Maybe a sports analogy would help.
You know how sometimes the Superbowl is a very close game, and the team that seemed like a longshot squeaks by to have just small number of points more than the other team which was the favorite that everyone expected to win? And you know how when this happens the team with fewer points is declared the winner because the team with more points "failed to close the deal"? It's just like that.
April 26, 2008 11:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/04/a-classic-toles.html
April 27, 2008 9:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
Interesting meme being pushed by the conservative media right now. Obama has the best campaign, but Hillary is the best candidate. They think it explains why Obama can't "close" the deal with anyone except blacks and "lace cuff" or "latte" liberals.
April 27, 2008 11:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
I take it that you heard Bill Kristol on FOX this morning as well? What can I say - if folks take FOX seriously then we will get no more than we deserve.
April 27, 2008 11:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm not sure I follow that. If people like Kristol make a case that convinces voters, how do we get what we deserve? What we deserve is a candidate who can take those people on and win. Interesting how the candidate who rushed in to take advantage of a perceived Clinton weakness -- her negatives and divisiveness -- is now the candidate who is portrayed as divisive by the Right. Facts are facts. His support now is pretty much limited to blacks, upper income liberals and college students. He had a chance today to reach out to NASCAR fans, Catholics, the lower income white working class, and he muffed it again. Models of the electoral vote show him doing poorly against McCain. I think he's managed to lose the narrative. Indiana used to be a must win for Clinton. Now, it's becoming a must win for Obama, his last chance to show that he can advertise himself into the hearts of lower income white voters. The fact that Bill Kristol says it on FOX doesn't make it false. Your guy is in trouble. He had better get his act together and win Indiana, or he is going to limp into the convention as yesterday's news.
April 27, 2008 1:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
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