Is the Obama campaign trying to re-live the glory days of 2008? Or is attacking Sarah Palin, who hasn’t been in any official capacity for some years now, just another attempt to firm up Obama’s liberal base? On Friday, the Obama campaign released this rather weird, one-minute ad that focuses entirely on Ms. Palin:
Almost the entire ad consists of Palin criticizing President Obama. She has complained that the ad is selectively edited, but the gist of her criticisms comes through clearly, notwithstanding that they aren’t very articulately expressed, and they are not rebutted, except by a graphic that says they are “wrong.” Generally politicians don’t consider it effective to run ads that merely show critics expressing hostile opinions.
Moreover, the ad gave Ms. Palin a good opportunity to respond in a serious, substantive manner that shames the Democrats’ demagogic attacks on her:
I’m not running for any office, but I’m more than happy to accept the dubious honor of being Barack Obama’s “enemy of the week” if that includes the opportunity to debate him on the issues Americans are actually concerned about. …
Just off the top of my head, a few of these concerning issues include: a debt crisis that has us hurtling towards a Greek-style collapse, entitlement programs going bankrupt, a credit downgrade for the first time in our history, a government takeover of the health care industry that makes care more expensive and puts a rationing panel of faceless bureaucrats between you and your doctor (aka a “death panel”), $4 and $5 gas at the pump exacerbated by an anti-drilling agenda that rejects good paying energy sector jobs and makes us more dependent on dangerous foreign regimes, a war in Afghanistan that seems unfocused and unending, a global presidential apology tour that’s made us look feeble and ridiculous, a housing market in the tank, the longest streak of high unemployment since World War II, private-sector job creators and industry strangled by burdensome regulations and an out-of-control Obama EPA, an attack on the Constitutional protection of religious liberty, an attack on private industry in right-to-work states, crony capitalism run amok in an administration in bed with their favored cronies to the detriment of genuine free market capitalism, green energy pay-to-play kickbacks to Obama campaign donors, and a Justice Department still stonewalling on a bungled operation that armed violent Mexican drug lords and led to the deaths of hundreds of innocent people.
I’m sure I missed a few things, but the list is just for starters. Along with millions of others, I’m willing and free to discuss these issues with the President anywhere, anytime; and I’m sure any of the four patriots currently running for the GOP nomination would also welcome the opportunity to talk about the problems everyday Americans face due to the abject failure of our current administration’s policies.
Ouch.
Obviously what is going on here is that Obama is trying to shore up his base. The point of the ad is to solicit contributions to Obama’s “Two Term Fund.” This is consistent with much else that the Obama campaign is doing these days; e.g., the release of “Game Change,” the HBO movie which focuses almost entirely on Palin and ignores the half of the book that relates to the 2008 Democratic primaries, and the “war on women” meme that seems to have flopped.
It can’t possibly be a good sign for the Obama campaign that after more than three years in office, his principal effort is to try to stir up enthusiasm among those who were, in the past, his most fervent backers.
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