I caught most of the Democratic debate tonight and I was astonished by how unprepared Obama seemed to be on the most obvious question of the evening - how he stood on illegal aliens having driver’s licenses. This is the very subject he had used to nail Hillary Clinton at the previous debate, yet his answer to this same question this time was, if anything, more evasive than Hillary’s at the other debate. [Video here.]
Surely his handlers must have prepared him for this question. Otherwise they are rank incompetents. So there can only be one conclusion: Barack Obama does not really want to be President.
At least that was what was going through my head while watching the rest of the desultory performance by all concerned. (Only Biden is able to really answer things directly, agree with him of not.)
Now I can’t say I totally blame Obama, because he must know what we all do - that he is way too inexperienced for the job at a time like this. During the last week, when the press was making a big deal out of Hillary stumbling, he must have been wrestling in his unconscious with the possibility that he actually could win - a surprising development under the circumstances. The result: he sabotaged himself at the most obvious moment. You don’t need to be Dr. Freud to figure that one out.
Meanwhile, the real news was coming from Iran. Somehow the Democrats overlooked it.
Other takeaway from the debate. If John Edwards wins the Presidency, maybe I’ll leave the country. (France, anyone?)
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22 Comments
1. chuck:I don’t think Obama has a driving ambition to be president. Almost from the beginning I’ve had the impression that he was cajoled into running by other folks, no doubt driven by their own ambitions. So I don’t think there is anything special about tonight, nor do I think his performance requires psychoanalysis to explain.
Who was it that said that in his experience the common characteristic of great leaders was uncommon energy? That’s my paraphrase, not the exact quote. I think there is more than a bit of truth to that. I don’t think Obama has that sort of natural energy. Neither do I, nor, I suspect, do most of us. Fred would be another who seems lacking in that department.
Nov 15, 2007 - 8:47 pm 2. pastorius:I do hope you are right on this, Roger. Because, I agree, Obama does not have the experience, nor the steadfastness of character which is developed from undergoing real trials, required to be a leader at a time like this.
I always remember the time that, I believe it was, Maureen Dowd made fun of Obama’s ears. He got his feelings hurt, and felt compelled to confront her.
It seemed obvious then that he did not have what it takes to be President.
However, I’m not sure I agree with Chuck that Obama lacks energy, unless he is saying that it is possible to lack energy and yet have tremendous charisma, because, it seems to me, Obama is one of the most charismatic people I have seen in my 44 years.
Nov 15, 2007 - 9:01 pm 3. chuck:Pastorius,
I think the source of the quote was thinking of Churchill, among others. LBJ would be another of that stripe. Think energizer bunny. It’s not charisma, it’s more like drinking everyone else under the table. Bill Clinton might be the closest recent example.
Nov 15, 2007 - 9:19 pm 4. David Thomson:“I was astonished by how unprepared Obama seemed to be on the most obvious question of the evening - how he stood on illegal aliens having driver’s licenses.”
Obama’s problem had little to do with an alleged lack of preparation. The reality is that no politically correct Democrat can answer this question without seriously hurting themselves. That is why the issue is taylor made to be exploited by Republican candidates. The Democratic Party “elites” have long contended that only racists say no to the demands of illegal immigrants. This mindset places them in a no-win situation. Obama is damned if he does—and damned if he doesn’t.
Democrat leaders are stunned and rendered speechless by polls showing that most minorities oppose illegal immigration! What are they to do? The answer: they can’t do anything! The Democrats are royally screwed.
Nov 16, 2007 - 4:25 am 5. newscaper:Hopefully not being too obvious here…
Perhaps he is really only running for VP?
Nov 16, 2007 - 5:01 am 6. Buddy Larsen:Didn’t watch the show but did laugh along with the vodka guy–this is pretty funny.
But why are we laughing? Parlez vous Francais?
Nov 16, 2007 - 6:23 am 7. Jimeo:I’m with Davis Thompson. All the preparation in the world can’t help the Dems on this one. They must either make it clear that they don’t like the invasion of illegals we’re experiencing, and lose the nomination, or admit that they like it, and lose the general. Thus, they have to be evasive. Maybe they forgot that at the last debate when they attacked on Hillary on the issue. Maybe they knew it at the last debate, but also knew that they have to attack Hillary to get the nomination, damn the consequences.
Nov 16, 2007 - 6:41 am 8. David Thomson:Too many Republicans have been intimidated by the leftist media and the strange people over at the Wall Street Journal into believing the issue of illegal immigration can only hurt them. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is true only if their opposition is perceived to be premised on racism. Anger over illegal immigrants, however, has spilled over into the Afro-American community. This is a disastrous turn of events for the Democratic Party which is controlled by the leftwing “elites.” The GOP should act like a shark smelling blood and take full advantage of the situation.
Nov 16, 2007 - 7:29 am 9. TheHat:I’ve always held that Obama was running for President for three reasons.
