Obama brings a knife to a gunfight

Game on!

We have a presumptive nominee, so Obama has begun in earnest.  So far, the Obama campaign and allied forces have made sure we know that Mitt Romney put the family dog on top of a station wagon 30 years ago.  Also, he was a party to restraining a long-haired feller and cutting his hair in high school, and the guy might have been gay, except maybe none of that was true after all.  Or something.

It is perhaps a bit superficially jarring that such seems to be the Obama campaign’s main approach now, most of six months from Election Day.  I mean, to the degree that these sorts of attacks are ever indicated, aren’t they best used as “throw-ins,” ancillary to the primary message?

But think about it.  What else can Obama do?  Talk about all of his kept promises?  Trumpet the efficacy of his economic policy?  Tell most of America they’re wrong when they consistently say they want Obamacare repealed?  Brag about arming drug cartels?  Discuss how deftly he handles world leaders in casual conversation?  Say “I’m President Obama, who ordered Osama bin Laden killed” again?

See, Barack Obama has something he’s never had before:  a record of his performance.  This is new to both him and his campaign team.  They’ve never had to deal with it before.  So far, 1) Show up; 2) Orate; 3) Repeat has been the whole plan—and it’s been enough.

But gee, that’s not working anymore.  There’s this pesky little matter of three disastrous years under The One’s leadership.

So it’s straight to the little anecdotes that demonstrate how rotten Mitt Romney is.  There’s a problem with the little anecdotes, though.  Thanks both to a ceaselessly sycophantic media machine and inept opposition in 2008, Obama’s never had to deal with his own little anecdotes before.  The media was all in on the hopey-changey stuff.  McCain decided it was beneath him, so he played rope-a-dope with it (except he forgot to win at the end).

But the Romney campaign hits back—quickly.  (And poetically.  Loved the reiteration of the Dreams from My Father bit about eating dogs.)

So let’s examine what we have here.  We all know the level of genuine vetting Barack Obama received in 2008, which went something like:  “he’s so inspiring, and he’s the first black president.  Get him in there.  Ayers?  Wright?  Chicago-style thuggery?  Nothing to see here.  Move along.”  OK, so we’re playing on this level and comparing these largely unplumbed depths to…

…quite possibly the straightest arrow to run for president in the modern era.

Had a look at this week’s polling?

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6 thoughts on “Obama brings a knife to a gunfight”

  1. Not to mention the ridiculous Newsweek cover with the rainbow halo.! I mean, seriously, I couldn’t have done better if I was trying to make a joke of it. And while it probably occurred to some one that the “halo” imagery will really peeve those crazy religious zealots, so what, right? What they forget is that there are plenty of middle of the road folks who DO care about their religious friends feelings and sensibilities.

    Not that all the hoopla over the announcement didn’t conveniently drown out the story that our white house leaked the fact that an agent was undercover in that recent bomb plot. but it happened to be aBritish agent, not American, and his life may have been in imminent danger. Nope, no news here, who can draw Unicorns?

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  2. ‘seester, I think you probably farted hoping that it would cause a gay person discomfort. We’d better sic the Southern Poverty Law Center on ya.

    This is going to be good.

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  3. What chaps me is that what Romney did as a teenager is somehow relevant, but listening to Rev. Wright for 20 years isn’t, and bringing that up is raaaaacist, you dumb cracker.

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  4. Terri 🙂

    Miria, no worries. Obama can’t do anything except what he’s doing, and that’s going to wear thin in a hurry with anyone persuadable.

    Reply

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