It has been hard to watch Barack Obama morph into Bill Clinton 2.0 so early in the game.
Not even Bill Clinton was Bill Clinton on the presidential campaign trail.
After the Obama campaign was nearly flawless in the primary season, its hard tack to the right has given John McCain hope and alienated the committed activists that were, in part, responsible for Obama's victory over Hillary Clinton.
At first, there was a certain desperation in Obama's defenders, including Markos "Kos" Moulitsas. Now there is open dissent. Here's Kos:
Throw down too much right-wing bullshit, make it apparent that change we can believe in is nothing but a slogan, and Kos will be openly trashing Barackstar and I will find something else to do as the election approaches.
That's the opening that the McCainiacs need to turn this back into a nail biter, an election close enough to steal.
Already, with war against Iran looming, Obama has waded into the gooey center. If he supports military action, he will lose my and many other progressive votes, Minnesota will be back in play, and we will wait up late on November 4 listening to reports of polling irregularities in Cleveland.
--Loosestrife
Not even Bill Clinton was Bill Clinton on the presidential campaign trail.
After the Obama campaign was nearly flawless in the primary season, its hard tack to the right has given John McCain hope and alienated the committed activists that were, in part, responsible for Obama's victory over Hillary Clinton.
At first, there was a certain desperation in Obama's defenders, including Markos "Kos" Moulitsas. Now there is open dissent. Here's Kos:
It looks like Obama is gun-shy after sticking by Jeremiah Wright. Now, he can't move quickly enough to denounce his own allies. So he's cross at Wes Clark, and he's mighty cross at MoveOn as well! Who else will he be cross with as he kicks off "Operation Piss Off the People Supporting and Bankrolling His Campaign In Order To Prove He Hates the Dirty Fucking Hippies". Now that the primary is over, he can turn his back on the people that brought him.There is real danger here for Obama. The wind at his back are people like Kos, and like me, who will get out and do the work: knocking on doors, raising money, shaping opinion, and staying focused on victory.I was going to max out to him today, given I haven't given Obama a dime yet (focusing on congressional candidates). But I changed my mind. He wants to send the message that he doesn't need us, all the power to him. Message received. I'll spend that $2,300 somewhere else.
Throw down too much right-wing bullshit, make it apparent that change we can believe in is nothing but a slogan, and Kos will be openly trashing Barackstar and I will find something else to do as the election approaches.
That's the opening that the McCainiacs need to turn this back into a nail biter, an election close enough to steal.
Already, with war against Iran looming, Obama has waded into the gooey center. If he supports military action, he will lose my and many other progressive votes, Minnesota will be back in play, and we will wait up late on November 4 listening to reports of polling irregularities in Cleveland.
--Loosestrife
