Let The Games Begin...Part 2

On the historic night Barack Obama clinched enough delegates to become the Democratic nominee for President, all three Presidential candidates employed political gamesmanship to foreshadow their approach for the near future.

John McCain
Mac gave a speech in New Orleans that signaled his gameplan in the general. First, go to places like New Orleans that suggest to moderates and independents that you A) care about poor people and B) that you are not George Bush. His speech was a clear recognition that he is in a 'change' election. He offered himself as the agent of safe change, not change for change's sake. I ask for your input as to whether this can be an effective argument against Barack Obama. It seems to me that it is playing on the other guy's field, which can be dangerous. But Mac has done dangerous things politically and lived to tell about it. So maybe this is the way to go. Or maybe he has no choice.

Hillary Clinton
On a night when Barack Obama became the presumptive Presidential nominee and Hillary had a chance to become the presumptive VP nominee, she may have blown it. In an unyielding speech that sounded as if she hadn't heard the news that Obama had secured enough delegates to clinch the nomination, she stated emphatically that she would make no decisions on the future of her campaign last night. Wow. While no one expected her to roll over and die, this was not even a concession speech. If you did not know the results last night, you would've thought she had won. Seriously. (Early this morning on CNN, a long time surrogate Bob Johnson, announced he had petitioned the Congressional Black Caucus to urge Obama to choose Hillary as his running mate. Talk about mixed messages) . What her speech revealed is that she is not going quietly into the night. And underneath the usual rhetoric, it didn't sound as if party unity was really on her mind--unless the party gave in to her demands in a big way. Give her points for Chutzpah.

Barack Obama
In spite of attempted upstaging by the other two, Barack Obama made sure this was still his night. In yet another display of skilled campaign showmanship, he held a huge rally at the XL Center in St. Paul, the site of the Republican convention. 17,000 inside, 15,000 outside. Really. 15,000 people were outside to hear the speech inside. For all the problems he may have with working class whites, poor whites, Latinos, and women, more people have come to see him speak than John McCain and Hillary Clinton combined. There hasn't been a politician who commanded these types of crowds since Kennedy in Berlin. So he must be doing something right. In any event, his speech clearly laid out the path before him. Conciliation with Hillary, direct confrontation with John McCain, and relenteless reminders that he is the true agent of change.

For everyone who wonders if Obama can overcome the obstacles so many have pointed out, it's important to remember that his campaign out politicked and out campaigned one of the most daunting political machines in US history. He basically ran against two candidates, one a former President, and won.

Let the games begin. This time for the whole enchilada.

Which way forward will be the most effective? Talk about this or anything else by clicking on 'comments', bypassing the Google sign up and hitting the anonymous or nickname button.