Saturday, January 5, 2008

Post-mortem

This is tough to read. I think the premise of Hillary's campaign probably made sense but the reality is Democrats are not in a pragmatic (re: 2004) state of mind. There is no forminable incumbent to beat, no real fear that somehow a Huckabee or McCain with some new version of Turd Blossom in tow will be a real threat. In other words, Democrats are in the mood to try something different. But it was difficult to believe Obama was for real until he won something. The conciliatory rhetoric I've found particularly annoying as I do his tone sometimes (my dad calls it confidence, I call it 'holier than thou') clearly worked in attracting independents who are so important in Iowa and New Hampshire. And when Obama turns it on, as he did Thursday night in Iowa, the logic of his candidacy seems stunningly clear and Hillary's quips about drawing a contrast and being ready to lead on day one just sound like campaign boilerplate.

No comments: