The Obama Myth Exposed?

National Review Online: His Now Apparent Weaknesses May Prove Debilitating

(National Review Online)  This column was written by Peter Wehner.

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Dan Balz, one of America’s finest political reporters, wrote this on his Washington Post blog:

The most important decision Barack Obama will make between now and the November election is the selection of a vice presidential running mate. That makes all the more remarkable his effort Tuesday to suggest that the people he has put in charge of helping make the decision are somehow not really part of his campaign.

Obama is on the defensive over his selection of James A. Johnson the former CEO of Fannie Mae, to help lead the vice presidential search process, a role he played for John F. Kerry four years ago.

Johnson is drawing fire over his jumbo home loans from Countrywide Financial, a major actor in the subprime mortgage mess, that may have been below market rates.… It isn't clear whether the uproar over Johnson is a passing storm or a more serious problem for the Obama campaign… But the candidate's response has raised questions about the candidate himself that could well linger past the moment.

After Balz’s piece appeared it was announced that James Johnson will be leaving his post at the Obama campaign. Throwing Johnson under the same bus that rolled over the Reverend Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. and Trinity Church may be politically necessary. Yet the damage, I think, is real because of an accretion effect.

It can’t be said often enough: the conceit of the Obama campaign is that its candidate is the antithesis of politics as it has been practiced for decades, if not for centuries. He is, we are told, the agent of change, the great turner of the page, a man unstained by politics and who will alter the way it has been practiced. He is bi-partisan and post-partisan and beyond political labeling. He will not unfairly portray the views of his opponent or engage in petty distractions. According to his wife Michelle, he will heal the broken souls of America. And according to Obama himself, he will begin to heal the planet.

The bar has been set enormously high - and it has been set there by Obama, his wife, and his campaign.

If voters begin to believe that the Obama Phenomenon is really an Obama Myth - that he is just another conventional politician, but in this instance one who emerged out of the largely polluted waters of Chicago politics - then Obama is reduced to being a one-term senator with very few achievements in his life that commend him to be president. He also happens to be the most liberal candidate for president since George McGovern. We are now in the early phase of that transformation; it remains to be seen if it continues or if Obama can find a way to arrest or even reverse it.

Obama still has things working in his favor, from a horrible political environment for Republicans, to a first-rate campaign to enormous fund-raising abilities, to some very impressive political skills. But Obama’s now-apparent weaknesses may prove to be debilitating.

Barack Obama will be the focal point of this election. If Americans find him to be an acceptable choice for president, he will probably win, given all the factors that are working in his favor. But if the doubts that have persisted about him begin to grow and metastasize - if large numbers of Americans come to believe that the Obama appeal is, at its core, a mirage - then McCain has a real chance to prevail. And if he does, the Democratic party and liberalism will have a nervous breakdown unlike any we have seen.

Democrats remain hopeful, but they are also beginning to harbor some doubts and even fears. This may not be as easy as they thought.

Stay tuned.

[patriot12436]

element51
I agree with you about mccain, i do not want him in office but my fears about obama have not been settled and i fear him more. I hear what he says and like what he says, but i still do not trust him because of his affiliations. He belonged to the church for 20 years so i believe he accepted wrights beliefs as well. While attending college American history was one of my favorite claesses. I had a prof that was a history buff and taught us the real untold history, not like the *** they tried to feed us in high school. I especially enjoyed the parts about slavery so that i could learn the truth and what we need to fix it. What they haven''t found is a way to heal the racial rift in our coutry. I think people like wright keep it an open sore.

[it_oldtimer]

See what I mean, lol? Misandry, pure and simple. Sad.

[it_oldtimer]

@ jncc1701 and Element51:

The phenomenon of these rabid, foaming-at-the-mouth Hillary fanatics threatening to vote for McCain interests me too, since I can''t recall ever seeing anything quite as paradoxical occur in any previous election (and I''ve seen a lot of Presidential elections).

I question them whenever I encounter one of them, and in just about every single case their motivations have boiled down to one of two things: it''s either been "misandry" (they hate all men) or "racism", or a combination of the two. It''s virtually never actually about "politics" at all, per se.

These are people (mostly women) who are truly so dumb and emotionally out-of-control that they''re actually proud to brag that they intend to cut off their own nose just to spite their face. Scary.

