The poorly run Obama Campaign

[Spock]

""Nobody was more surprised by John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate than the people who run Barack Obama's campaign. "I can honestly say that we weren't prepared for that," says David Axelrod, Obama's top strategist. "I mean, her name wasn't on anybody's list. It was a surprise to a lot of Republicans as well.""

Obama gets a lot of kudos for running a great campaign and he has even cited it as his executive experience.

Anyway, why were they so surprised by this choice-Her name has been mentioned for months as a possible choice and they should have started a file on her and been prepared for the choice. Poor opposition research on the campaign's part and certainly indicative of an inabilty to think outside the box.

Probably foreshadowing of numerous real world "surprises" that await an Obama administration.

Lesson #1 for Obama-don't expect your opponents to think inside the box.

[TheConfessor]

Lesson #1 for Obama-don't expect your opponents to think inside the box.

It's generous of you to try to help, but I don't think he reads this message board.

[Spock]

Lesson #1 for Obama-don't expect your opponents to think inside the box.

It's generous of you to try to help, but I don't think he reads this message board.

Snarky, Snarky snarky-

Plus I think that lesson got beat into his head the last week-if he is not as tone deaf as he appears to be and does not just automatically continue with the "Bush-Cheney redux" theme-

I think most people have realized that Bush is not running again-I am trying to figure out how tying everything McCain to Bush/Cheney expands the field (ie helps in red states) and moves us to a post-partisan future.

Caveat-I understand that it certainly might help him win the election.

[silverscreenselect]

I really think Obama and his key advisors think McCain and his people are stupid and incapable of doing anything that will prevent the coronation, er, election. Keep in mind that these same "stupid" Republicans have won election after election over "smart" Democrats like Gore, Kerry, and Dukakis and their elite advisors.

Many of these same people are still giving Obama advice. Why should the results be any different this time. The only reason Obama was effective against Hillary was that she had to back off every time she started to point these same things about Obama that McCain and Palin are doing. Obama claimed some combination of racism, un-Democratic politics, or Rovian politics, and the media picked up on it and she backed down. The Republicans have no similar compunction to play by Obama's rules, and they control enough media of their own (Limaugh and company and Fox News) to get their word out there

There is a scene at the end of the original Star Wars movie, while the battle is going on and Luke is on his way to drop the bomb that will blast the Death Star to bits. All the bad guys are assembled in their war room, and one flunky tells Grand Muff Tarkin (the wonderful English horror actor Peter Cushing) that their analysis has revealed a weakness and asks Tarkin if he should prepare an escape craft. Tarkin replies in a perfect, haughty tone: "Evacuate.. in our moment of triumph? I think you overestimate their chances." One minute later .... boom.

Every time I think about Obama's advisors discussing the election with the Chosen One, I imagine a similar scene taking place.

[Sir_Galahad]

Obama gets a lot of kudos for running a great campaign and he has even cited it as his executive experience.

This had to be the funniest thing I had heard coming out of this campaign. I suppose that if he was even running the campaign, you could stretch a bit and suspend your belief that this remotely qualifies as executive experience.

[silverscreenselect]

Obama gets a lot of kudos for running a great campaign and he has even cited it as his executive experience.

This had to be the funniest thing I had heard coming out of this campaign. I suppose that if he was even running the campaign, you could stretch a bit and suspend your belief that this remotely qualifies as executive experience.

Obama likes to contrast the size of his campaign to the Wasilla city government. He doesn't try to compare it with what Palin's been doing while Obama's been schmoozing with Oprah these last few months, namely running the State of Alaska.

City of Wasilla 50 employees
Obama campaign 2500 workers
State of Alaska 15,000 employees

[themanintheseersuckersuit]

Campaign management and recycling from the Greenist Convention Evah.

This morning, Republicans tell me that a worker at Invesco Field in Denver saved thousands of unused flags from the Democratic National Convention that were headed for the garbage. Guerrilla campaigning. They will use these flags at their own event today in Colorado Springs with John McCain and Sarah Palin.

Before McCain speaks today, veterans will haul these garbage bags filled with flags out onto the stage — with dramatic effect, no doubt — and tell the story.

“What you see in the picture I sent you is less than half of total flags,” a Republican official emailed. “We estimate the total number to be around 12,000 small flags and one full size 3×5 flag.”

I’m not sure what the DNC was supposed to do with unused hand-flags, frankly. But the Republicans are obviously questioning someone’s patriotism here.

[peacock2121]

Lesson #1 for Obama-don't expect your opponents to think inside the box.

