Dear Senator Obama ...
President Bush's former senior adviser offers advice for fighting the 'elitist' label.
Four months ago, you took the political world by storm in Iowa. The media were agog. They called your words "gorgeous," your victory "a message to the world." You "made history" and Americans could "look at ourselves with pride" in "a moment to marvel."
Times change. The six weeks leading into Pennsylvania were difficult. You excelled at raising money and gaining endorsements, but got weaker as big problems emerged. Before you can fix them, you must understand them. In Pennsylvania, you won only 30 percent among Catholics and 29 percent among white working-class voters. Defections like this elect Republicans.
Even liberal commentators who adore you warn you can't win with a McGovern coalition of college students and white-wine sippers from the party's left wing. Saying small-town voters cling to guns, faith and xenophobia because of economic bitterness hurt you; it reinforced the growing sense you don't share Middle America's values. So did asking about the price of arugula in Iowa, dismissing the "true" patriotism of people who wear a flag lapel pin, being "friendly" (as your chief strategist, David Axelrod, put it) with a violent, unrepentant '60s radical and having a close relationship with an angry pastor who expressed anti-American sentiments.
You argue the son of a single working mom can't be an elitist. But it's not where you start in life; it's where you end up. After a prestigious prep school, Columbia and Harvard, you've ended up with the values of Cambridge, San Francisco and Hyde Park. So you're doing badly in Scranton, Youngstown and Erie, where ordinary Americans live.
HERE ARE SIX SUGGESTIONS FOR WHAT TO DO.
1. Your stump speech is sounding old and out of touch. You made a mistake by not giving the bored press (and voters) something new last Tuesday when you lost Pennsylvania. Come up with something fresh that's focused on the general election. Recapture the optimistic tone of your start and discard the weary, prickly and distracted tone you've taken on.
2. When you get into trouble, pick one, simple explanation. And stay with it. Take the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. You said you weren't sitting in church when he said those ugly things. Two days later, you excused him, saying his comments didn't give "a well-rounded portrait" of him. Two days after that, you condemned his statements as "not only wrong but divisive" but still couldn't "disavow him" any more than you could your grandmother. Ten days later, you implied if Wright hadn't retired, you might have left his church. It would have been better to say from the start that Wright's words were wrong and offensive and you should have spoken out earlier. The applause would have been deafening.
3. Your lack of achievements undercuts your core themes. It's powerful when you say America is not "Red States or Blue States but the United States." The problem is, you don't have a long Senate record of working across party lines. So build one. In the coming months, say that you'll appoint Republicans to your cabinet and get a couple to say they'd serve. Highlight initiatives Republicans can agree on. Most importantly, push for a bipartisan issue now before Congress.
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Member Comments
Posted By: No_Party_Loyalty @ 04/27/2008 5:30:35 PM
Comment: Mr. Bob, you obviously miss the real issues due to your patronage to the Democratic Party and the African American sludge of despair that you support which is disseminated thru true racism from the African American community. Here are some points in case:
1) Numerous polls show that it is truly the African American community that is racist against the Caucasian race. Not the whites against the blacks as most African Americans want to portrait. The most recent poll showed that only 16% of the white race polled would refuse to vote for Obama due to his skin color. On the flip side it shows that more than 86% of the blacks that were polled would vote for Obama ONLY BECAUSE he is African American. THIS INDICATES WHERE TRUE RACISM RESIDES WITHIN OUR GREAT COUNTRY, AND IT IS NOT WITHIN THE CAUCASIN COMMUNITY AS AFRICAN AMERICAN???S WOULD LIKE US TO BELIEVE!
2) You mention the Republican Party being responsible for the rising cost of gas. First, common sense understanding is that the rise in gas prices is primarily due to the supply and demand caused by third world countries which now are becoming more economically sound where the citizens are earning more money and purchasing cars instead of riding bicycles or walking. Example: China and India. Are you aware of the economic growth in these 2 countries? Are you also aware that between China and India there are more people than 5 United States of America? People with your views always wear blinders in economics as it relates to worldwide views, and only see things as if the United States is the ONLY country to be considered in the outcome or cause effect. Get a grip on reality and see the big picture.