Also interesting is the fact that not one of those that I''ve talked to believes that the Republicans will offer up a female Presidential candidate in the next election cycle, or even in their lifetimes, and many doubt that the Dem''s will put forward another female candidate again for quite some time either, after all the inter-party animosity it''s caused this time around.

Hard to say with any certainty, of course, but they just might be right about that, unfortunately. Apparently the only way to really avoid the gender- related bickering would be to run only female candidates against each other.

My, what a nasty cat-fight that would surely devolve into.

[it_oldtimer]

@ zgomer:

The party''s ARE the country, in case you haven''t noticed, you fascist simpleton.

Crawl back into your cave and practice painting your hand-print on the wall or something - don''t bother straining your brain trying to understand something as complex as politics when it''s obvious you can barely even read and write properly yet.

[sparks224]

The NRO Myth Exposed?

Does anyone really think the NRO is anything but a right wing noise machine?

[elz523]

Some of these nuts on here, spouting their hate and pretending to be disaffected Democrats, are actually stupid Republicans grasping at straws, doing whatever they can to disrupt Democratic unity. They are best ignored. Eventually they crawl back in hole.

I actually saw someone posting on here one day who was using English in such a way that it reminded me of the English style I hear when I call my credit card company. So I''m thinking the right wingers are now outsourcing their political hatchet blogging to India!

[element51]

jncc1701....You nailed it exactly. I can understand disappointment at not winning but I can not understand the blazing hatred these people seem to feel toward Obama. I have followed up on every charge made against him and I fail to find substancial proof that he is a danger. I believe that McCain is simply going to continue the same policies that we have now and look at the condition we are in as a result of those policies. This election is the most important one of my lifetime and let''s hope we make the right choice.

[element51]

patriot12436....Thank you for your post. Yes, we disagree but we do not find it necessary to hurl insults at each other. I respect your opinion and welcome your comments. The issue of Obama''s church is a difficult one to disect.
While I agree that the comments made by Wright were outrageous, I also find comments by McCains religious leader to be equally outrageous. Yes, it is true that Obama attended his church for 20 years while McCain, to my knowledge, didn''t attend any church but sought and accepted Hagee''s endorsement and then rejected it. There are similarities here. I do not believe that either candidate is contaminated because of this one issue. As for comments by Obama''s wife I can only say that over the years there have been times when I was not that proud of my country but I always loved America. I served in the military and dedicated my life to teaching young people the history of this great country. Certain parts of that history were hard to discus such as slavery, treatment of the native people, racism and interment camps for the Japanese Americans during WW2 just to name a few. But I never wavered in my love of America. Perhaps she was trying to express the same feelings. I don''t know. My research to date has not uncovered anything about Obama that causes me to fear him. But I do fear McCain. I have issues with his character and I firmly believe that he will keep leading us down the same path we are now on.

[jncc1701]

I cannot understand how anyone who is NOT pleased with Bush will get all bent out of shape over Hillary not winning the nomination - and not vote for Obama. She was beaten fair and square (if you subscribe to the idea that she was sunk by the sexist media - do you think that was going to get better against McCain? Think of what Rush would have done to her)

come on people at least turn on your brains. do you really think the country can survive four more GOP years - especially when one takes into account McCain is 71, too old to fly a plane for a major airline. Who is really going to be making the decisions in his administration?

I will be holding my nose and voting Obama - this election is one that will affect generations yet unborn - it is no time to be stupid.

[patriot12436]

it_oldtimer
Your test doesn''t stand scrutiny. Bush was elected president, do you think he was qualified for the position ? As for party''s having strength in numbers, maybe that is part of the problem. They have had the strength but have done nothing to effect change. That is why i think it is time to do away with the national parties.

[patriot12436]

oldthought
I agree with your line of thinking. I think in November to have success we need to elect all new members of congress. The present members have had their chance to make a difference and done nothing. The president can do nothing without the support of the majority in congress.

[patriot12436]

element51
I believe in respecting everyones opiniuon. I do not agree with you about obama. You say everyone is lying about obama. I am looking at the facts. He belonged to that church for 20 years. Wright did make those comments. The church doctrine clearly states a loyalty to the mother country Africa. They are associated with racists such as farakhan and the black panthers. Michelle did say she was proud of her country for the first time. I wish i could have gone to princeton. Obama said he would never throw wright or the church under the bus, he did. These are all facts. The man is a firsterm senator and you want him to lead out country. I do not feel he has the qualifications and i feel he has a hidden agenda. This is my opinion, but i received it from the facts i found about obama. I do not trust the man.I also do not want McCain to win the election. I am still looking for a better alternative than these two.