It's generous of you to try to help, but I don't think he reads this message board.

Snarky, Snarky snarky-

Made me laugh and laugh and laugh.

[themanintheseersuckersuit]

Lesson #1 for Obama-don't expect your opponents to think inside the box.

It's generous of you to try to help, but I don't think he reads this message board.

Well, there's another strike against him.

[christie1111]

Lesson #1 for Obama-don't expect your opponents to think inside the box.

It's generous of you to try to help, but I don't think he reads this message board.

Well, there's another strike against him.

LOL!

In a non-political way!

[Bob Juch]

It's generous of you to try to help, but I don't think he reads this message board.

Snarky, Snarky snarky-

Made me laugh and laugh and laugh.

You laugh easily.

[christie1111]

Snarky, Snarky snarky-

Made me laugh and laugh and laugh.

You laugh easily.

One of the MANY reasons I like PeaBabe!

[ne1410s]

I suppose that if he was even running the campaign, you could stretch a bit and suspend your belief that this remotely qualifies as executive experience.

Mahatma Ghandi was a community organizer. Pontius Pilate was a governor.

There, now that helped, didn't it?

[themanintheseersuckersuit]

Mahatma Ghandi was a community organizer.

Where is the ghost of Lloyd Bentsen when you need him?

[Beebs52]

I suppose that if he was even running the campaign, you could stretch a bit and suspend your belief that this remotely qualifies as executive experience.

Mahatma Ghandi was a community organizer. Pontius Pilate was a governor.

There, now that helped, didn't it?

Certainly not giving the Pontius any props, but India certainly is doing well these days...lotsa community rejuvenation going on.

[Beebs52]

Snarky, Snarky snarky-

Made me laugh and laugh and laugh.

You laugh easily.

Laughing is a much better laxative than snark hatred. Just sayin'.

[ne1410s]

but India certainly is doing well these days...lotsa community rejuvenation going on.

You do know that Ghandi is dead?

[Beebs52]

but India certainly is doing well these days...lotsa community rejuvenation going on.

You do know that Ghandi is dead?

Gosh, gee whiz, no Tennis Guy. What's your point? Continuation of a community organizer's legacy? Or what? The comparison was a bit odd, is all I was trying to say.

Oh. Pontius Pilate is dead, too. You're comparing Sarah to someone who contributed to the process of Christ's crucifixion?

Snarky. Yes. In return for a silly post.

[ne1410s]

Snarky. Yes. In return for a silly post.

So that's how you rationalize your posts...interesting.

[Beebs52]

Snarky. Yes. In return for a silly post.

So that's how you rationalize your posts...interesting.

Pretty much. How do you rationalize yours?

[Beebs52]

To add to my previous reply-if a post is a serious, non-snarky, substantive post I usually reply in possibly a substantive, sometimes snarky, but not necessarily frivolous manner. If a post is obviously goofy then, yes, I post as I did. I'm not sure I need to rationalize it, though. Are you saying your post was not frivolous?

[silverscreenselect]

I suppose that if he was even running the campaign, you could stretch a bit and suspend your belief that this remotely qualifies as executive experience.

Mahatma Ghandi was a community organizer. Pontius Pilate was a governor.

There, now that helped, didn't it?

Gandhi's record as a community organizer is pretty well documented, as are a couple of other well known organizers, Jesus and MLK.

Obama's is not, other than to say he was a community organizer.

I helped on voting drives for Hubert Humphrey in 1968. I guess this qualifies me as a community organizer too. I'd add that I had as much success as an organizer as Obama did. At least none of the people I tried to register to vote were left out in the cold. Of course, we did live in Florida at the time.

[Spock]

I suppose that if he was even running the campaign, you could stretch a bit and suspend your belief that this remotely qualifies as executive experience.

Mahatma Ghandi was a community organizer. Pontius Pilate was a governor.

There, now that helped, didn't it?

I guess if you want to compare someone who worked as a "Community Organizer" (ie Bagman) for either Acorn or the Chicago Democrat Machine to Jesus or Gandhi-Go right ahead.

[MarleysGh0st]

This morning, Republicans tell me that a worker at Invesco Field in Denver saved thousands of unused flags from the Democratic National Convention that were headed for the garbage.

I wondered what the story of your avatar was, tmittss.

Did anyone check to see where all those US flags were manufactured?

[silverscreenselect]

Did anyone check to see where all those US flags were manufactured?

Did anyone check to see how many rows of stars were on them?