tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22165230.post4660479018441709501..comments2023-12-16T16:50:25.810-08:00Comments on The Heart of the Matter: Brand, Market Adoption, and President ObamaBarry Eislerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17785333622697500192noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22165230.post-48534141625624141492008-01-17T15:32:00.000-08:002008-01-17T15:32:00.000-08:00René, that's a good point (although if only I *wer...René, that's a good point (although if only I *were* some kind of gatekeeper!). The Democratic death match seems to be between Hillary and Obama, so that's where I focused my analysis. If I had to describe my sense of Edward's brand, I would say "feisty champion of the underdog." Logically, there's no disconnect between the brand and the wealthy former trial lawyer behind it; emotionally, there's built-in dissonance.<BR/><BR/>Cheers,<BR/>Barry<BR/><BR/>http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/Barry Eislerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17785333622697500192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22165230.post-18545788336133757882008-01-17T14:40:00.000-08:002008-01-17T14:40:00.000-08:00Surprised at you, Barry. Playing gatekeeper. Where...Surprised at you, Barry. Playing gatekeeper. Where's the 'Brand" for Edwards? Is he just dismissed from your regard?René O'Deayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01688437193181269968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22165230.post-64364521841323973392008-01-10T17:14:00.000-08:002008-01-10T17:14:00.000-08:00Oh yes, I wanted to leave another thought about Cl...Oh yes, I wanted to leave another thought about Clinton's experience. It's clear that she is talking about her years of public service. She has only been an elected official for 7, but she has been involved for decades in state and federal policy discussions. I think that counts for something. She has given her life for the betterment of our society. Hate her if you will, but you can't take that away from her. I think it's reasonable that she runs on that experience. <BR/><BR/>I don't think it's smart for her to start talking about "change". The branding is done. Obama owns it for this election cycle. She should come up with another way to present her experience/resume so people have an understanding of her accomplishments. If I were her campaign officials, I'd run her speech from China. That was not only inspirational, but it shows her experience as a global leader.<BR/><BR/>Rgds,<BR/>KenKSRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09177966072157040635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22165230.post-54902139490184089122008-01-10T17:07:00.000-08:002008-01-10T17:07:00.000-08:00I agree with you on Obama being the next president...I agree with you on Obama being the next president (which is wonderfully exciting, no?). So I will only leave a few thoughts.<BR/><BR/>You mention that she should logically apologize because “The logic of her argument, however, doesn't satisfy the nagging, unconscious, simple question: if you made a mistake, shouldn't you apologize?” That’s just it. She didn’t make a mistake. There is nothing to apologize for, right? Her logic is that she made a vote on the data presented to her and her faith that the President would keep his word. The data was flawed (or incomplete…or both) and he didn’t keep his word. So if she was voting for A and got B, then how is that her fault? I do think the line Obama keeps using, “a mistake in judgment” is a better reflection. How can you apologize (i.e. admit) for a lack of judgment? She wasn’t the only Democrat to vote for authorization. Edwards continuously apologizes and moves on. But it never sounds right.<BR/><BR/>My wife and I are frequently discussing the election. We laugh at the Bush wanna-be’s on the Right and the fantastic field we have on the left. Edwards, Obama, or Clinton are all qualified to be president and will make an infinitely better Commander-in-Chief than any current Republican candidate. [I say “current” because it looks like Bloomberg may enter the race. That changes things.] My wife likes Clinton. She responds to Clinton’s experience messaging. As she (my wife) said after the NH results, “She just seems like she can go in on day one and take charge. I worry that Obama will flail around for awhile. We don’t have time for that.” Something to consider, sure.