[sharncedar]

The bar has been set high by Obama but it has been vastly lowered by McCain, who needlessly continues to support Bush insanity. It would be extremely hard to vote for McCain - his latest position is that he seems to be supporting the torture in Gitmo, this from a guy who has been tortured himself. He seems bent on destroying his candidacy, he is choosing the most unpopular positions possible, much like Hillary voting for the war in Iraq, he seems to be betraying his own avowed values to pander to the wrong people, the same old evil stupid right-wing morons, taking stupid and unpopular positions that he himself said were wrong just a year or two ago.

McCain seems to be trying to lose, or is he just outsmarting himself.

[it_oldtimer]

I think you''re the one that really needs some medications dear, from the sound of it, lol. I''m just fine, thanks.

Tell me tho, before you disappear, what was it about Hillary that you loved so much? Was it actually her politics, or did you simply have sexual fantasies about being with her or something?

[it_oldtimer]

@ elicatlover:

I''m so glad that you (and those few like you) are leaving the Democratic party. I don''t think any party really wants or needs your type; we''re better off without those that have no genuine commitment to the overall PARTY platform and ideals, first and foremost.

Reading your post, it would seem that - to you - this election is just about some silly personality cult or something, when in reality, it''s much, much more important than that.

The Party has spoken. We have chosen our candidate. Either climb aboard and help get a Democratic President elected, or move along (and don''t let the door hit you on the *** on the way out...)

[element51]

To those who post here I make no apologies for my anger. I am sick and tired of people coming on here and posting out right lies. I have posted information about McCain before but never, NEVER have I posted anything about him that I did not know to be absolutely true. I have verified every word before I posted it. I will not bring myself down to the level of a liar just to try to make a point. What makes me the most angry is that this is supposed to be a campaign about ISSUES. Things that will affect all our lives. To ignore those issues and post false information is a diservice to America. We should all be seeking the truth and from that we can then make intelligent decisions. It is impossible to make good decisions based on lies and half truths. I urge all of you to seek the truth and to vote according to your own beliefs. Don''t depend on the talking heads or the political pundits to supply your information. Dig for it yourself. The truth shall set you free.

[element51]

mercyme884.....Sorry but your post is an out and out lie. You have never, NEVER, seen Obama refuse to do the pledge nor has he EVER claimed that his allegience it to South Africa. If you want to criticize his policies fine but don''t come on here, P on my shoe and tell me it''s raining. I suggest that you learn to research before coming on here and making a complete moron of yourself.

[element51]

elicatlover....The post I put up for you was not insulting nor were there any lies in it. But you come back and insult me by calling me a fool. I will promise you that were we face to face you would NOT consider talking to me that way. NOBODY and I mean nobody speaks to me that way to my face. But I would guess that you are a sniveling coward anyway so it''s really a moot point. Had I attacked you, insulted you and called you names then you would be justified in your juvenile behavior but I didn''t. I don''t give a dam who you vote for. All I asked you to do was to consider your actions. If you don''t want to do that, fine. If you are feble minded enough to not see what McCain will do to the country go ahead and vote for him. But when things REALLY get tough about half way through his first term don''t go around crying because you can''t buy gas or feed your family. I really don''t know where you people get your information but I seriously doubt that you have the first clue as to how to do quality research. So keep listining to Rush and Hannity and be sure to pick up all Ann Coulter''s books so you can get a real education on how to insult people.

[neobrian-2009]

Illicitamoebalover,..
YOU Are a JOKE ! And You Live in The same cave all RE-CONS DO ! Get A Life ! wake Up,..THE Re-CON SECT is DEAD ! CORRUPT,GREEDY,CRIMINAL,...Your Gig Is OVER !
Friends NEVER let Friends Vote RepubliCon,..But,You probably don`t have Any friends Anyway,..You`ll Make plenty of new ones in " Re-Con Asylum Slum" Where All Insane Re-Cons Will be sentenced to in January of `09 !

[omnibus66]

What a pile of c**p. It is apparent the the Repukenikans are going to try to focus on ANYTHING but the issues that really matter.

Prove you''re insane, vote for McCain.