Just Hours Later, Obama Campaign Uses Berlin Speech to Raise Campaign Cash

"The 1980 model applies here. You have a new face to the national scene as opposed to an established figure. Polls didn't break in a dramatic way for Reagan until the final weeks before the election."

Huh? Methinks you weren't around for the 1980 election.

Reagan was anything but a new face. From his B-actor career roles, stint as California governor and failed bid for the Presidency, he was THE face of neocon politics and in many ways, it's singular success. Reagan won on the wave of revulsion to the 70s recession (remember K cars?) and incredulity with Carter's defeatism and failure to secure the Iranian hostages. Teddy Kennedy has as much responsibility for Reagan as anyone could. Teddy fought Carter tooth and nail right up to the nomination speeches. It was tres ugly.

IOW, chiefly Reagan got lucky and Carter got Kennedied. If you're basing Obama's chances on luck, so be it but the reality is when he gets back from his dog and pony show, he will be up against the issues like the economy. Again, no one owns issues so he will have to start making his image into one of competency over celebrity.

"Race is too big a factor in this country..."

I don't accept that. I live in the state most associated with racism and I've lived through the changes. Racism is like herpes; it won't go away but it only limits some people some of the time.

Posted by: len | Jul 25, 2008 11:39:50 AM
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I wonder if we'll be hearing cries of racism directed at the black community when Barry gets 95%+ of the black vote in the general election.

This playacting on the world stage will backfire. Americans are worried about the economy, gas prices and healthcare. McCain addresses our concerns and talk to us (not AT us). McCain has SUBSTANCE, talks SUBSTANCE and has SUBSTANCE to lead us for the next four years.

I could care less that Obama is using this "non-political" Berlin speech for political purposes. I just care that his campaign is vehemently denying that. Some say that everyone of his emails have a click here to "donate" link on it, so the "donate" on the Berlin speech email is not meant to solicit more contributions. Then why not remove the "donate" link? Could it be that one of the purposes of every single email sent by the Obama campaign is to get additional donations to his campaign? Obama's campaign was premised on how he is NOT politics as usual. Yet, the more I see of him (or at least of the people handling his campaign), Obama strikes me as no different than any other politician out there. Only difference with Obama is that I don't know what his position on gay rights, Iraq, gun control, FISA, and Iran are going to be tomorrow.

Senator Obama comes across as a con-man, nothing more. He is a dud.

Upon reading many of the blogs posted here, I must clarify something.
Most Americans agree with the lofty words and visions for world peace that Obama so eloquently pontificates in his speeches ... It's Obama we don't trust. those of you who hypnotically fawn over Obama take everything he says as gospel. But, you don't even know the man. You assume that because his words are worthy, he is trustworthy. People they are just words! Obama, the man who is speaking those words has a horrible track record. He did nothing as a senator. He spent the last 20 years accepting an anti-American racist as his mentor. His associations have been with extremely unsavory people. However, you Obamabots keep trying to characterize the rest of us as disagreeing with what Obama says ... when it's Obama himself we don't trust ... nor should you!

i do have to leave, but i could not let the comment about hillary supporters and puma go unanswered. why does just about everyone assume that all hillary supporters are women and all pro-choice? i happen to be a woman and pro-choice.my two best friends are a male and a female. the male is pro-choice and the female is a right-to-lifer. we are all hillary supporters. we do not vote on one issue alone. many women are not pro-choice. many women vote on the economy and security rather than "womens' issues". i believe obama is a threat to national security. i believe mccain is not. i do not believe mccain wants to or would be able to over turn roe vs. wade. i do not believe mccain could single handedly appoint a supreme court judge without congressional approval. besides, six of the nine judges that originally decided roe vs. wade were appointed by republican presidents. surprise!! and with a judge you never know which way they will go just based on past decisions. judges think a lot. another surprise. as to my being a republican, you are partly right. i was a democrat for forty two years and voted straight ticket. on june 8th of this year i changed my party affiliation to republican. i will probably go independent next year, but i wanted to make a statement to the democratic party and unenrolled (the new york version of independent) did not seem to be strong enough. the democratic party has swung so far to the left that the fdr base of the party has been basically disenfranchised. i could not stay. i am a centrist like hillary. i do lean left, but only slightly. most pumas are like me. base democrats disillusioned with the party and their "new" base. so be it. i will vote mccain because obama is unqualified and his friends are so radical and anti-american that it is unthinkable to let him anywhere near the white house. mccain is a moderate and we will at least survive his presidency as a sovereign nation. i cant say the same for an obama administration, let him run for king of the world, just not president of the united states. country first, party second, puma.

He ventured forth to bring light to the world
The anointed one's pilgrimage to the Holy Land is a miracle in action - and a blessing to all his faithful followers

Hillary will be so proud of you. Hopefully you will still have the right to vote after 4 years of McCain.

Posted by: Truth Matters | Jul 25, 2008 11:35:09 AM
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LOL...it's 4 years of Obama that have me worried about my right to vote in the ongoing years.

How much does the Obama campaign pay you?

obama is a FRAUD!!!! - His entire campaign and this trip are staged to perfection - and we are paying for it with our tax $$$$. The media needs to stop all the glory obama and tell the American people the TRUTH about this guy - before it's too late.
I will never vote for obama - he is an arrogant, radical FRAUD and not qualified to lead our country.

