New voter surge in early voting could sway battleground states in 2024 US presidential election    Civil Defense urges caution amid forecast of heavy rain to hit most Saudi regions until Monday    What's in it for FinTech startups in events like Biban24    Al Nassr and Al Hilal share points in intense Riyadh Derby draw    ImpaQ: Riyadh to host first Impact Makers Forum in December    Saudi Arabia ranks 12th globally in international visitor spending in 2023    SFDA chief discusses investment opportunities in food and pharmaceutical sectors with Chinese companies    Riyadh's Sports Boulevard receives Platinum ActiveScore certifications    Saudi Arabia refutes claims of rising worker fatalities, highlighting low work-related death rates    US says around 8,000 troops from North Korea are stationed in Russia's Kursk region    Spain mourns as death toll passes 150 in catastrophic floods    Seven killed in Israel in deadliest Hezbollah rocket strikes in months    Cyclists on phones face jail under Japan's new traffic laws    Hidden sugars in Asia's baby food spark concerns    Saleh Al Shehri strike seals Al Ittihad's Sea Derby win over Al Ahli    HONOR unveils pre-order of the stunning HONOR MagicBook Art 14 Featuring an ultra-slim design, HONOR Eye Comfort Display and AI Cross-OS WorkStation    Derby Week makes its debut in the Roshn Saudi League    Al Nassr eliminated from King's Cup after a defeat to Al Taawoun    Teri Garr, Young Frankenstein and Tootsie star, dies at 79    Indonesia Days event celebrates cultural diversity at Al Suwaidi Park    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Muted Eid celebrations for millions of Nigerian Muslims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Obama's pitch: Fire Republicans, hire me
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 08 - 09 - 2008

With two months left, the presidential election seems likely to turn on whether Barack Obama can make himself sufficiently acceptable to millions of disgruntled Americans eager to toss Republicans from the White House if they see a safe, competent alternative.
President George W. Bush, though not on the ballot, has overshadowed this election from the start. His approval ratings are hovering at record lows, and Democrats have done all they can to tie Republican presidential nominee John McCain to him so tightly that they look like one person.The Obama camp wants Nov. 4 to be a referendum on the Bush presidency, the closest they can come to running against the incumbent. In such elections, challengers must persuade most voters to do two things: Be open to firing the incumbent and agree the challenger is acceptable. If they succeed at both, the incumbent _ or in this case, presumably, his party _ loses.
With Bush so unpopular and millions of voters seemingly bent on making all Republicans pay, McCain must tackle both questions. He has tried to distance himself from Bush without infuriating the conservative Republican base, going so far as to run a TV ad saying, “We're worse off than we were four years ago.” In his acceptance speech at the Republican convention, he cast himself as an agent of change, urging Americans to “fight with me” for a new direction. Republicans privately acknowledge it could be a tough sell to voters who see McCain as part of the Republican establishment.
That's when McCain and his surrogates urge voters to reject Obama on the second question, his fitness for the job. No matter how angry they are at Bush and the Republican Party, this argument goes, Obama is too inexperienced, unknown and unpredictable for them to gamble on.
They might vote for McCain unenthusiastically, but it's better than no vote at all. That's why Republicans have belittled Obama's experience for months. He accomplished little in the U.S. Senate and Illinois Legislature, they say, a claim Obama disputes.
Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin this week ridiculed Obama's post-college work as a community organizer in Chicago, a job she described as lacking responsibilities. Convention keynote speaker Rudy Giuliani said Obama “has never led anything,” adding, “This is no time for on-the-job training.” Such attacks may be hitting the mark, as voters have shown uncertainty about Obama for months. In a USA Today-Gallup Poll conducted Aug. 21-23, before the party conventions, 55 percent of voters gave the Democratic Party a favorable rating, while 39 percent felt positive about the Republican Party, a 16-point spread. But in the latest daily tracking poll by Gallup, Obama's lead over McCain was only 4 percentage points.
Like McCain, Obama pushes hard on both parts of the two-prong question. The first is easier for him. McCain, when battling for his party's nomination, acknowledged supporting Bush's positions 90 percent of the time in the Senate. Obama never lets voters forget it.
“John McCain has a set of ideas that are identical to George Bush's,” he told Ohio voters this week.
The second part - making undecided voters comfortable with the idea of him as president - is more challenging. With less than four years of Senate service, much of it spent running for president, Obama's legislative record is comparatively slim. His early opposition to the Iraq war was central to his primary victory over Hillary Rodham Clinton, and now he's turning it against McCain.
“John McCain was a cheerleader for us to go into Iraq,” Obama told a crowd in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on Thursday.“He was wrong and I was right.”
Obama implores voters not to fall for Republican “scare tactics” that suggest he is unacceptably inexperienced and non-mainstream. Speaking Friday to workers in Duryea, Pennsylvania, he said he knows some voters are tempted to say to themselves, “I don't know.
The guy hasn't been there that long in Washington. You know, he's got a funny name. We're not sure about him.” When a top McCain aide recently said the election would turn on personalities more than issues, Obama said, “What they're really saying is, ‘We're going to try to scare people about Barack.
So we're going to say that, you know, maybe he's got Muslim connections. Or we're going to say that, you know, he hangs out with radicals, or he's not patriotic.'
Just making stuff up.” Perhaps the campaign's biggest mystery is something Obama did not explicitly address: What portion of voters will reject him because of his race, even if they tell friends and pollsters it's not a concern, and even if they are deeply unhappy with Bush? - AP __


Clic here to read the story from its source.