Joe Magnets: What the hell does that have to do with Obama?!

Posted by antiPartisa at 01/4/2008

A DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE'S BIGGEST CHALLENGE...

Is ALWAYS Republican dirty tricks....

Posted by w_m_bear at 01/4/2008

Obama's biggest challenge in the coming weeks is that Hillary will stop at NOTHING to win. Lies, distortions, bullsh*t, changing her "personality", and WHO KNOWS WHAT ELSE. I shutter to think. But I think, and I hope that Obama will prevail.

Posted by WinnieM at 01/5/2008

No, the biggest danger is the Republicans. They're going to eat this guy for lunch. I actually hope he and Clinton will team up.

Posted by Kristev at 01/5/2008

It appears that they have deleted Joe Magnet's racist rantings so my sarcastic response should have been deleted as well. It would be nice if The Nation reviewed posts before allowing them to poison those who read these things.

That said, the question The Nation asked is what will be Obama's greatest challenge in the next primaries, not the general election which is where the Republicans will try to eat him alive.

A lot depends on New Hampshire. If he wins or does very well there, his biggest challenge will be to avoid going into a "prevent defense" and playing it safe. I refer to the "prevent defense" that the New York Giants go into whenever they have a late game lead. It usually ends up preventing them from winning.

Posted by bean22 at 01/5/2008

A Democrat's biggest challenge is fighting off the opportunistic tendancies to win at all costs, which invariably devolves into feeble and pathetic efforts of out-Republicing the Republicans.

Posted by KansasBob at 01/5/2008

GOP unlikely to waste dirty tricks resources on Dem primaries, and this Q is only about Dem primaries.

But should Clinton&Co unleash their dirty trick leviathan on Obama, & should Billary thereby be seen to snatch the nomination out from an otherwise seemingly victorious Obama, the dynastic couple will have earned the undying enmity of most African-American voters ... perhaps enough of whom will then stay home on Nov.4 & the GOP will retain the White House, the Billary dirty tricks machine thus performing a service to the GOP nominee greater than any the disciplining agency of billionaire Bloomberg could buy. As Billary's owners win either way, The Owners shouldn't much mind.

Posted by Lit at 01/5/2008

Another problem the Dems have is that when they tear into each other in the primaries, they have to realize that the Republicans are listening intently to what they dig up against each other.

A perfect example was the use of the Willy Horton furlough the GOP used against Dukakis. Willy Horton was sentenced to Life without parole but some low level bureaucrat in the penal system screwed up and Willy got out on a furlough. Bad mistake because he raped and killed someone while he was out. The GOP used that against Dukakis even though he had nothing to do with it. Everyone called it racism. However what most people don't know is that the GOP knew about it because Al Gore used it against Dukakis when opposing him for the nomination. Was it racism when Gore used it or just hardball primary politics? The GOP is watching and listening and will use anything that Obama's opponents use against him in the primaries.

Posted by bean22 at 01/5/2008

I think that some people are being extremely niave. Obama is a good candidate. No question about it. However, the 'red' south, former dixiecrats(persons that were dismayed with the signing of the civil right act under LBJ) and evangelicals will not vote for him. They give lip service but when they go into that booth, they will pull another lever. A vote for Obama will push people to vote for a republican candidate. We need a democrat in the White House to clean up the Friedmanesk type world that has gone awry. (Referencing Naomi Klein's wonderful book, Shock Doctrine. This plays into the neo con rhetoric, a Rove-ian twist. There are enough neo nazi, white supremist-types and conservative evangelicals that will rally to stop this as well with a woman, as women should be 'silent' per their views. thanks

Posted by rowdytime at 01/7/2008

obama's biggest challenge will be whether the liberal influenced media will continue to harp solely on "change" or will it finally begin to asked some hard questions pertaining to the nations future. Obama says nothing concerning energy independence or fighting the war on terrorism. Opec now believes Americans are comfortable with $ 100 barrel oil. We must be, because democrats including obama continue to exclude any discussion concerning America's future energy requirements. The democrat congresses bogus bill upping ethanol will only drive food prices, especially corn, out of sight. If you think the world hates us now, which they don't, then try making food to the third world totally unaffordable.

Posted by bill clintoon at 01/8/2008

Jerry Fallwell could haunt us. Just today I received an e-mail about Obama and his 'secret Muslim' connections and upbringing. Yesterday the e-mail was about his strange church, 'The United Church of Christ'. This is coming from an Evangelical it was forwarded from many e-mails.

Posted by markin at 01/8/2008

My concern about Obama is that he talks big but he has missed a lot of Senate votes. For example, he rightly criticized Clinton for voting to declare the Iranian military as a terrorist organization but he missed the vote! That, to me, shows that his is more interested in power than in actually governing.

Posted by D1od1o at 01/8/2008

I think that Obama and Clinton are the same person inside. God knows they both vote like Republicans.

Posted by NoPCZone at 01/9/2008

Mrs. Clinton won in NH because she got emotional over an innocent question. IF she is this emotional now what would happen if she became President? That is a very very scary thought!!!!! I do believe Mrs. Clinton is still part of the old boys club (Bill was President & he gave her some jobs to do that blew up in her face) so I for one will be supporting OBAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by jaydee at 01/9/2008

The biggest challenge for Obama is that at some point people will ask him to go beyond warm-and-fuzzy bromides about "change" and "the future" and "togetherness" to discuss real, specific issues. If he can't do so coherently, he'll look like an empty suit. If he can bring a measure of reality to his expressed opinions, he'll be exposed as a another thuggish liberal that the American people will reject. Another option for him would be to dodge the issue by attacking his rivals. But a lot of his support is based on the perception that he is nice. People are getting sick of angry, mean attack-dog politicians and turn to the likes of Huckabee and Obama because they seem nicer than the prickly Hilary, Giuliani, and McCain and more real than the airbrushed Edwards and Romney.

Posted by tshawytscha at 01/9/2008

The Billary machine in action, to disenfranchise Nevada union members who support Obama:

"Teachers Sue to Block Hotel Workers’ Union Vote in Nevada Caucus By STEVE FRIESS Published: January 12, 2008

LAS VEGAS — Nevada’s state teachers union and six Las Vegas area residents filed a lawsuit late Friday that could make it harder for many members of the state’s huge hotel workers union to vote in the hotly contested Jan. 19 Democratic caucus in Nevada.

Posted by Lit at 01/12/2008

Does the "GOP dirty tricks" answer include GOP dirty tricks that Hillary has borrowed? Really I think those two should be combined for a whopping 60% of the vote. GOP dirty tricks and Clinton dirty tricks are one in the same anymore.

It is a sad day for the Democratic party..

Posted by bridoc at 01/14/2008