Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Barack Obama: A Democrat Even Republicans Can Like?

If Reagan had his Democrats, will there also be Barack Republicans?

TIME Magazine Blogger Andrew Sullivan thinks that Presidential contender Barack Obama is a Liberal version of Ronald Reagan a proud Republican who nonetheless wanted Democrats to vote for him and thus revolutionized the reach of his Party.
SULLIVAN (in The Australian): "You can see the same potential in Obama. What has long been remarkable to me is how this liberal politician fails to alienate conservatives. In fact, many like him a great deal. His calm and reasoned demeanour, his crisp style, his refusal to engage in racial identity politics: these appeal to disaffected Republicans."
The concept of likeability has come up as a code word for some of Hillary's negatives but Andrew draws an even deeper metaphor between Obama, who is clearly an anti- Iraq war candidate, and another American politician after rejecting the similes to JFK who out-hawked Nixon in 1960:
Bobby Kennedy is more apposite: a mix of inner steel and an evolving moral candidacy. Just as a vote for RFK in 1968 was seen by many as a form of collective self-absolution for Vietnam, so Obama resonates among many Americans who do not recognise what their country has become these past few years.
Read it all. As Obama gets beefed up security (Washington Times).

It certainly looks like Barack Obama will also take New Hampshire sporting a 10 to 13 point lead in most polls being reported a day ahead of the primaries. Hillary Clinton's candidacy may appear to be in extremis at the moment, as not even Bill Clinton can help and may even be hurting but there is still Super Duper Tuesday and there is plenty of time for the Clinton camp to regroup, rethink and retool. It's way too early for this.
Meanwhile Wall Street Journal describes the ongoing uncertainty on the GOP side, where John McCain, Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani and of course Mike Huckabee are all struggling to gain some traction and avoid elimination.

7 comments:

Unknown said...

DJB,
While I think Obama is a likeable and bright enough guy, I'd be more comfortable if he spent a few more years in the senate before he ran for president.
Having said that though, if Obama wins the Democratic nomination, I'd be inclined to support him over anyone on the GOP side. The only Republican candidate who I could even consider supporting is McCain.

Amadeo said...

On a lighter note, wouldn't this really be something?

Right now detractors, domestically and from all over the globe, of the current WH resident are fond of derisively calling him, Dubya, a play on his middle initial of W.

Now, if Obama gets elected would his detractors start calling him by his second or middle name?

Which is - Hussein?

As in Saddam Hussein?

Anonymous said...

Dean,

Re your title: Are you saying you might vote for Obama if he becomes standard bearer?

Deany Bocobo said...

i always liked him better than Hillary. from what I can see the GOP's chances are gonna be better against Hillary. Dems lose if they choose her. In fact I think Dems might still lose even with Barack!

Unknown said...

That's what you think Deanie. I believe the next election is all about giving Bush a hard kick in the butt with some good Republicans becoming collateral damage.

Deany Bocobo said...

hb,
but W isn't running any more. he's done. you really think it's a shoe-in for the dems though? who will they nominate do you think? hillary or o?

Unknown said...

Hillary -- there are jsut too many unknowns in Obama