As far as a partisan democrat, no one is more dyed-in-the-wool than the former mayor of San Francisco, Willie Brown. I saw this article today in which Willie was whispering to the faithful (those in San Francisco, the most left-wing major city out there) about Palin and Obama. He is telling dems that this is a big deal, despite what the high-profile media heads are saying. From the article:
“And notice how everyone is calling her Sarah Palin – not Gov. Palin. That’s not good for the Democrats. It shows a certain familiarity that goes beyond just issues”
Another line
“Then there is the question of how to boost the turnout in key states. Palin has become an instant heroine with the Wal-Mart crowd in Ohio, Nevada, Pennsylvania and other critical states. And Wal-Marters are a lot more likely to volunteer or show up at the polls than the younger people Obama has attracted.
Right now, the best shot Obama has of winning is to get out and register 12 million or so unregistered blacks, especially in the South. But he has got to do it without anyone noticing.
Palin will have no problem signing up new voters in her group. She can go to the Mountain Dew 250 in Talladega, Ala., and pitch for votes, and no one will bat an eye. But Obama can’t go to a meeting called by Al Sharpton to get out the black vote, because if he does there will be a backlash. He’s got to do it under the radar.”
I think Mr. Willie Brown is giving Palin a lot of credit as a democratic party elder of long standing. He is telling them to watch out. Also interesting is his note that the “Wal-Marters are a lot more likely to volunteer or show up at the polls than the younger people Obama has attracted”. You don’t hear that kind of reality out in the media, either.
I sure hope he’s right. I live in Louisville where our 3-term Republican Congresswoman was a casualty of the ’06 debacle. She’s trying to get her seat back this year, but conventional wisdom didn’t give her much of a chance in this largely urban district with Obama on the ticket. She has closed the gap to 8% since the RNC. Obama doesn’t have a prayer in KY, but I think her only hope is for McCain to take a demoralizingly large lead in the polls and tarnish Obama’s national “buzz.”
Most leftist cannot see past their own elitism to see the appeal of Palin. For them, she’s obviously unfit because she does not belong the elite. Brown worked his way up from the bottom and he understands.
unlike the current mayor of SF, Willie Brown was always able to understand those who had to cut out coupons for groceries.
> But Obama can’t go to a meeting called by Al Sharpton to get out the black vote, because if he does there will be a backlash. He’s got to do it under the radar.”
BWAAAhahahahhaaaaa….
Obama doesn’t need to do this “under the radar” — he just has to do it outside the usual racist CRAP that is usually used to pander to blacks. Like Sharpton and Jackson.
No one is going to raise issue with him setting out to gain the support of blacks — people expect it — but the thing to realize is that he has a lot of that already — what he needs — and probably can’t possibly get at this late date — is Red State support.
His policies, his associations, and his tap dancing on issues, all conspire to warn off the “rubes” of the Red States, who are far, far more savvy about manipulation than the Left has ever grasped.
If one believes “all it takes is to wave a flag” in the Red States (and many of these fools do believe that), then why is it that Obama can’t? The answer is that it’s not that simple. The “flag waving” isn’t an action spurring a Pavlovian response — it’s a sign of recognition — “I’m One Of You!!!”:
I believe somewhat what you believe, and think somewhat what you think. If I disagree, I’ll respect you and make an effort to explain to you why I disbelieve, and not say one thing to you while dissing you utterly in another venue when you’re not around. I won’t sneer at you when I’m around a different bunch, just to score points with them.
Yeah, it may be that the GOP is just smart enough not to get caught violating the above… but at least that says that they are *that*: smart.
True smarts, not the “IQ” kind you get from a math textbook or an encyclopedia, but streetwise, common sense smarts.
…And that’s not a bad qualification for PotUS, either.
“Right now, the best shot Obama has of winning is to get out and register 12 million or so unregistered blacks, especially in the South. But he has got to do it without anyone noticing.”
If Obama’s best chance is to register blacks in the South, he has no chance. Those states are going to McCain anyway. They are not battleground states. This looks like an admission from Willie Brown that Obama has no chance of winning.