Obama Capitalizes On Lessons Of Last Night’s Debate

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlR9DNfqGD4]

My post-debate comments centered around the manner in which the debate concentrated on the type of slime being spread on right wing talk radio (and by the Clinton campaign) as opposed to matters of substance. The general response has been predictable. Right wingers and Clinton supporters (which in many ways is redundant) have defended the questions. To them, the subjects discussed last night, and not the real issues, represent what they think a campaign should be about.

Despite some differences on economic issues, Hillary Clinton has essentially adopted the mind set of the “vast right wing conspiracy.” Clinton has become indistinguishable from the Republicans in most matters, with Obama being the only candidate who, as John Kerry has said, seeks to end the practice of Swift Boating as opposed to perfecting it. Obama has become our only hope in this election of having anything other than a third term of George Bush style politics.

Some people, even Obama supporters, initially considered the debate a loss for Obama because he was under attack so frequently and was unwilling to play the game. This assessment of the debate misses the big picture. Those who think that the topics discussed in the debate matter will vote for a conservative such as McCain or Clinton, but most voters are sick and tired of that type of politics. The debate, as have many of Clinton’s dirty attacks, has once again played into Obama’s strengths, allowing him to show how he differs from Clinton/Bush/Rove style politics.

Obama quickly took advantage of the debate while campaigning today (video above):

I will tell you it does not get more fun than these debates. They are inspiring debates. I think last night we set a new record because it took us 45 minutes before we even started talking about a single issue that matters to the American people.

It took us 45 minutes — 45 minutes before we heard about health care, 45 minutes before we heard about Iraq, 45 minutes before we heard about jobs, 45 minutes before we heard about gas prices.

Now, I don’t blame Washington for this because that’s just how Washington is. They like stirring up controversies and getting us to play gotcha games and getting us to attack each other. And I’ve got to say Sen. Clinton looked in her element.

She was taking every opportunity to, you know, get a dig in there…. That’s all right, that’s her right, that’s her right to kind of twist the knife a little bit….

Look, I understand though, because that’s the textbook Washington campaign, because that’s the politics that’s been taught to be played, that’s the lesson that she had heard when the Republicans were doing the same things to her back in the 1990s.

This shows once again why Obama has beaten the Clinton machine, and why most Democrats think he is their best shot at winning the White House. Not only has Obama made himself immune to the types of smears used by the right wing (primarily Hillary Clinton at present) but the more they resort to these tactics the more the differences between Obama and the other candidates is highlighted.

1 Comment

  1. 1
    Absent observer says:

    Weird that people think that the Tim Russert-style “Gotcha” debate was in any way valid. There were moments early on where Obama frankly tells the moderators that their gotcha questions are below the belt. Then Hillary takes a gotcha question and turns it into an attack on Obama. And Obama just glares at Hillary, like, “Are you serious? I can’t believe you cheapening the debate so.”

    I believe there are a lot of Hillary fans who think the only thing wrong with the Karl Rove is that he benefited the wrong team. You would think they learned nothing from the Karate Kid! (Sweep the leg!!)

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