Obama's Stock Was Topping Even Pre-Palin

IBD Editorials ^ | September 11, 2008 | CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER

[Kaslin]

The Democrats are in a panic. In a presidential race that is impossible to lose, they are behind. Obama devotees are frantically giving advice. Tom Friedman tells him to "start slamming down some phones." Camille Paglia suggests, "Be boring!"

Meanwhile, a posse of Democratic lawyers, mainstream reporters, lefty bloggers and various other Obamaphiles are scouring the vast tundra of Alaska for something, anything, to bring down Sarah Palin: her daughter's pregnancy, her ex-brother-in-law problem, her $60 per diem, and now her religion. (CNN reports — news flash! — that she apparently has never spoken in tongues.)

Not since Henry II asked if no one would rid him of his turbulent priest, have so many so urgently volunteered for duty.

But Palin is not just a problem for Obama. She is also a symptom of what ails him. Before Palin, Obama was the ultimate celebrity candidate. For no presidential nominee in living memory had the gap between adulation and achievement been so great.

Which is why McCain's Paris Hilton ads struck such a nerve. Obama's meteoric rise was based not on issues — there was not a dime's worth of difference between him and Hillary on issues — but on narrative, on eloquence, on charisma.

The unease at the Denver convention, the feeling of buyer's remorse, was the Democrats' realization that the arc of Obama's celebrity had peaked and had now entered a period of its steepest decline. That Palin could so instantly steal the celebrity spotlight is a reflection of that decline.

It was inevitable. Obama had managed to stay aloft for four full years. But no one can levitate forever.

Five speeches map Obama's trajectory.

[Desdemona]

He still sounds pretty cool on her. I wonder why.

Pro-life issues. Don't forget that Krauthammer is an MD, and not only that he was Chief Resident in psychiatry at Mass General before his accident. I've seen any number of segments where he sided with using embryonic stem cells and the pro-choice crowd. This is actually pretty typical of people who have a medical background.

[conservative libertarian]

I wonder how much book learning he has.

One can go through college and law school and still not
have read widely. Without having read extensively (or having absorbed the right way to approach the world from one’s parents) one will be woefully unprepared for the propaganda
that comes from the media and popular culture.

[almcbean]

I finally figured it out - he’s Milli Vanilli.

[Wild Irish Rogue]

” Kraut is one of the smartest guys on earth but he is slow to the dance this time. “

At least he’s in the dance hall parking lot.
Some of the old ladies at the American Spectator like Philip Klein ,James Antle and Robert Stacy McCain are hiding in the back seat of the car.
My Wuss tolerance, especially from the right side, is at zero.
Maybe we can FedEx some testosterone to the American Spectator.

[Maverick68]

If Hillary were to jump on board with Obama, she is a fool. Her only chance is for McCain to win.

[shteebo]

...don't know what's wrong with this country where an empty suit, a Chauncey Gardiner can run and win and win easily.

It's Commie-Whackos + BDSers. 'Nuff said re the whackos. The Bush-Derangement-Syndromers are not thinking. They just want someone totally different from Bush. Ask one to defend Obama on something basic. You get the deer in the headlights look, not even an attempt to reply. I know a few who are normally very intelligent who fall into this category. They're angry, sick and tired, and at the moment, just don't care.

[PGalt]

Very good article by Charles...”Nonetheless, has there ever been a presidential nominee with a wider gap between his estimation of himself and the sum total of his lifetime achievements?”...Krauthammer.

Thanks for posting.

[NutCrackerBoy]

With every primary and every repetition of the high-flown, self-referential rhetoric, the campaign's insubstantiality became clear. -Charles Krauthammer

And yet Chris Matthews' leg kept on a-tinglin'.

[gore_sux_2000]

Me too. I will be a nervous Nellie until the wee hours of Nov. 4-5th, and I know we have it in the bag, and there aren’t cries of cheating and stealing coming from the socialists.

I’m definitely praying for a landslide.

[tatown]

“Kraut is one of the smartest guys on earth but he is slow to the dance this time. He was a grotchety old fart when Sarah was picked. Perturbed was a word invented for his face the day of Sarah’s RNC speech.”

......

As smart as Kraut is, he is still an “inside the beltway” guy, thus IMO unable to relate to the realness of Sarah. She connects with people in a way that only an outside the beltway, middle class American can understand. This will be her legacy and it will only become obvious to the DC/NY elites well after the rest of America “gets it”.

[shteebo]

The left has almost nothing new to offer, other than failed ideas of the past.

Nothing real, but I fear this Obama "tax cut", that takes the form of a check refunding taxes one never paid, will have broad appeal. Also, most Dems don't understand AT ALL how high taxes affect businesses, which then affect them.

[yldstrk]

All I’ve heard from Bambi is tax increase e.g. “ I will Provide..........” like he is Samta

[Joe Miner]

One can go through college and law school and still not have read widely

You can put a Harvard veneer on a moron, but it's still a moron.

[budwiesest]

No way..her followers would not come back to her...

She rides in on a White Horse to save the day and the first words out of her mouth are: "Roe v Wade". Come on, I didn't say they could win and you're right, Bambi is a sexist. But 'her followers' would leave skid marks getting out of their mukluks.

[Hattie]

Anyone who has been following campaigns for many years realizes one can never say "it's over", especially two months out. Work like you are 10 points behind. If you think the Dems are just going to throw in the towel and wait for defeat, you don't know politics.

Extremely rough stuff is coming, October surprise, and daily hits to find the one thing that will "stick". The Dems have many more registered and they do outnumber repubs. And at this point, they lead in the electoral college. Remember Gore won the popular vote. Repubs must work hard.

[Poincare]

I don’t think Palin is getting enough credit here. Don’t lump her with snObama.

Agree. Krauthammer is right about Obama not wearing well and being in decline before Palin, but Palin does wear well and will endure whether the McCain-Palin ticket wins or not. Her reception was strong because she spoke our language and no one else was. Kinda like Rush did when he first appeared.

[ROTB]

I’m nervous like a Nellie, and don’t know what’s wrong with this country where an empty suit, a Chauncey Gardiner can run and win and win easily.

**************************************

40% of the country is either:

1) working for the government
2) collecting checks from the government

The leftists will never get less than 40% of the vote under current conditions.

[Fishrrman]

“Obama is a fraud, a charlatan, a shyster who comes out of Chicago machine politics. There is no way this fool is going to be the next POTUS.”

He is indeed all the things you say, and probably worse.

But he will nevertheless sucker at least 40% of the voting electorate, absolutely guaranteed, notwithstanding some sort of political meltdown that will go into the record books.

And - when it’s over - the country is going to be more divided than at any point since 1860. Also guaranteed is that that 40% will NEVER accept the presidency of McCain, and perhaps even be more antihetical towards him than they already are towards Mr. Bush.

- John

[ROTB]

Also, most Dems don’t understand AT ALL how high taxes affect businesses, which then affect them.

******************************

Taxes kill business kill jobs kill people.

There, it’s a mantra.

[downtownconservative]

Don’t any of you think that there’s a possibility that HRC was offered the VP, but turned it down? As she said in her campaign speeches, she doesn’t think Obama can win in Nov. Being on a losing ticket would make her chances of becoming POTUS very slim.