Electability
Barack Obama led all candidates yesterday with 25% buzzshare in Wonkosphere. This followed another debate in Iowa yesterday in which the consensus appears to be that he did very well. Blue State is typical, saying “Obama shined in ABC debate.” The Des Moines Register added, “He came off as knowledgeable and temperate. He looked presidential.”
The following focus group segment from Fox News further illustrates this sentiment amongst viewers:
Luntz: How many of you honestly thought Obama won the debate?
(Clear majority of hands go up.)
Luntz: Almost everybody.
Frank: Now you are not a supporter of his but you thought he won why?
Participant: I feel that the first ten minutes of the debate pile on Barack. They were attacking him and his comeback to about going to the fair, practicing bumper cars to practice for the debate it immediately put the man in control.
Frank: So you liked his humor
Participant: He was sincere, he was comfortable with himself
Frank: Christian?
Christian: I think he continues to demonstrate that he’s got a nuanced approach to the answers and he understands that they are not easy and he is willing to look at all sides and involve that in his policy.
So for the first time in a month, the attacks on his electability didn’t stick.
Contrast this with Obama’s blunders of the past month and there is one lesson: Obama is more electable with nuance than with bluntness.
Now, pan over to the vox populi. According to an ABC news poll, the winner was not Obama, but rather Dennis Kucinich. When I took the poll at 9AM EST this morning, Kucinich had about 9300 votes and Obama about 7700. But the Wonkosphere was pretty quite yesterday on Kucinich… Apparently the politcal blogosphere is doing its own vetting about electability.
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Second best line of the debate, Obama: “You know, to prepare for this debate I rode in the bumper cars at the state fair.”
Best line, Kucinich: …When the candidates were asked about the role of prayer in their life, Kucinich said “George, I’ve been standing here for the last 45 minutes praying to God you were going to call on me.”
