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Sat 26 Jul, 2008 02:49 am
This was a nice surprise for me. I didn't see this strategy coming when it did and Obama has done very well at getting a bunch of photo ops* with world leaders and making himself look presidential. It even seems to have made McCain almost jealous given some of his comments.
But I'm not here to argue about the general election campaign, I want to know who else has pulled of this kind of gig in a presidential campaign. Has any other US political candidate been able to pull off these kinds of photo opportunities abroad as a campaign strategy?
* e.g.
It's pretty standard.
1972 Nixon & Mao Zedong (China)
1972 Nixon & Sato (Japan)
1964 Johnson & Devalera (Ireland)
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1956 Eisenhower & Diem (S.Vietnam)
contrex wrote:It's pretty standard.
1972 Nixon & Mao Zedong (China)
1972 Nixon & Sato (Japan)
1964 Johnson & Devalera (Ireland)
Nixon was PRESIDENT in 1972
1956 Eisenhower & Diem (S.Vietnam)
Nixon was PRESIDENT in 1972
Johnson was PRESIDENT in 1964
Ike was PRESIDENT in 1956
The question is about presidential
candidates who have had a successful meet the leaders tour and got good publicity from it.
They were all also candidates (for re-election, certainly). 1956, 1964 and 1972 were election years.
That seems substantially different though. At the moment the photos were taken, they were in fact president.
Well...yeah. There's a BIG difference between a sitting president being seen with other world leders, and an aspiring candidate getting those photo ops.
Seems kind of disingenuous to call Obama's trip and the kind of buzz it created "standard", unless of course someone can show where other presidential candidates have gotten the same kind of acknowledgement from the same echelon of foreign dignitaries.
Re: The Obama World Tour
Robert Gentel wrote:This was a nice surprise for me. I didn't see this strategy coming when it did and Obama has done very well at getting a bunch of photo ops* with world leaders and making himself look presidential.
Obama's popularity with world leaders is a direct result of their lowered expectations.
I love the jujitsu aspect of this. McCain browbeats Obama on how long it's been since he's visited Iraq. The RNC, or FOX, or both, have some sort of clock showing how long it's been. Obama's credibility on Iraq is questioned by numerous surrogate-types because, ya know, it's been so long since he's been THERE.
So he says, fine, fine, you want me to go to Iraq, I'll go to Iraq. And Afghanistan of course, because unlike you folks, I think it's just as important as Iraq. And if I'm going overseas anyway, might tack on a few other trips. OK? You happy? I'm doing what you want me to do.
Then he goes and gets supergreat coverage and McCain et al can't criticize him for doing what they told him he so should do. (Though they try, lamely.)
McCain has invited Obama to several town hall meetings ... when will Obama say fine, fine and participate?
...and then when he outshines McCain at the townhall meetings, you guys will shift your criticism to something else. Really lame and desperate.
snood wrote:...and then when he outshines McCain at the townhall meetings, you guys will shift your criticism to something else. Really lame and desperate.
The left is showing just how lame and desperate they are by avoiding these town hall meetings.
Well, I never thought many world leaders really are our true allies. Now that I see them treating a Senator as though he was already elected, and allowing him to give speeches, as though he was already elected, in my opinion, makes me less concerned than ever about world opinion.
I personally think that Obama might also have been, unknowlingly, getting bonus points with his constituency that can be defined as elitist (aka, citizens of the world), while taking a quick preparatory type course (like those high school students take for the S.A.T.) in foreign diplomacy.
Possibly Obama did not take the oftentimes obligatory European trip after graduating college? It might just show that if one has patience, one can eventually travel in style, rather than the student backpacking, youth hostel, European jaunt.
H2O_MAN wrote:snood wrote:...and then when he outshines McCain at the townhall meetings, you guys will shift your criticism to something else. Really lame and desperate.
The left is showing just how lame and desperate they are by avoiding these town hall meetings.
I don't know about that but it is difficult to understand why Obama doesn't do it. And although Obama is supported zealously by many on the left... he is showing himself to be a centrist with pragmatic eye to gaining the white house as his number one priority...also standard for any candidate which makes it even more difficult to fathom why he won't go head to head with McCain. Well, he'll have to in the debates anyway. I believe the captain of the middle school debate club would make a good showing against McCain... he ain't bush on the stump... but he's no Clinton either.
