Three More Reasons Why Barack Obama Will Be President

Three more reasons why Barack Obama will be the next president of the USA.

1. Hillary rolls out an ad that asks, "Whom do you trust to answer the phone in the Oval Office when a crisis breaks out at 3 a.m.?"

Within minutes, Obama responds: "The question is not about picking up the phone. The question is -- what kind of judgment will you make when you answer? We've had a red phone moment. It was the decision to invade Iraq. And Senator Clinton gave the wrong answer."

Could you imagine Al Gore or John Kerry fighting back like that? This is why Barack needed to run now instead of waiting his turn. The US Senate poisons your ability to talk to a human being, or even like a human being. (See Biden, Joe.)

Which bring us to...

2. Obama is George Lakoff's dream candidate.

Lakoff heads up the Rockridge Institute, which you may know as those people who figured out that Republicans keep winning because they mastered how to frame debates in the context of American values. (If you haven't read Don't Think of an Elephant yet, thou shalt.)

He makes the point that "Obama had figured out how to say what many of us believe, that the values people label with the L-word [liberal, not lesbian] are actually American values."

Or, as I heard an arch-conservative AM talk show host say this morning: "He's the first Democrat we've seen in long time who doesn't seem like he hates us." After the unified governments of 1993-1994 and 2001-2006 failed to fix much of anything in Washington, it's become obvious to pretty much everyone that the "We're Right, They're Wrong" ethos has been fully discredited. And Hillary's tendency to continue to pin America's failings on the Republican party is why not a single Republican will vote for her.

People hate being reminded that they're wrong. Which is why I choose to believe that there's no God, but I don't fly the Atheists' Rights flag. It's not a fine line between being an independent thinker and being a total dick.

3. Tested, tested, tested.

Obama participated in his 20th Democratic debate this week. He's endured direct attacks from his own party and outside his party, and he's mastered how to hit back without a splatter of mud showing on his suits.

No Dem had had to show up like this since Bubba was fighting off Paul Tsongas, Jerry Brown, Tom Harkin, and Gennifer Flowers in '92. When Obama can shift fully to general election mode, he'll be in mid-season form.

Any doubts?

***

Separately, this Maureen Dowd gem made my week:

Beating on the press is the lamest thing you can do. It is only because of the utter open-mindedness of the press that Hillary can lose 11 contests in a row and still be treated as a contender.

And by the way, that last episode of SNL that Hillary was such a fan of? Feh! 2005 quality across the board.

Comments

[milo]

the Dowd comments is brilliant.

The American people, for better or for worse, have to "like" their candidates.

Obama has the rare attribute of not making you feel like you just got served cough syrup (Hillary, Al Gore) or a load of FUD (Bush/Cheney 2004).

[mlo]

Also, there is this:
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/2008/01/19/8-barack-obama/