What Obama needs to do

Parent Cafe
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<p>I am overly fatigued with HRC and her supporters on this 35 years experience garbage. It is an insult to suggest being married to a president gives you the qualifications to be one. Let’s face it, she has elevated ‘riding coattails’ to another stratosphere. She’d be closing real estate deals in a law office looking forward to retirement had she weren’t Mrs. Bill Clinton.</p>

<p>My husband is a successful businessman, I manage our large household, coordinate all schedules, oversee all finances, volunteer in numerous capacities, chair fundraisers, sit on school board, etc…does that qualify ME to run a Fortune 500 company? I think not.</p>

<p>Sen. Obama needs to call her out on this platform she’s running on. It’s just not there.</p>

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<p>Old English idiom: Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t. </p>

<p>Ultimately, the problem for Obama (What Obama Needs to Do) is public perception that he is a newcomer to national and international politics, and thus inexperienced. Stories like this hurt him more than they would Clinton, since she is not perceived in the same way. She, due to her years on the national and international scene while First Lady, is more of a known quality. McCain is more of a known quality as well. </p>

<p>For many Americans, Obama is intriguing, but he is still a relative unknown. What he “needs to do” is assure those voters who may have doubts that he has plenty of smart, informed experience around him, next to him, backing him up, advising him. The “monster” comments did exactly the opposite. </p>

<p>Idioms reflect age-old aspects of human nature. Voters will be tempted to choose the devil they “know” — even if that person is not ideal — over the devil they don’t know.</p>

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<p>“My husband is a successful businessman, I manage our large household, coordinate all schedules, oversee all finances, volunteer in numerous capacities, chair fundraisers, sit on school board, etc…does that qualify ME to run a Fortune 500 company?”</p>

<p>does your husband run a Fortune 500 company? There have been many cases when a wife has taken over husband’s very large corporate empires.</p>

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<p>jazzymom,
Yesterday’s Washington Post had a great summary of the turmoil in the Clinton campaign camp. It is totally contrary to your theory. What it highlights is that another Clinton White House could and would be full of drama and scandal. I think many people are tired of that. I think Obama’s strength may ultimately be in exploiting that concept.</p>

<p>I actually think that the devil that people know actually scares the heck out of them. They may just need to be reminded of that. ;)</p>

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<p>Obama is known for having surrounded himself with VERY experienced people. Some are new to the political game, no doubt, but these guys sure aren’t.</p>

<p>"Campaign Manager: David Plouffe
Senior political advisor on Dick Gephardt’s 2004 presidential campaign. Executive director of the DCCC, 1999-2000. Gephardt’s deputy chief of staff, 1997-98. Managed Bob Torricelli’s 1996 campaign for U.S. Senate in New Jersey. </p>

<p>David Axelrod-Founded, in 1985, and is a principal of the Chicago-based campaign media firm now known as AKP Message & Media (formerly Axelrod & Associates); has worked on over 150 campaigns at the local, state and national levels. Did the message and media campaign for Obama’s 2004 primary campaign. Served as media consultant on Sen. John Edwards’ 2004 presidential campaign. </p>

<p>Early States: Steve Hildebrand-(South Dakota based principal of Hildebrand Tewes Consulting, Inc… Managed Sen. Tom Daschle’s 2004 re-election campaign, a narrow loss to John Thune. Managed Sen. Tim Johnson’s 2002 re-election campaign, a narrow win over Rep. John Thune. Ran the Women Vote! Program for EMILY’s List in 2000. Ran the Iowa caucuses for Vice President Al Gore in 1999-2000. </p>

<p>Communications: Robert Gibbs-Joined Obama shortly after he won the March 16, 2004 U.S. Senate primary. Press secretary for John Kerry for President for the first 10-plus months; resigned Nov. 2003. Press secretary for the DSCC, 2001-02. Communications director for Debbie Stabenow’s U.S. Senate campaign, 1999-2000 </p>

<p>National Press Secretary: Bill Burton-Communications director at the DCCC for the 2006 cycle). Came to the DCCC from the office of Sen. Richard Durbin (IL). Served as a Regional Communications Director on John Kerry’s presidential campaign. Press Secretary for Rep. Dick Gephardt’s Iowa caucus campaign.</p>

