Has Anyone Noticed Obama's Campaign is Falling Apart at the Seams?
The reason I know Mitt Romney is running a good campaign is simple: Despite being a political journalist with some decent sources and friends on the Romney campaign, I really have no idea what the heck they're thinking at the Romney headquarters in Boston. I mean, I can make some educated guesses at their strategy, but so far the Romney campaign has kept me on my toes. The Paul Ryan pick was a pleasant surprise, and I think the general consensus is that last week's Medicare jujitsu was a success that caught the Obama campaign unawares. And while there have been a few stories about strife in Romneyland, lately they seem to be doing a really good job of keeping any internal disagreement to themselves.
Now compare that to the Obama campaign. Politico's Glenn Thrush came out with an ebook yesterday that reports that Obama advisers David Axelrod and Stephanie Cutter fought over television appearances; the Obama campaign did polling and found that DNC chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., was their most unpopular surrogate; Joe "Hey, here's a picture of a cat with a piece of bacon taped to it" Biden has been trying to lay the groundwork for a 2016 presidential run; and over the summer, adviser Valerie Jarrett, concerned with the strain on Obama, set up a "salon" for the president that included guests "Steve Jobs biographer Walter Isaacson, Facebook billionaire and new New Republic Publisher Chris Hughes, and Apple executive Scott Forstall, who led the team that developed the iPhone" to discuss, among other things, "civility and public discourse." (Oh Irony, you capricious sprite!)
The White House is, of course, denouncing all of this as hearsay. Forgive me here, but I'm inclined to believe there's more than a little truth to Thrush's accounts. It all seems to fit the pattern. Back in May, I remember I was scratching my head when David Plouffe and other big names on the Obama campaign sat down with Game Change author John Heilemann to basically lay out their strategy for the election in a big New York magazine piece. If you really want to win the election, why would you tell a reporter what you plan on doing?
The answer could well be that the Obama campaign is stocked with narcissistic folks all desperate to take credit for each minor victory who really like seeing their name in print. But Heilemann's piece was months ago—now that the election isn't going well, the rat king that is Obama's campaign is starting to turn on each other by dishing to reporters about every little thing in an attempt to divert blame that the campaign is hemorrhaging money and not doing that well in the polls. If you think it's petty and vindictive now, just wait until Obama loses.
Remember in 2008 when Obama was running for office with little to no experience and helming a smooth campaign was the proof that he would be a good executive? Yeah. Those were the days. So here's my question: Since four years ago the Obama's campaign juggernaut was effectively sold as a giant act of self-justification, do you think it would be an effective line of attack to point out that the fact his campaign this time around looks like a Mongolian fire drill does not bode well for a second-term? Would that resonate with voters? Or is it too meta for an Economy, Stupid campaign?
- Comment (27)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (4)
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
Comments:
Sep '11
Re: Has Anyone Noticed Obama's Campaign is Falling Apart at the Seams?
Let the record show, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, that the writer of this topic lives inside the Washington Beltway.
Way, way too meta. 99 and 44/100% of the great American public could not care less about how the Obama campaign is managed, or would think there's any relationship between how the campaign squabbles over TV face time and how the State Department is involved in approving oil pipelines.
Jan '11
Re: Has Anyone Noticed Obama's Campaign is Falling Apart at the Seams?
Probably too meta for an its the economy stupid campaign but it might play well in the sub theme President Obama is just not up to the job we wish he was but we have to have a change..
Dec '10
Re: Has Anyone Noticed Obama's Campaign is Falling Apart at the Seams?
Even if people outside the beltway don't care, it will probably - hopefully - have a negative impact on how the campaign is run. More time spent sniping at each other is less time figuring out how to win.
Jan '11
Re: Has Anyone Noticed Obama's Campaign is Falling Apart at the Seams?
I remain astonished that nearly half of Americans want four more years of this.
I read yesterday that Obama is upset at the possibility that Romney will reap the benefits of an improved economy. Obama is apparently convinced that prosperity is just around the corner. If you didn't know that Obama has been assuring us - for nearly four years - that prosperity is almost here, and that he's been making optimistic predictions for almost four years, you begin to wonder whether Obama fits the definition of insanity: doing the same things yet expecting a different result.
Sep '10
Re: Has Anyone Noticed Obama's Campaign is Falling Apart at the Seams?
Mongolian fire drill
With the public schools being what they are today, I doubt the Mongolia reference would register. Fire, maybe.
Jul '11
Re: Has Anyone Noticed Obama's Campaign is Falling Apart at the Seams?
Leadership is top down and the head narcissist has a tough time balancing lies/half truths/deceptions while simultaneously glorifying himself over imaginary acts of awesomeness. The Chicago and Marxist thug cabal is unraveling. The Obama campaign mirrors his economic performance with lies, over spending, arrogant ignorance, inefficiency, cronyism, and self flagellation.
He will lose. Let the schadenfreude begin.
Oct '10
Re: Has Anyone Noticed Obama's Campaign is Falling Apart at the Seams?
Too meta for the general public. But if it distracts the drones in the Lickspittle Media then I'm all for a Hope Suppression effort....
Jun '12
Re: Has Anyone Noticed Obama's Campaign is Falling Apart at the Seams?
Exactly my thoughts.
As a theme in and of itself, it would likely fall flat with those people whose heads it didn't fly right over.
But as a piece of a larger "Obama incompetence" theme, it would work well, I think.