Axelrod of Evil would sell his own grandmother to get BO the presidency, and BO would throw in everyone he's thrown under the bus, which is about to include Jake Tapper. Jake, you MUST STOP TELLING THE TRUTH. Truth does not sit well with the Obama campaign. Their constant lying cannot withstand scrutiny. They scuttle into the dark when the light of truth moves in their direction.

The truth is going to save this country.

Do not back down Jake. This message control has got to stop once and for all. It is absolute, unilateral and, most troubling, all but undetected. Obama's campaign tactics have been manipulative and disingenous since day one -- but there was no media voice to expose them. The electorate has a right to know how Obama has created and managed public perception - and how he attempts to trample dissent in the same way Bush has. This may seem like a very small point -- but until the media start pushing back, Obama and his ways will never be known. It is a start anyway.

Truth Matters, Sen. McCain was referring to the wounded veterans there in Germany. Sen. Obama is a member of the U. S. Senate Committe on Veteran's Affairs. He should have taken a few minutes to cheer up a few of the wounded veterans--these same veterans who Sen. Obama wants to be their Commander-in-Chief. For someone who is touted as being so smart and having run such a very smart campaign, Sen. Obama blew this one. That tells us his priority and proves his lack of judgment. He just may have kissed the veteran vote good-bye!

I like how the Socialists supporting Obama try to turn things around the Libs/Socialist hate the Constitution, they are trying to destroy it, they want to take away peoples rights, but then they try to say it is McCain what a laugh!

Obama said in his speech it was not a campaign stop, oh thats right we can not trust anything Obama says!!

He was not Campaigning remember!!

Oh and How come he could not visit our soldiers!! What a disgrace!! He can go see the soldiers he just can not campaign, oh but thats right he would not of had his employees from the press there!!

Hillary will be so proud of you. Hopefully you will still have the right to vote after 4 years of McCain.

Posted by: Truth Matters | Jul 25, 2008 11:35:09 AM
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Truth obviously doesn't matter, since it's your party that fights tooth and nail against anything that reduces voter fraud.

"Race is too big a factor in this country..."

I don't accept that. I live in the state most associated with racism and I've lived through the changes. Racism is like herpes; it won't go away but it only limits some people some of the time.

There is a very definite cultural divide but it isn't exclusive. It is just noticeable. The media attempts to make that a racial issue but it isn't racism per se and it doesn't divide us as much as give us diversity which is in fact a strength. The problem for Obama is except for surface gestures like the fist bump, he doesn't represent the black culture nor does he really come from that culture because he wasn't raised in it. His books reveal a deeply divided self-perception.

Race will not defeat Obama. His campaign's use of it to defeat Hillary Clinton and his supporters' use of it to pound on the opposition can contribute to his defeat. But the real danger here is putting this into the mix in a country that tends to swing to political extremes every other election means that in four years the candidates will face an electorate where racial epithets will be acceptable again.

Perhaps all of the cultures will decide that they 'own' the N word and use it anyway they see fit. Will that be bad or good? I consider fear of a word to be voodoo worship, so maybe it will be for the good. But because everyone will be using it differently, I'm not so sure about this one.

for linda, where in new york are you waiting for those jobs. i live in upstate new york and hillary has visited every district at least twice. she brought two medical companies, and three importers to syracuse and rochester, and albany and plattsburgh. about 180,000 jobs alltold. and now she is working on the new hudson valley tech companies. where are you? she is the greatest senator we have ever had, she does a great deal of local work even though she is our united states senator, not our state senator. and her work after 9/11 getting health care for the volunteers was astounding. there has been so little said about any of that. but this thread is not about hillary, it is about the overseas speech of obama and he IS using it to raise money. it was not an altruistic speech at all. it was a calculated photo op as was the entire trip. the labels are for getting other people, including we taxpayers, supporters or not, to pay for it. as usual, he is going after the best deal for him, with not a thought for anyone else. no obama '08 or ever.

i am a hillary supporter, but i will vote mccain. i am not a mccain supporter, but i will vote for him against obama, as i know mccain loves america first and foremost.obama wants to be king of the world. i say let him, just not with the us as his base. no sour grapes here, just love of country first, party second. puma

Posted by: mcgowan.swan | Jul 25, 2008 11:28:26 AM

*********************************************** Hillary will be so proud of you. Hopefully you will still have the right to vote after 4 years of McCain.

if the speech was not political in nature, then why was it on his website at all? he sent it around hoping for your dollars. and yes, foreign donations are illegal, but it seems that according to the website, obama has found a way around that. go figure. for a man that thinks canada has a president, and there are 57 states, and the great lakes are in oregon, i am not surprised. i want a president that the rest of the world respects, not a president they love. if they love a us president, it will be for what he plans to give them and allow them to do at our expense. a us president they respect would be one that will treat them fairly, but keep our welfare first and foremost. i am a hillary supporter, but i will vote mccain. i am not a mccain supporter, but i will vote for him against obama, as i know mccain loves america first and foremost.obama wants to be king of the world. i say let him, just not with the us as his base. no sour grapes here, just love of country first, party second. puma

No James, they don't. If they did, most would be hiding under a rock somewhere. Case in point: Bill and Hillary Clinton.