1. Wealth. He’s already gotten a very nice house and yard. It’s property he could not afford prior to this. Millions have flowed into his campaign. Don’t try to convince me that campaign laws prevent personal enrichment. Campaign laws haven’t prevented the Clintons from receiving millions for the Red Army.
2. Ego. Obama plans on becoming the first black President. (But not this time around! This is Hillarys shot.) Name any other black man or woman who has gotten as much news coverage as Obama. Or has had a swimsuit photo go national!
3. Prep. My best guess is that Obama is working on name recognition and building a reputation. He is also learning what it takes to run for President. He is learning about image and organization.
I don’t think Obama is currently running for President. This is his practice round.
Nov 16, 2007 - 7:29 am 10. OrangeEnt:“(Only Biden is able to really answer things directly, agree with him of not.)”
Of course he can…because someone else has already said it first!!!!
Nov 16, 2007 - 7:43 am 11. Buddy Larsen:re the ”real news” bottom link, the closing para:
David Albright, a former UN inspector and now an independent nuclear expert in Washington, said ElBaradei appeared to be trying to put “a happy face” on a worsening situation. “The main issue is that Iran now has 3,000 centrifuges,” he said. “The report doesn’t even judge the quality of the information being offered, but it’s clear it is giving minimal answers.”
“happy face” ? I’d say using the term is to put a happy face on the happy face. That’s getting a little buried in happy faces, isn’t it?
Nov 16, 2007 - 8:13 am 12. Lem:Entertaining the idea of giving licenses to illegal aliens make democrats look like an ostridge farm with their head in the sand.
People have memory. We have been down this rabbit hole before. During Reagan, they said we will do this just this one time. And now it’s WAMO, dejavu all over again.
Divers licenses are a path to amnesty. It will only encourage the behavior that has gotten us in this quagmire to begin with.
Do something about that ridiculous border ñ with more holes than a dominatrix’s leather, and then maybe we talk.
Nov 16, 2007 - 9:52 am 13. pastorius:Chuck,
Nov 16, 2007 - 10:13 am 14. Webutante:By that definition of leader, Ronald Reagan was not a leader.
Actually, if John Edwards wins, Spain’s not looking too bad with Juan Carlos these days…
Nov 16, 2007 - 10:29 am 15. Insufficiently Sensitive:“Divers licenses are a path to amnesty.”
Small potatoes. What the Democrats took for granted for far too long was that such licenses would be accepted by the various States as credentials to obtain voter registration.
If Dems could then paint the Republicans as horrible anti-immigrant racists (and the MSM has certainly been doing its loyal part on those lines), they’d have a giant new block of locked-in voters to augment (or replace) the ever-less-reliable African-Americans.
But public opinion on illegal immigration in general has refused to mold itself to the Democratic position on illegal-immigration-as-the-new-affirmative-action. Hence they’ve got themselves a hot potato, and Hillary has already judged which side of illegal to support - this time.
Nov 16, 2007 - 10:41 am 16. Fat Man:Don’t worry Roger, if John Edwards wins the presidency, I will eat your hat.
As for the O man, no one under 50 should be President, it is now clear to me (having turned 60) that the juices do not dry out enough to allow a man to concentrate on the job before that age.
Nov 16, 2007 - 12:08 pm 17. Buddy Larsen:agree with FM –that’s why the old tribes that managed to get us to the future we now enjoy had ”elders” doing the thinking.
Nov 16, 2007 - 12:50 pm 18. Roger:Works for me…
Nov 16, 2007 - 5:34 pm 19. Roger:Works for me…
Nov 16, 2007 - 5:34 pm 20. Buddy Larsen:wrong topic to double-post on!
Nov 16, 2007 - 7:22 pm 21. Buddy Larsen:on second thought, maybe not –Bill Richardson is still in the game 9or at least on the stage), and all he ever does is double-post.
Nov 16, 2007 - 7:25 pm 22. Buddy Larsen:anyway, this stuff is frankly getting scary.
Clinton campaign controls CNN to control the venue–and the whole affair becomes some sort of theatrical production for the world to adore.
The scary part is, the clinton campaign and CNN don’t seem to care who knows what they’re doing–as though anybody who keeps up with this stuff is not in their target audience in the first place.
And to those of us who do take note, the message is, “See this power–we can ruin anyone–look how we’ve controlled the Bush narrative–do you REALLY want us creating four more years of agony for the nation–or wouldn’t you rather just sit back, and quit fighting us, and get yourself a little rest, and just let us take care of things?”
No, on second thought, even THAT’s not the scary part–the scary part is that this motif will drive itself like a dervish once in control of the machinery of the United States government.
What was it Alinsky demanded–”Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.”
Once this aggressive ideology actually takes control, who will it freeze, personalize, and polarize?
Nov 16, 2007 - 9:10 pm