Re: Has Anyone Noticed Obama's Campaign is Falling Apart at the Seams?
I commented on some of this yesterday. The public will not care about such reports, but it will notice the messaging incoherence -- and every false step, of which there have been many already, will do harm to The One.
I predict a meltdown at some point -- and a landslide.
Romney, if you take Gallup as a guide, is eleven points up from the point that Reagan occupied in the Gallup poll at this point in 1980. Eleven points....
Aug '11
Re: Has Anyone Noticed Obama's Campaign is Falling Apart at the Seams?
KC Mulville:
I read yesterday that Obama is upset at the possibility that Romney will reap the benefits of an improved economy.
This is the unvarnished narcissism that really turns my stomach. He spent four years blaming Bush for every economic woe. Would not take one ounce of blame, or framed his faults like a desperate job-seeker: "My biggest flaw is that sometimes I try too hard!"
And now if a Romney presidency ushers in an economic improvement, he's worried that he won't get credit!
This man is utterly unfit to lead a girl-scout troop let alone the greatest nation on the planet.
Feb '11
Re: Has Anyone Noticed Obama's Campaign is Falling Apart at the Seams?
John Murdoch: Let the record show, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, that the writer of this topic lives inside the Washington Beltway.
Way, way too meta. 99 and 44/100% of the great American public could not care less about how the Obama campaign is managed
As one well outside of the beltway I agree that they may not directly care, but as a backdrop to the campaign they notice. Backgrounds matter in politics and other types of show-business. People subconsciously notice the background and are influenced by it (think how incidental music affects your impression of a scene in a movie). A background of backbiting and gnashing of teeth feeds and supports an impression of incompetence to match with Obama's "new normal".
Additionally, the press (especially DC Press) love a meta-story. The meta-story of editors influences the regular news by the selection of coverage as well as the angle of the coverage (under-dog, flailing and gnashing of teeth, etc.). From the build up of this coverage the sacred independents are heavily influenced at election time.
Jun '12
Re: Has Anyone Noticed Obama's Campaign is Falling Apart at the Seams?
DrewInWisconsin
This man is utterly unfit to lead a girl-scout troop let alone the greatest nation on the planet. · 1 minute ago
True, but at least I'd trust him with the girl scouts, which I can't say about all Democratic Presidents of the recent past.
Jun '10
Re: Has Anyone Noticed Obama's Campaign is Falling Apart at the Seams?
Time to take a break, and regroup.
Jun '12
Re: Has Anyone Noticed Obama's Campaign is Falling Apart at the Seams?
I think the differences Mr. Hemingway notes in his first two paragraphs can be explained by an examination of both men's lives up to this point.
Romney has been a successful businessman, and in business if you announce your plans too early, a competitor is likely to grab the idea and run with it themselves. You only announce when you're at a point where you can easily complete the plan before any competitor can, which is usually pretty close to the actual introduction point of the product.
Obama, on the other hand, has been nothing but a politician, where announcing your Grand Master Plan is often not only a prelude to, but in many cases a substitute for, actually doing anything. This can be seen in Obama's constant love for speechifying, without actually doing the hard work required to implement his plans.
Hmmm... might have to expand on this idea for a longer blog post.
Dec '11
Re: Has Anyone Noticed Obama's Campaign is Falling Apart at the Seams?
It is a great line of argument, however, I think it’s too “Inside Baseball” to convince anyone who isn’t already convinced.
Dec '11
Re: Has Anyone Noticed Obama's Campaign is Falling Apart at the Seams?
ConservativeWanderer
DrewInWisconsin
This man is utterly unfit to lead a girl-scout troop let alone the greatest nation on the planet. · 1 minute ago
True, but at least I'd trust him with the girl scouts, which I can't say about all Democratic Presidents of the recent past. · 17 minutes ago
Oh Snap!
Feb '12
Re: Has Anyone Noticed Obama's Campaign is Falling Apart at the Seams?
They have given up talking to the MSM even, they are now focusing in on the Morning Radio Zoos, the Hollywood Extra type shows, Comedy Central and ect. Soon I expect them to give a real interview with "The Onion".
Did you happen to hear the hard hitting interview of the Pres on the Morning Mayham Radio show in New Mexico
Mar '11
Re: Has Anyone Noticed Obama's Campaign is Falling Apart at the Seams?
Speaking of the Onion -- when I first saw this headline, I thought it WAS the Onion!
http://news.investors.com/article/622760/201208210826/team-obama-describes-setbacks-as-all-part-of-his-plan.htm
Sep '10
Re: Has Anyone Noticed Obama's Campaign is Falling Apart at the Seams?
I fear this implosion is becoming conventional wisdom on the right and I agree with it and I am amazed that anyone in US is even willing to answer a poll saying they support this bloody imbecile but we had better be prepared for a counter offensive from them at some point. I suppose it is just the contrarian in me but whenever things go really well I start to get nervous.
Nov '11
Re: Has Anyone Noticed Obama's Campaign is Falling Apart at the Seams?
Michael Hussey
Speaking of the Onion -- when I first saw this headline, I thought it WAS the Onion!
http://news.investors.com/article/622760/201208210826/team-obama-describes-setbacks-as-all-part-of-his-plan.htm · 1 hour ago
Hilarious!
And whether or not it is an effective line of attack, the meta argument does not need to be made. "Show, don't tell," as they say in writing courses, and that is what the Obama campaign is doing. Much more effective. *
*see article linked above by Michael Hussey.