Furthermore, if you look at the overall historical percent of increase in gas prices, the greatest increases over the last 25 years have occurred during the times that the democratic party was in control of the white house. Do your homework! You are only seeing what has occurred during the last 2 years and neglect to factor in all the prior years in our history where gas prices surged when Democrats were the governing power for our country.
3) I am limited on number of characters allowed and I will finish with number three in a separate posting.
Posted By: No_Party_Loyalty @ 04/27/2008 5:30:04 PM
Comment: 3) The final thing that you mentioned is that the Republicans are killing children. First of all this is a ridiculous and politically seeded way of thinking. I suggest that you should switch brands of Kool-Aide since what you have been drinking has killed the brain cells that allow you the capability to make rational decisions and comments. Yes, there is a war going on that was supported by the majority of BOTH Republicans AND Democrats. There were also people from BOTH parties that objected. Unfortunately, as with any war, there will be innocent men, women and children that get killed. That is sad, but it is one of the unfortunate results of a war. Especially a war like we are fighting where many of the civilian men, women and children are not so innocent as you would like people to believe, since these same people (yes, even children) are trying to kill US soldiers with guns and bombs. None the less, the casualties of children in this war has been nominal and extremely low when compared to the children that we are killing in 3rd world countries where millions are dying from lack of food and medical care, and we do not offer them the help that they need to live.
We can not forget to bring out the true facts where Democrats are supporters of abortion which kills thousands more babies in one year that we would kill in Iraq in 20 years! Did you get that? We kill 3 times more AMERICAN babies in ONE YEAR with abortions than we will have killed Iraq children in 25 years of war. So who would you really have to say are true baby killers? (Of course the few innocent Iraq men, women, and children that have been killed has not exceeded the number of innocent people sacrificed on September 11th, nor does it come close to the affect that lose of parents had on tens of thousands of children who lost their parents in the terrorist attacks.
The bottom line is that you are a Democrat. You only see one color and that is Democrat. I am truly an independent and I can point out many issues with BOTH political parties and their miscalculated stances on important issues. But it bothers me when someone like yourself makes uneducated and incorrect statements just to support your racism, political party loyalty and push your party???s agenda. When you wipe the Democrat or Republican sludge out of your eyes you actually see the real truth for what it is. Until then, you just throw around uneducated statements that make you feel good, and make you look ridiculous.
Posted By: No_Party_Loyalty @ 04/27/2008 5:26:02 PM
Comment: CONTINUED:
3) The final thing that you mentioned is that the Republicans are killing children. First of all this is a ridiculous and politically seeded way of thinking. I suggest that you should switch brands of Kool-Aide since what you have been drinking has killed the brain cells that allow you the capability to make rational decisions and comments. Yes, there is a war going on that was supported by the majority of BOTH Republicans AND Democrats. There were also people from BOTH parties that objected. Unfortunately, as with any war, there will be innocent men, women and children that get killed. That is sad, but it is one of the unfortunate results of a war. Especially a war like we are fighting where many of the civilian men, women and children are not so innocent as you would like people to believe, since these same people (yes, even children) are trying to kill US soldiers with guns and bombs. None the less, the casualties of children in this war has been nominal and extremely low when compared to the children that we are killing in 3rd world countries where millions are dying from lack of food and medical care, and we do not offer them the help that they need to live.
We can not forget to bring out the true facts where Democrats are supporters of abortion which kills thousands more babies in one year that we would kill in Iraq in 20 years! Did you get that? We kill 3 times more AMERICAN babies in ONE YEAR with abortions than we will have killed Iraq children in 25 years of war. So who would you really have to say are true baby killers? (Of course the few innocent Iraq men, women, and children that have been killed has not exceeded the number of innocent people sacrificed on September 11th, nor does it come close to the affect that lose of parents had on tens of thousands of children who lost their parents in the terrorist attacks.
The bottom line is that you are a Democrat. You only see one color and that is Democrat. I am truly an independent and I can point out many issues with BOTH political parties and their miscalculated stances on important issues. But it bothers me when someone like yourself makes uneducated and incorrect statements just to support your racism, political party loyalty and push your party???s agenda. When you wipe the Democrat or Republican sludge out of your eyes you actually see the real truth for what it is. Until then, you just throw around uneducated statements that make you feel good, and make you look ridiculous.