What Stood Out This Week - 4/6-4/12

I've had a particularly busy time at my job lately and have been partially living a media blackout, so let's see What Stood Out This Week. Anything?

The Democrats

I'm going to start with the Democrats. Apparently Barack Obama said something at a fundraiser about how when people get bitter they cling to God and guns.

Hillary pounced: Obama's statement shows that he's out of touch with "regular" Americans who have legitimate reasons for loving God and guns. He's a snob, he's a snob, he's a snob.

Throughout the primary, anytime anyone has attacked Hillary, for pretty much any reason at all, she calls upon one of her favorite lines, "Right out of the Karl Rove play book." (Sometimes Karl Rove is replaced by Republican.)

Portraying liberals as snobs has been one of the most brilliant tactics of the Right. We're all just a bunch of latte-sipping, gun-hating, anti-God cultural elitists. Rich, entitled, silver-spooned, privileged George W. Bush on the other hand is as a down-home, folksy, regular guy. That's the Karl Rove play book.

It is true that the Republican Machine hates the Clinton Machine. And hating Hillary is in fact one of the Right's favorite sports. But I've never been able to specifically place what it is about the various challenges to Hillary's record during the primary that comes straight out of the Karl Rove play book.

In fact, her current attack on Barack Obama might be the first time I can specifically point to using tactics "right out of the Karl Rove play book." Well done, Hillary.

Obama didn't choose his words terribly carefully in that moment, but at its core, I think what he said is correct. Angry voters will turn to the issues they connect with most. And exploiting those wedge issues is something most politicians are very good at.

I understand what Obama's getting at. But then I'm a fucking snob, too. I don't much like guns, and I really don't care what people think of God. On the other hand, I prefer regular coffee to lattes.

The Republican

John McCain is still mostly sitting back while the Democrats take care of each other. He got in a little bit on the snob thing with Obama but is mostly letting Hillary do the heavy lifting there.

And if you believe that polls are relevant, his strategy is working. Nationwide, Barack Obama used to have a ten point lead over John McCain (who has always been within the margin of error with Hillary). Now polls say that Obama's lead has vanished.

I'm getting more and more suspicious of polls, even though I usually find them interesting, but head-to-head match-up polls between two people who haven't yet run against each other are really stupid. Early on, there were all these polls showing a neck-and-neck race between Rudy Giuliani and Hillary.

It couldn't matter less what a head-to-head (still theoretical) match-up might look like (seven months before voting day). The campaign trail is meant to convince people. And neither Hillary nor Obama have actually run against McCain yet.

Although, seriously, someone needs to start to do so, and stat. The man's getting a free fucking ride.