But until they have debates how do you know Obama will best Mc Cain. He sure didn't blow Hillary away. As a matter of fact at times he didn't look good at all. I would like to see him think on his feet more and not give scripted speeches so much. Reagan was a great speech reader but not so much of a president.
Foofie wrote:Well, I never thought many world leaders really are our true allies. Now that I see them treating a Senator as though he was already elected, and allowing him to give speeches, as though he was already elected, in my opinion, makes me less concerned than ever about world opinion.
I personally think that Obama might also have been, unknowlingly, getting bonus points with his constituency that can be defined as elitist (aka, citizens of the world), while taking a quick preparatory type course (like those high school students take for the S.A.T.) in foreign diplomacy.
Possibly Obama did not take the oftentimes obligatory European trip after graduating college? It might just show that if one has patience, one can eventually travel in style, rather than the student backpacking, youth hostel, European jaunt.
Some good points here which will be , by and large, ignored by proponents of an Obama nation.
Germany and France cozied up to Saddam in defiance of UN sanctions against him.
Who really cares what their leaders think?
They have not shown themselves to be faithful allies, nor responsible members of the community of nations.
rabel22 wrote:But until they have debates how do you know Obama will best Mc Cain. He sure didn't blow Hillary away. As a matter of fact at times he didn't look good at all. I would like to see him think on his feet more and not give scripted speeches so much. Reagan was a great speech reader but not so much of a president.
of course it's all speculation... which does make one wonder why Obama won't do it.... at first glance he certainly seems head and shoulders above McCain in the speaking department... but great speech doesn't necessarily contain great content.
He's great reading a scripted speech. Not so good thinking on his feet.
McCain excels in front of an inquisitive audience.
So...nobody knows the answer to the question, huh?
I was kind of interested, too.
Leaders of the Opposition here do overseas trips with photo ops...especially when it loks as though they may get up at the next election...but they already have a political standing of their own, so it is way different.
This could be a dress rehearsal to see if such events have merit.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-saddleback22-2008jul22,0,3299827.story
Quote:The presidential contenders will share the stage, if only for a few minutes, at a forum next month at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, the first time -- at least so far -- they will appear together before each party's convention this summer, a spokeswoman for pastor Rick Warren said today.
Quote:Warren, the author of the best-selling book "The Purpose-Driven Life," will interview each candidate for an hour, one after the other. But they will also appear on stage together for a few minutes.
"The beauty of it is for them to be there at the same time, in front of the same people and questioned by the same person," Kelley said.
The topic of the forum will be "compassion and leadership." A recorded phone message at the church said that Warren "will ask questions that don't often come up in political campaigns."
Though Warren could not be reached for comment because he is out of the country, Kelley said he will most likely focus his questions on how each candidate arrives at his decisions, where they go for counsel and how they view issues of faith.
"I don't think you're going to see any gotcha questions, but he's going to ask them to be introspective," Kelley said. "Questions that will require them to be a little more transparent than on the campaign trail."
Warren incited anger from conservatives in 2006 for inviting Obama, a pro-choice Democrat, to speak at an AIDS conference held at the church. Hillary Clinton spoke there in November.
Once the McCain-Obama appearance was arranged, one more thing had to be settled: Who would speak first?
Warren settled that with a coin toss. The victor? Obama.
Another article with more info here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/us/politics/21church.html
Bi-Polar Bear wrote:rabel22 wrote:But until they have debates how do you know Obama will best Mc Cain. He sure didn't blow Hillary away. As a matter of fact at times he didn't look good at all. I would like to see him think on his feet more and not give scripted speeches so much. Reagan was a great speech reader but not so much of a president.
of course it's all speculation... which does make one wonder why Obama won't do it.... at first glance he certainly seems head and shoulders above McCain in the speaking department... but great speech doesn't necessarily contain great content.
My take is that he learned his lesson in the primary. There is no value to 10 debates. You run out of questions after three and start asking about what jewelry the candidates wear. He's got three debates scheduled. Why do you need more than that?
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