New Campaign, New Questions

08 June 2008 |permalink | email article

The two presumptive presidential candidates--Barack Obama and John McCain--are remarkably different in their visions of the future.

One embraces a 21st century mantra of change and a new direction; the other invokes the mantra of change, but imagines it in terms of 20th century status quo. Some key questions:

Obama:
**Will he choose a running mate older, more experienced in foreign policy and issues, and who can help carry red states?
**Despite Clinton’s tardy but effusive endorsement and pledge to help elect Obama, how tenacious will she be in convincing her devoted legions of women to support him?
**Can he translate spiraling gas prices and job losses into votes?

McCain:
**Will he choose a running mate who is younger, more experienced in economic issues and less of a war hawk?
**Can he really separate himself from the perception that he is “Bush Lite” or a five-year Senate inquiry which found that W., Cheney and others repeatedly over-stated the Iraqi threat after 9-11?
**Can he overcome his lagging support among women, be more effective on TV and defend Bush wiretaps?

Quotes of the Day
“He (Obama) may be the J.F.K. in the race, but you are the Bobby."--Mark Penn to Hillary Clinton last year, according to an insider.

“All presidential candidates, Obama certainly included, are ego-maniacs. . Clinton referred to herself by the first-person pronoun 64 times in her speech, McCain did so 60 times in his. Obama settled for 30.” --New York Times columnist Frank Rich, on election-night speeches. 

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