Larry Beinhart: Who's Ready on Day One?

[babylonsister]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-beinhart/whos-ready-on-day-one_b_103166.html

Larry Beinhart
Who's Ready on Day One?


Posted May 22, 2008 | 06:52 PM (EST)

snip//

In his campaign for the Democratic nomination, Barack OBAMA has demonstrated that he is the kind of person who is actually READY ON DAY ONE.

Because he got ready before day one.

Obama did his homework. He studied the issues. He came up with policy positions. They were based on reality. He assembled a good team. He developed a national organization, one of great depth. He disavowed lobbyists and raised an astonishing portion of his money from ordinary people.

They came up with a strategy and a plan to win the nomination. It was a better one than Hillary's.

Once he started running, his team worked smoothly. Which demonstrates that he has good judgment in picking people, and that he's good at running an organization. When a crises came up, the Reverend Wright eruption, he not only handled it without losing his balance, he took the occasion to elevate the entire campaign, with one of the greatest speeches I've ever heard.

snip//

As the only one of the candidates who deals in Reality, OBAMA is the only candidate who will be READY ON DAY ONE, as "commander-in-chief," or as president.

I didn't write this because I'm an Obama supporter. I wrote it because this "Ready on Day One!" sounded like George Bush nonsense to me. I became an Obama supporter by analyzing the claim and by watching the campaign.



Larry Beinhart is the author of Wag the Dog, The Librarian, and Fog Facts: Searching for Truth in the Land of Spin. All available at nationbooks.org

[FrenchieCat]

1. Great Post.......

I always wanted Barack Obama to answer the Red phone anytime of the day.

[BlooInBloo]

2. :)))

[AllentownJake]

3. Dead On

Poor planning and emphasis on loyalty over competence defines the Hillary campaign. Not a quality you want in a President. We had 8 years of that thank you very much.

[ErinBerin84]

4. great article

"she was NOT READY on DAY ONE of the CAMPAIGN. We should expect that she will NOT BE READY on DAY ONE of the PRESIDENCY.

Her record in government tells us much the same thing.

I called her Senate office and asked, "Can you tell me what Hillary Clinton has achieved as Senator."

The answer was, "Go to our website."

I said, "Been there. Didn't find anything substantive. She's my senator. Can't you tell me?"

The staffer hung up. (No, I'm not basing my analysis on one rude staffer. This was just symptomatic of a much longer research effort.)"

I like this part too

"This is not to say that Democrats, with a few exceptions, have been able to stand up for reality. To articulate that that there are real problems that require real solutions, not boogie man enemies and sound bite slogans that promise to magically slay them.

Obama has stepped out of the fantasy box. He is willing to examine the realities."

[babylonsister]

5. The staffer hung up. That goes along with what I've heard, negative

stories on the campaign trail. I think proud2Blib had one, and I've read more.

The Clinton camp never put any care or thought into running until it was too late.

[AtomicKitten]

6. Barack is going to be a great president.

[babylonsister]

7. Yep. Be still, my heart! nt

[windoe]

8. -Yes-I want someone with good crisis management skills

-and being able to handle the press, rumors and gossip, and attempts at character insults, gender and racial insults are small potatoes next to being commander in chief and navigating foreign policy situations. I do not want someone who is derailed by the small stuff. Good post- I have wanted to say this for a long time and couldn't have said it better.