<BR/><BR/>Regardless of your views, this is certainly shaping up to be a dramatic race. The delegate (and super delegate) issue will make it contentious if the popular vote doesn’t go for Clinton. That will be interesting. <BR/><BR/>Rgds,<BR/>KenKSRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09177966072157040635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22165230.post-2669395541991573482008-01-08T11:28:00.000-08:002008-01-08T11:28:00.000-08:00Glenn Greenwald has a telling piece here on covera...Glenn Greenwald has a telling piece <A HREF="http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/01/07/media_coverage/index.html" REL="nofollow">here</A> on coverage of Edwards' campaign by the press, and the fact that his national surge has gone largely unreported. Very interesting!<BR/><BR/>Best,<BR/>Paul<BR/><A HREF="http://sensen-no-sen.blogspot.com" REL="nofollow">Sensen No Sen</A>PBIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05643553811799195520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22165230.post-2364654135358748082008-01-08T11:27:00.000-08:002008-01-08T11:27:00.000-08:00Excellence analysis, Barry. Spot on.Excellence analysis, Barry. Spot on.Brett Battleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03786471378650235415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22165230.post-67683463518080872522008-01-08T08:34:00.000-08:002008-01-08T08:34:00.000-08:00I agree with Paul, even if Edwards doesn't win the...I agree with Paul, even if Edwards doesn't win the nom, he still had a real effect on this primary, with his constant theme of change and progressive fight . . . it's resonated with voters and, for better or worse, depending on one's choices, has been co-opted more successfully by Obama . . . Edwards has been doing this for longer than the past year and it's a hit with voters . . .Joshua Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08239067667651048280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22165230.post-74009121969835889222008-01-07T11:25:00.000-08:002008-01-07T11:25:00.000-08:00Barry,Nice post - I especially liked your use of c...Barry,<BR/><BR/>Nice post - I especially liked your use of concepts from Moore's book, the concepts from which are part of my daily professional life!<BR/><BR/>I think your analysis is spot-on, but I also believe that, on the Democratic side, you may not have given enough weight to the John Edwards factor. Those voters who will always be leery of voting for a black candidate because of electability issues have another place to go in Mr. Edwards, and I will be very interested to see what happens with his numbers, especially in South Carolina.<BR/><BR/>Also, I ran across a post this morning called <A HREF="http://drinkliberal.blogspot.com/2008/01/hillary-clintons-103-delegate-lead-over.html" REL="nofollow"><I>Hillary Clinton's 103 Delegate Lead Over Obama</I></A>, which reminds us that there is, in effect, an electoral college system within the Democratic Party. There are 850 "super delegates" who can vote as they please, and who were designated to ensure that - as happened with McGovern's 1972 candidacy - no one gets the nomination who is "out of step" with the rest of the party. While things are moving in that direction, reports of Hillary's demise are, at least at present, probably premature.<BR/><BR/>One other thing I'm really interested to see is how Ron Paul does in New Hampshire. His numbers remain in the high single digits, but if ever there was a state with a libertarian streak matched to Dr. Paul's, it's New Hampshire.<BR/><BR/>Take care,<BR/>PBI<BR/><A HREF="http://sensen-no-sen.blogspot.com" REL="nofollow">Sensen No Sen</A>PBIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05643553811799195520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22165230.post-12368563280361553482008-01-06T14:06:00.000-08:002008-01-06T14:06:00.000-08:00Thank you Barry for expaining so clearly the US po...Thank you Barry for expaining so clearly the US politics. I am reading from Italy, I am a little bit confused about the candidates. In Italy we know Clinton (mostly for her husband's affairs...) , Giuliani (because of his "tolerance zero" in NY, then because of the twin towers disaster) and Obama (the first black candidate). we know very little about the others.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22165230.post-89647318190465932782008-01-06T12:56:00.000-08:002008-01-06T12:56:00.000-08:00Obama may have many fine qualities but after the l...Obama may have many fine qualities but after the last 8 years with a two term Governor as President, I will vote for someone with much more experience in world affairs and Obama is still too green on national issues and has limited experience in global affairs and the complex systems and issues facing many of the regions of the world. To me, he needs to do some time and earn some credentials. Words are inspiring, but action is what generates results. Candidily, niether party offers much for the American people as to presidential timber.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com