Toughen up, Obama, or concede the White House now

[rodeodance]

Forum Name General Discussion: Primaries
Topic subject Toughen up, Obama, or concede the White House now
Topic URL http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4183341#4183341
4183341, Toughen up, Obama, or concede the White House now
Posted by 2rth2pwr on Thu Jan-24-08 11:56 AM

January 24th, 2008 by Jill Miller Zimon
http://themoderatevoice.com/at-tmv/newsweek-blogitics/17286/toughen-up-obama-or-concede-the-white-house-now /

The Medina County Democratic Action Committee (in Ohio)* wants Barack Obama to withstand the Clinton machine, or else be prepared to lose everything.

The group’s shout-out derives from this Washington Post article that examines the quality (bitter some say) of recent Clinton campaign moves and their potentially destructive results (losing the nomination, and losing the White House). The article only highlights the tactics employed and the Obama camp responses so far.

MCDAC raises the issue that is often made when primary battles play out in state and local political races: a tough primary better prepares the competitors, elicits the bad stuff early and, in general, makes for a stronger nominee once the primary is over.

The question, then, is: have we seen enough from Obama to know that he will be able to handle the heat in a general election? From MCDAC:

Look, we are concerned about the increasingly bitter tone of this contest. We undertand that when there is little difference between the candidates on issues, each side is going to look for an edge, no matter how small. We also understand that the Clintons are upset that African-American voters who stood behind Bill Clinton in his presidential campaigns are abandoning the 2008 Clinton campaign for Obama. We also understand that supporters of Barack Obama are so impressed by his personality that they can’t understand why the Democratic Party just doesn’t give him the nomination by acclamation. But, here’s our question: If Barack Obama can’t take the heat from the Clintons, how is he going to stand up to the Republicans this fall?


I tend to agree with MCDAC’s conclusion, but I’m honestly not sure whether that’s a good thing (being able to deliver as well as recover from a punch) or not:

The Clintons can take a punch and they can deliver a punch. What Democrats need to know is whether Obama can do the same. This campaign will tell us what Obama is made of and how he reacts under pressure. It is important to know that because Democrats who think that the Clinton campaign against Obama is like Karl Rove’s either suffer from amnesia or are terribly naive.

*Why MCDAC matters: Medina County has been profiled multiple times as emblematic of how Ohio is turning from red to blue; it’s a classic swing state county that appears to be swinging. Read more about it here. http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/09/22/ddn092307medina.html


C'mon Obama, no crybabies!