Obama And The Prevent Defense

Mark Leibovich of the Times is an astute and amusing observer of the campaign trail ("I won't remember Iowans" could have been a You-Tube classic, if only.)  However, I quibble with his characterization of the Obama effort on the Monday before the big vote in New Hampshire:

Senator Barack Obama, meantime, has been cautious, guarded and strenuously on message — Clinton-like, in other words, at least Clinton-like until a few weeks ago.

As the race for the Democratic presidential nomination has turned upside down, at least at its top rungs, so have Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama’s approaches of exposing themselves to public view and questioning.

...

But on the eve of the New Hampshire primary, Senator Obama, of Illinois, had clearly placed his campaign on a front-runner’s cruise control, delivering speeches to overflowing audiences, yet studiously trying to avoid missteps before voting begins here Tuesday.

Though Mr. Obama conducted two network television interviews on Monday, he did not take questions from voters at town meetings and rallies, as he had done in Iowa. He did not introduce any new proposals or wade into much policy discussion on Monday.

I will accept as fact that Mr. Obama took no questions from his crowds on Monday, one day from the vote and with a new USA Today poll giving him a big lead.  However, at an event I attended on Sunday at Exeter High School, Obama did take questions from the crowd, and his experience gave the staffers and strategists a vivid reminder that they were one "Don't tase me, bro" nutjob away from having their candidate appear in some embarrassing, Must-see TV on election eve.

What happened on Sunday was that, after several innocuous softballs, a middle-aged chap was handed a mike.  I am paraphrasing, but the gist was this:

My son is serving his third tour in Iraq (applause).

I served in the Navy myself  (more applause).

My question is this - there is a new technology being developed that deploys soap bubbles and radio waves to produce a 3,000 degree flame that can make a car get 200 miles per gallon.  But the big oil companies are going to scarf it up.  Senator, are you familiar with this technology - you can watch the video on YouTube [this has got to be it; I'll guess I heard "soap" when I should have heard "salt"], I was in the Navy and I know it works - and what are you going to do to deliver it to the American people?

This led to an embarrassing interlude that probably was less than three minutes but seemed much longer.  The man would not relinquish his mike or his point, while Obama graciously agreed that this technology sounded interesting and important and assured the man that his staffers would sit with him to get the details (waddya gonna do?).

So if Obama was shying away from disaster on his final day, he had reason.  A nut with a mike can do some damage.

Comments

[Other Tom]

Hey, screw this election crap--where can I get me some a them soap bubbles?

[clarice]

Someone--I think it was Brandeis--said lawyers love working in DC because their clients are out of town. Same thing with pols.

Latest news--turnout in NH is HUGE--Hollywood breaking away from Hill to Obama.

[Rick Ballard]

TM,

I think that you're trying to make Jeff cry and that's just mean, mean, mean.

Thanks.

[sbw]

Ooh! does this mean Chuck Norris' Chesire cat grin on Obama's stage tonight?

[sbw]

**ChesHire**

[RichatUF]

Rick-

From a few threads back...The NV union is going to endorse Obama here
graf-

NBC News has learned that Nevada’s all-important Culinary Workers Union will endorse Obama. And, per NBC/NJ’s Aswini Anburajan, Obama will have a big rally in Las Vegas on Friday. The union held off until after the New Hampshire primary, but according to multiple sources, the union was going to endorse whoever won Iowa between Obama and Edwards.

Kills NV as a backfire-Florida works, maybe. I'm sure most of her staff will get fired by Thursday and the new-and-improved Red Witch campaign will fanout over Florida will the best Hussein dirt they can find. There is still hope that she can pull this off.

I wonder if Obama's support of the Writers Strike has helped his standing in a segment of the Hollywood community [nevermind that with the Letterman deal, the UA deal, and probably a Universal deal in the works the Writers Guild might as well decertify]

[clarice]

We got change! Carville's coming to help Hillary!Or is it Begala? Or Both? (Headline doesn't seem to match Politico story.

[Jane]

It's both!

[clarice]

LAT suggests it's just because Obama is this week's fresh new thing.

[MayBee]

I wonder if Obama's support of the Writers Strike has helped his standing in a segment of the Hollywood community

The writer's strike is actually pretty tricky. From what I've seen Edwards has been the most actively supportive of it. But while Hollywood is a union town, the people on the lower end of the payscale have been put out of work by the striking workers.
As I heard one man mention on the radio the other day, the writers are still getting royalties on the re-runs. The below-the-line people are out of work AND don't have the royalty/union income.

