Where Hillary misjudged Barack

I was reading through a January 2007 article "Hillary, Barack: The Differences And Similarities," By E.J. DIONNE JR and noticed where she, and the McCain-Palin campaign made their mistake:

In a 2002 speech, Clinton signaled her respect for this approach by praising Al From, the DLC's founder and chief executive, for understanding "from the very beginning . . . that the right ideas were more important even than improving technology, organization or fundraising." Both Clintons have employed Mark Penn, the premier DLC pollster who is incessant in his efforts to locate the political center.

If Obama had the right ideas he'd be a lot further ahead; if he had no ideas, he'd still be ahead; he has every tired, worn-out socialist marxist idea that failed around the world, that guarantees our economy will be crushed under more regulation and more taxes, he's stomping the center left and he's still ahead.

The economy collapsed after the 2008 conventions (although I was blogging about Fannie and Fred 18 months ago) making the race about something totally different, and it was the Democrats' fault, and yet the Obamachine was able to grab that brass golden ring and ride the Merry Go Round and Round and Round with it. Clever clips, better graphics, and much faster responses. Their turn around time on a McCain slip was amazing, but McCain might take days to bring up an Obama flip or flim-flam. When we walked out of the Nationwide Arena Friday evening, all pumped up by Ahnold, Hank Jr., and McCain, what was projected on the white building across the street, but an Obama ad about 50 ft high. Brilliant.

And even if Americans--decent, hard working, religious people who close their eyes and ears to his socialist garbage, his dangerous economic plan, and his disgusting abortion views--really understood his ideas, he'd still be ahead. Even when they clearly know that he can't reduce taxes for 95% of Americans because a huge percentage don't pay taxes, and by increasing taxes on business he drives them out of the country, he'd still be ahead. Even if they went on line and totalled the trillions we've spent on poverty programs, he'd still be ahead. He's got what Hillary said wasn't as important as the ideas--TECHNOLOGY, ORGANIZATION AND FUNDRAISING.

Love him or hate him, admire or denigrate him, his minions and lackeys are masters of puppetry, show, fluff, alinskyized groups, speed and visual impact. He picks an old-time, aging liberal for a running mate and uses text messaging to announce it, and the kiddoes swoon from excitement, ignorning the fact that Democrats refused Biden several times. They get little old ladies to leave their home in Illinois and paint store fronts and make coffee in Wisconsin; they get honor scholars to come home from Europe and give false addresses in Ohio and live in a dump so they can bus in the homeless and confused who haven't voted in years, or maybe never. They build a Greek Temple for $5 million to announce what we all knew--he was going to be the candidate and then rip into Palin for her clothes; he prances around Europe posing with fascist imagery but the kids have never studied history, so still they swoon. His agents and organizers, managers and gurus understand that what matters is the feeling, the excitement of the moment, not the facts. Reminds me of the movie Face in the Crowd.

Lonesome Rhodes:This whole country's just like my flock of sheep!
Marcia Jeffries: Sheep?
Lonesome Rhodes: Rednecks, crackers, hillbillies, hausfraus, shut-ins, pea-pickers - everybody that's got to jump when somebody else blows the whistle. They don't know it yet, but they're all gonna be 'Fighters for Fuller'. They're mine! I own 'em! They think like I do. Only they're even more stupid than I am, so I gotta think for 'em. Marcia, you just wait and see. I'm gonna be the power behind the president - and you'll be the power behind me!

Obama is lauded as an articulate intellectual when in fact he stammers and stutters and repeats old ideas calling it change; he talks about social programs as though we haven't already spent trillions and suffocated the poor with a well fed, well paid bureaucracy; when he can't face the truth he just jokes about it, tosses someone under the bus, or sends in his goons to destroy the questioner. He has no past that anyone can find--not legislative or personal, but it doesn't matter. In this election it's the money--and he's spent over half a billion (much through theft and fraud), the right technology (some of it in the state offices of Ohio) and a solid organization of adoring volunteers and paid staff.