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The Biggest Blunders of the Obama Campaign

Posted by GayPatriotWest at 12:34 pm - August 28, 2008.
Filed under: 2008 Presidential Politics

Last night was clearly a good night for the Democrats.  Bill Clinton was in his element and (from the portions I saw of his remarks) delivered a very effective speech.  

I watched all of Biden’s speech (rebroadcast on FoxNews just before midnight my time) and thought the first half was moving and powerful, but the second half seemed mean and focused only on attacking John McCain.  I’m not the first to say it, but will join those who thought it as poor form* for him to call the presumptive Republican nominee his friend, then to question his judgment on foreign policy.

So that brings me to the list of the Obama Campaign’s biggest blunders.  I’ll start with that:

  1. Biden questioning McCain’s foreign policy judgment, opens Democrats up to variety of GOP broadsides next week in St. Paul.
  2. Obama’s delivering a campaign-style speech on foreign soil.
  3. Handling Hillary.  He should have included her in his running mate deliberations.  And reached out to her more often in the days between the last primary and this week’s convention.
  4. Running the ad attempting to distance himself from Bill Ayers and attacking conservatives raising the issue.  All this does is draw more attention to the Illinois Democrat’s connection with the avowed terrorist.
  5. Holding his acceptance speech at Invesco Field.  Again raises the issue of his arrogance and sense of self-importance while the Greek Temple setting opens him to further mockery (more on that anon, I hope).  Even senior Democrats think this is a “high-risk endeavor.“

These blunders won’t necessarily sink his campaign. A good speech tonight could help offset some of them as could a strong fall campaign. Or similar blunders from the McCain camp.

UPDATE:  Via Reader Peter Hughes, I learn of another blunder.  According to Dick Morris, the Democrats are concentrating their fire on the wrong man: “They are so anxious to run against Bush, their animosity is so pent up, that they persist in running against a man who is not seeking a third term.”  As Glenn Reynolds would say, “Read the whole thing!”

*UP-UPDATE: In this vein, Victor David Hanson writes:

I think his personal attack on his former friend McCain’s judgment and character was a terrible mistake-it only invites comparison of Biden’s ethical meltdowns with made-up bios, plagiarism, and unethical interrogations of Supreme Court nominees with McCain’s past service; and, more importantly, will take the gloves off in the race, and earn candid like appraisals of Barack Obama and Biden.

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10 Comments

  1. Speaking of the speech tonight, who do you think is going to give it the most breathless, gushing, review? Keith Olbermann or Andrew Sullivan? How much do you want to bet that either or both reviews contain the word “flawless?” How much do you want to bet Sullivan compares it to the Sermon on the Mount, which he will find somewhat lacking in comparison?

    Comment by V the K — August 28, 2008 @ 12:52 pm - August 28, 2008

  2. As of last night, the Convention was still “The “Clinton Show“. And that Midwestern-heartland barometer, the Tonight Show monlogue, had three or four Bill or Hillary references for every one of Obama….Barry’s lost the tide and risks snagging the political-shoals tonight if he fails to deliver a unifying barnburner.

    But I liked the “Obama bin Biden”-crack.

    …..Why does the DNC have to take place BEFORE Labor Day? All those NEA-member in-attendence have to be back in class in September lest the general public notice their schools embarressingly-empty of teachers during the Dhimmicatic (inter)Nationiale Convention….

    Comment by Ted B. (Charging Rhino) — August 28, 2008 @ 12:58 pm - August 28, 2008

  3. Have you seen Obama’s Greatest Hits? There’s a video there, too.

    Comment by rightwingprof — August 28, 2008 @ 1:09 pm - August 28, 2008

  4. So do we call him Obama Apollo or Zesus Obama now that he has ascended to Olympus and become one of the Paretheon?

    Comment by Darkeyedresolve — August 28, 2008 @ 2:17 pm - August 28, 2008

  5. Dude, like, not to be a bummer, but, like, Obama’s friend William Ayers tried to murder my family.

    Comment by V the K — August 28, 2008 @ 2:51 pm - August 28, 2008

  6. #4 – DER, The SnObama needs to learn a new Greek word to go along with his Olympian Temple:

    Hubris.

    Regards,
    Peter H.

    Comment by Peter Hughes — August 28, 2008 @ 4:59 pm - August 28, 2008

  7. Dick Morris – read it – not so impressed.

    Dick is always fun, interesting and insightful, yet somehow almost always wrong. In this case, he sings the praises of freedom-destroying measures such as McCain-Feingold, and faults Sarbanes – Oxley, a measure whose costs and damage are causing New York to decline as a world financial center, as too *weak*.

    Comment by ILoveCapitalism — August 28, 2008 @ 5:44 pm - August 28, 2008

  8. In my mind, his biggest mistakes have been to run out and make lame-assed speeches or create websites whenever somebody tells the truth about him or his associations. What kind of leader pisses and moans as much as Obama does?

    Comment by ThatGayConservative — August 29, 2008 @ 12:39 am - August 29, 2008

  9. Then, of course, there’s a few lies Obama’s told.

    Comment by ThatGayConservative — August 29, 2008 @ 12:42 am - August 29, 2008

  10. [...] I blogged on the Obama campaign’s biggest blunders.  But, today, the day after his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, a scan of [...]

    Pingback by GayPatriot » The Democrats’ Biggest Blunder of Campaign ‘08 — August 29, 2008 @ 7:50 pm - August 29, 2008

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