Plus, much of Obama's $$ support is from the people the writers are on strike against. He's played it pretty smart, giving mostly lip service to support of the WGA.

[Rick Ballard]

Rich,

If the ballot shortage story is true and means what everyone believes it to mean, then there is at least a 50/50 chance that Red Witch and Bubba become nonpersons tonight. I offer this story as a foretaste.

I don't think there will be a backfire if the spread is more than 15 points. CA would be lost and I wouldn't bet on NJ - perhaps even NY.

I'd really prefer a Godzilla/Mothra matchup but I don't know if it's possible.

[Other Tom]

You have to scroll down at the Politico guy's site to get the Carville/Begala story, but both of them have forcefully denied it.

[Patrick Tyson]

Rick—

I'm not willing to predict the outcome on either side except to write, as I did yesterday, that if it's double digits on the Democratic side she's done and if Romney beats McCain...well for the youngun it's hard to imagine things getting any better.

[RichatUF]

And since it appears that Obamania is an unstoppable force, make sure that the Republicans have a racist past.*

*Note: LGF has been digging this stuff up and featuring it promenintly for a while now, and low and behold, it is now useful to smack the R's with.

[Lyle Seaman]

I don't think anybody is paying attention to the fact that the delegates are awarded proportionally. Sure, Obama won Iowa, but all that means is he gets 16 delegates where Clinton gets 15 and Edwards gets 14. That is more like a three-way tie than a 1-2-3 finish. NH gets 30 delegates total, so even a 20% lead by Obama over Clinton might give him something like 12 delegates, Clinton 10, Edwards 8. For a total of:

Obama 28
Clinton 25
Edwards 22

I don't see that as a commanding lead.

[Jane]

I don't see that as a commanding lead.

I suspect you do however, feel the momentum.

[Other Tom]

I think the reason no one is paying much attention to the delegate count is that at this point, it doesn't matter, and it never has. What has always counted is the press, the perception and the buzz--all the horse-race stuff. That's just the way it works.

[section9]

Someone in Nevada is going to show up to a Barack event dressed up as an Alien Grey from Zeta Reticuli. There's always an Area 51 Question in every campaign.

[Rick Ballard]

"the delegates are awarded proportionally"

But donations aren't. The whole theory of compressing the primary schedule is based upon the front runners not wasting money fighting each other.

It's really very typical Marxist static analysis - the pie can't grow, so divide it quick. Kind of a "hoist by their own petard" situation wrt Clinton.

[Jane]

Real Clear Politics has a story about a Hillary pact made up of Emily's List, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT)to start an "Anyone but Obama" campaign.

To date they can't find a democrat operative to run it.

The link is under my name.

[clarice]

Yes, Rick, it is beautiful to see such a crafty plan--giving all the power a year ahead of the election to someone with the best name recognition and money raising capacity--unravel completely.

I do not understand why people keep raising the delegate count. Does anyone seriously imagine that if there continues to be such a sweep in the primaries that the party would DARE to give it to Hillary anyway?

[RichatUF]

Jane-

To date they can't find a democrat operative to run it.

Sid Vicious

[clarice]

So I am scrolling thru these threads and find one of those lamb of God posts and because I'm not smoking any more and am now all mellowed out, I don't get pissed..no..I think, how nice, a little brainscrambling sorbet in between the meaty courses of fare.

[M. Simon]

Talk about a nut with a microphone.

Here is a bit on Obama's Church:

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan received the "Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright,Jr. Lifetime Achievement Trumpeteer" Award at the 2007 Trumpet Gala at the the United Church of Christ.

More at:

Trinity United Church of Christ

[Topsecretk9]

Thanks Jane

Tom Edsall at the Huffington Post reports that the special interest groups backing Clinton are throwing around the idea of consolidating resources into an "anti-Obama" 527 group in an effort to try and "Swift Boat" the Illinois Senator turned Presidential front runner.

[Rick Ballard]

Jane,

That idea just sets up a very clear split between the gov unions and the real unions. Another totally shrewd move by the brain dead automatons in the coven.

[Jane]

I think it means is that Christmas is going to continue for months. Hallelujah!