<p>Policy Development: Cassandra Q. Butts-Senior Vice President for Domestic Policy at The Center for American Progress. A senior advisor to Rep. Richard A. Gephardt; worked for Gephardt for seven years during his tenure as House Democratic Leader and volunteered as the policy director on his 2004 presidential campaign. An Assistant Counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund. </p>

<p>Research Director: Devorah Adler-Research director at the DNC in the 2006). Previously deputy research director at the DNC under Mike Gehrke. At the DSCC in 2004. Policy director for Ron Kirk’s 2002 U.S. Senate race. Special Assistant in the Office of the Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle. Has also worked for Nancy Pelosi. </p>

<p>Scheduling and Advance: Alyssa Mastromonaco-Political Director at Obama’s HOPEFUND. Deputy scheduling director on John Kerry for President, Inc. Press secretary for Congressman Rick Boucher (D-VA) in his congressional office in Washington. Worked in Kerry’s Senate office in Boston </p>

<p>Finance Director: Julianna Smoot-Finance director at the DSCC in the 2006 cycle. Veteran Democratic fundraiser; experience includes work for then Sen. Tom Daschle’s DASH PAC, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, and Sen. John Edwards. </p>

<p>National Finance Chair: Penny Pritzker -Member of one of America’s richest families, founders of Hyatt Hotels. Founder, chairman and CEO of Classic Residence by Hyatt, a unit that does luxury retirement communities; and chairman of the Board of TransUnion Corporation, a credit data and information management business. Chairman of Superior Bank, 1989-94.</p>

<p>Pollster: Paul Harstad-CEO of Harstad Strategic Research, based in Boulder, CO. 33 years of experience in government, public affairs, polling, and campaign strategy. During the 1990s he directed public affairs polling for Talmey-Drake Research & Strategy in Boulder. During the 1980s he was senior vice president at Peter Hart Research and Garin-Hart Research in Washington, DC </p>

<p>Iowa State Director: Paul Tewes-Campaign manager of Americans United to Protect Social Security in 2005. Formed Hildebrand Tewes Consulting, Inc. with Steve Hildebrand in early 2005. Political director of the DSCC in the 2004 cycle. Field director on Vice President Al Gore’s 2000 Iowa caucus campaign starting in June 1999. </p>

<p>New Hampshire: Matt Rodriguez-Deputy Political Director on Dick Gephardt’s campaign for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination and previously at Gephardt’s leadership PAC, the Effective Government Committee. Deputy campaign manager for Sen. Bill Bradley 2000 NH primary campaign."</p>

<p>[Barack</a> Obama Staff - Find and Browse information on Obama Staff](<a href=“http://www.superobama.com/obama-staff.php]Barack”>http://www.superobama.com/obama-staff.php)</p>

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<p>Here’s the link to the Washington Post article about the Clinton Campaign.
[url=<a href=“http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/05/AR2008030503621.html]washingtonpost.com[/url”>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/05/AR2008030503621.html]washingtonpost.com[/url</a>]</p>

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<p>“does your husband run a Fortune 500 company? There have been many cases when a wife has taken over husband’s very large corporate empires.”</p>

<p>After being a mostly SAHM, I absolutely do not qualify to take over my husbands business, regardless of my lengthy resume. And frankly, I would not want to. :wink: The pay might be nice though!</p>

<p>P.S. Thanks for the vote of confidence Simba!</p>

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<p>The “experience” debate is a joke. Every first term president is doing “on the job training”. The trick is to surround yourself with the best and the brightest and then be willing to listen to them before making a decision. Anyone who makes it far enough to run a national campaign for President is already a leader and an executive.</p>

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<p>“She’d be closing real estate deals in a law office looking forward to retirement had she weren’t Mrs. Bill Clinton.”</p>

<p>Yes, I think that’s very likely.</p>

<p>I agree with you about the CEO business. My mother is the BWOC of psychiatrists. Over the last 30 years, I’ve gone to conferences with her, listened to her speeches, proofread her articles, taken messages from her sobbing patients, read the books and journals that she edited, critiqued her appearances in the news media, etc. Heck, I’ve attended more psychiatric meetings and conventions than most psychiatrists.</p>

<p>But I’m not a doctor. No amount of conference attendance can make me a doctor. If it were legal for me to hang out a shingle and open a psychiatric practice, maybe I could do a creditable job, maybe not. But I surely would not claim that I had 30 years of experience in psychiatry. That’s just ridiculous.</p>