Posted by
David on Sunday, September 23, 2007 6:13:57 PM
In the race for the Democratic nomination for president, Senator Barack Obama possesses enough charisma to make the other candidates green with envy. However, his campaign lacks one important ingredient: a credible theme. Regrettably for Senator Obama, this shortcoming could sink his candidacy.
Ideally, an effective campaign theme will unify a candidate's key proposals and explain his or her past record. However, Barack Obama's situation is far from ideal. He has a great theme - ending “divisive ideological politics” - but his key proposals and past record contradict it. Instead of offering a non-ideological agenda, he has repeatedly advocated left-wing ideas like universal health care, a rapid withdrawal from Iraq, and executive-level meetings with anti-American dictators. More damning still, Obama's senatorial record paints a similar picture.
Contrary to popular perception, Barack Obama's votes in the Senate reveal a dedicated liberal - not a pro-change, bridge-building, reformer. In fact, the Senator's consistently liberal approach to controversial issues has garnered applause from many liberal interest groups. Senator Obama's extraordinary rating from Americans for Democratic Action (ADA), a highly respected liberal advocacy group, emphasizes this fact. Interestingly enough, the ADA is not alone.
When the right-leaning National Journal analyzed 70 important Senate votes from 2005, Barack Obama had the distinction of being the Senate's 16th most liberal member. The Senator's record in 2006 was even more impressive: he was 12th, well ahead of Hillary Clinton. Considering Barack's voting propensities, the credibility of his campaign theme rests solely on his “record of bipartisan success.”
Surprisingly enough, Congressional Quarterly's annual party unity scores show that Senator Obama tends to be highly partisan. When contentious issues created party-line battles in 2005, only seven Democrats were more partisan than the junior senator from Illinois. He was in elite company once again in 2006: only 5 Democrats were more hesitant to eschew their party's position. Is Barack bipartisan? No, and his record proves it.
Senator Obama's presidential campaign has a credibility crisis. His affinity for the “common ground” found only the left side of the political spectrum contradicts his pleasant theme of change and bipartisanship – a malady that will drive away centrist Democrats. If candidate Obama hopes to win the Democratic nomination, he must carefully re-craft his theme and add polish to his friendly, bipartisan, image. Without these changes, it will be almost impossible for his campaign to regain its lost momentum.