Washington Post reporter Paul Farhi profiled leftist crusader Ralph Nader on Wednesday as he mounts another hopeless presidential campaign. Nader dismissed Barack Obama as a corporate tool, but late in the article, Farhi suggested Obama's liberal enough to prevent Nader crossovers. Could Nader hurt in Ohio, or Florida? Farhi wrote:
Forget the political calculus. Obama, the most liberal candidate that Democrats have (presumptively) nominated in years, figures to cut deeply into Nader's natural base of support among reform-minded liberals.
Liberals could also be less worried about a Nader factor when they look at his campaign budget:
Nader raised $8 million with the help of the Green Party in 2000. As an independent, he raised $4 million in 2004. This time, he says his goal is $10 million.
He's got a long way to go. With less than five months until Election Day, his campaign has raised $150,000.
"Fast Eddie" Obama can literally raise money of that amount in his sleep. I refer, of course, to last Friday's David Brooks column in The New York Times.
But as recent weeks have made clear, Barack Obama is the most split-personality politician in the country today. On the one hand, there is Dr. Barack, the high-minded, Niebuhr-quoting speechifier who spent this past winter thrilling the Scarlett Johansson set and feeling the fierce urgency of now. But then on the other side, there’s Fast Eddie Obama, the promise-breaking, tough-minded Chicago pol who’d throw you under the truck for votes.
This guy is the whole Chicago package: an idealistic, lakefront liberal fronting a sharp-elbowed machine operator. He’s the only politician of our lifetime who is underestimated because he’s too intelligent. He speaks so calmly and polysyllabically that people fail to appreciate the Machiavellian ambition inside.
Reporters have worked so hard to present the Niebuhr-quoting idealist, but liberals love the who-needs-spending-limits Fast Eddie side, because they think it smells of victory.
—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.
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→ Obama liberal?
June 25, 2008 - 08:03 ET by Cool ArrowYou've gotta be kidding!
Are we talking about the same Barack Obama who today is assuming the gentlemanly role of picking up the tab for Hillary Clinton's shopping spree?
Seems to me a true Liberal would let the little lady show the world she doesn't need a man's help.
LYDSEXICS UNTIE
Obama is a lawyer, remember
June 25, 2008 - 09:12 ET by KC MulvilleLike any corporate lawyer, Obama must figure that paying off Hillary is better than having her around to sulk and complain. Definitely hush money.
I'd love to see how much in debt Hillary really is. My impression is that candidates have to disclose how much they take in, but they don't have to be as scrupulous in reporting how much they spent. If Hillary is twenty or thirty million in the hole, that could be a big drain on Obama's treasure chest. I can't help but wonder if the reason Obama avoided public financing is partly because of Hillary. Maybe he doesn't want to report on all the details.
→ KC
June 25, 2008 - 09:50 ET by Cool ArrowHow many men get bailed out by their opponent between primary end and general election?
I prefer to think he's showing the lady some chivalry.
Will he make her wear a scarf?
LYDSEXICS UNTIE
Well, while we are on the subject ...
June 25, 2008 - 11:42 ET by KC MulvilleWhy doesn't Joe Biden ask for a little debt relief? Or Dennis Kucinich? I mean, if Obama is willing to bail out Hillary, why not John Edwards, or Bill Richardson? I think those guys should go to Obama and argue that they need a little help also. No, even better, they should all demand that Obama pay their debts.
And CA, you're exactly right. The first question to Hillary when she goes out campaigning is whether she's allowed to say anything contrary to Obama, or will he cut off the money at the slightest criticism? And then, how does it feel to have to take orders from a man?
Interesting
June 25, 2008 - 08:56 ET by expatriotIt is going to be interesting to see who can outliberal who. Pandering to the Dhimmi nutsroots should be both entertaining and enlightening. At least with Barry Hussein you know that he will mean what he says.
Ralphie boy...
June 25, 2008 - 09:07 ET by Prester John...also said regarding people still mad at him for taking votes from Gore, "Gore won. The election was stolen. Go after the thieves."