red states rule
08-08-2008, 11:44 AM
I hope the messiah, known as Obama, has a great vacation. Meanwhile, the Dems are losing sleep as Obama tumbles in the polls, and why the election is so close
Democratic jitters as Obama heads home
By Edward Luce in Washington
Published: August 7 2008 19:28 | Last updated: August 7 2008 19:28
Few people are more likely to need a holiday than Barack Obama. Yet as he heads off on Friday for his first week-long break since he launched his presidential bid 19 months ago, Mr Obama is dogged by rising angst about his campaign’s direction.
Although he has run what is widely acclaimed to be one of the most impressive campaigns in years, Democrats live in fear of Mr Obama falling prey to the kinds of accident that derailed predecessors in earlier cycles.
With polls showing him neck-and-neck with John McCain at a stage at which many Democrats expected he would be in the clear lead, they worry about the kind of stray image that helped to defeat John Kerry in 2004.
In a piece of footage endlessly recycled to mock his supposed elitism and even foreignness, Mr Kerry was caught on camera windsurfing off Massachusetts. Since Mr Obama is taking his holiday at a private beach house in Hawaii, surrounded by the secret service, campaign officials worry less about his exposure to the paparazzi. Besides, they say, most Americans will be tuned into the Olympics.
“During the middle of a campaign you are always worried about taking some time off – that’s the nature of the job,” Mr Obama told reporters this week. “But you know I have been going pretty much straight for 18 months now.”
Democrats say that Mr Obama needs to accomplish two critical things on his return next week. First, he must put on a good event to announce the selection of his running mate. Second, his speech at the party convention in Denver must be exceptional.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/71ac6fdc-64ac-11dd-af61-0000779fd18c,dwp_uuid=729ab242-9cb1-11db-8ec6-0000779e2340.html
Democratic jitters as Obama heads home
By Edward Luce in Washington
Published: August 7 2008 19:28 | Last updated: August 7 2008 19:28
Few people are more likely to need a holiday than Barack Obama. Yet as he heads off on Friday for his first week-long break since he launched his presidential bid 19 months ago, Mr Obama is dogged by rising angst about his campaign’s direction.
Although he has run what is widely acclaimed to be one of the most impressive campaigns in years, Democrats live in fear of Mr Obama falling prey to the kinds of accident that derailed predecessors in earlier cycles.
With polls showing him neck-and-neck with John McCain at a stage at which many Democrats expected he would be in the clear lead, they worry about the kind of stray image that helped to defeat John Kerry in 2004.
In a piece of footage endlessly recycled to mock his supposed elitism and even foreignness, Mr Kerry was caught on camera windsurfing off Massachusetts. Since Mr Obama is taking his holiday at a private beach house in Hawaii, surrounded by the secret service, campaign officials worry less about his exposure to the paparazzi. Besides, they say, most Americans will be tuned into the Olympics.
“During the middle of a campaign you are always worried about taking some time off – that’s the nature of the job,” Mr Obama told reporters this week. “But you know I have been going pretty much straight for 18 months now.”
Democrats say that Mr Obama needs to accomplish two critical things on his return next week. First, he must put on a good event to announce the selection of his running mate. Second, his speech at the party convention in Denver must be exceptional.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/71ac6fdc-64ac-11dd-af61-0000779fd18c,dwp_uuid=729ab242-9cb1-11db-8ec6-0000779e2340.html