Digby on Obama: Partisan Soljahs

[wyldwolf]

Running to the right on health care and social security combined with the anti-gay gospel singer, taking Robert Novak smears at face value, repeating Jeff Gerth lies and now going after Paul Krugman, leads me to the niggling awareness that this is a conscious, if subtle, strategy. Any one of those things could be an accident, and perhaps some of them are. But taken as a whole, conscious or not, liberal fighters in the partisan wars are being sistah soljahed. Unlike the big issue of Iraq where being on the right side is being on the left side, these little digs and policy positioning are all sweet spots for the Village --- and sore spots for the base.

Perhaps that's the smart move. It has long been known by just about everyone who matters that the rank and file activists of the Democratic party are a huge liability. And anyway, where are we going to go? Mike Huckabee? Ron Paul? We have no choice. So, no harm no foul. Running to the right of even Hillary Clinton on health care and social security and using GOP talking points and symbolism is probably all upside. It may be the best way to insure a win in the fall. But I can't say that it looks like either a transformative inspirational politics or a willingness to fight the conservatives and win on the merits.

I still don't know who I'm voting for. I've criticized all of them and I have defended all of them against the media's predictable demeaning coverage. But in the end, when I choose who to vote for, I'm going to take into account which candidates see the political culture and the quality of the opposition for what it is and what it isn't. Obama is a tremendously exciting and talented politician and I would vote for him against any Republican out there without blinking an eye. But as a certified DFH, I really wish he weren't running this way. Paul Krugman most certainly is not the enemy and neither am I.

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2007/12/partisan-soljahs-by-digby-whenever-im.html

[Beacool]

1. Well, well, well........

Reading the comments, it looks like the halo is wearing off and doesn't shine as brightly on the new messiah. LOL!

[gasperc]

2. Gerth crap put Obama in a death spiral

but it gave him and his team some valuable lessons to help right their ship, although they still did the event with that asshole. Now, Clinton has found herself in her own death spiral. and although I am an Edwards supporter, I think Edwards hasn't gotten the deserved credit for triggering the spiral by pointing out to the debate audience that Clinton said "two things here", Obama quickly caught on and immediately also interjected. I think Edwards is on track to move upwards on both Obama and Clinton next week. Votes are hardening day by day, Clinton's soft support did not harden and slipped away, some has gone undecided some has added to Obama which is soft. Edwards never fell below 20% so all this support is pretty and climbing. These last three weeks be intense, they may not decide the nomination but one of the candidates will emerage stronger, one bruised and one weakended. My personal hope is for Edwards. My greater hope is that this process will may the winner a better person and better president.