Compassion Gore ‘Em

Ben Smith from Politico noticed what I did tonight during the Compassion Forum:

“We had two very good men, and men of faith, run for president in 2000 and 2004,” [Hillary Clinton] said. “Large segments of the electorate concluded that they did not really understand, or relate to, or respect their ways of life.”

Granted, you could argue that “large segments of the electorate” didn’t respect Kerry’s “way of life,” but I don’t think for a second you could say that about Gore.  If anything, they didn’t respect the “way of life” of the President he served under and you could make the argument that hurt him in 2000.  What a gaffe.

Besides that, her performance was pretty awful overall.  She looked spiteful at the beginning slinging her new desperate “elitist” charges at Obama (and Kerry and Gore) and when answering the other questions she looked, for the most part, like a high schooler who didn’t study for an oral exam, padding out her answers with rambling, ill-conceived bullshit.

Obama flubbed the initial “bitter” question.  His answer should have been much stronger (he had to know it was coming), but he pretty much sailed from there, sounding far more presidential, thoughtful and knowledgeable than Rodham From Day One. The crowd responded to his answers much better as well.

Big advantage to Obama, especially if his team works that Gore gaffe to their advantage.

MORE:  Here’s a link to video of the beginning of Hillary’s appearance.

Posted by Kevin K. on 04/13/08 at 10:35 PM • Permalink

It seemed to me that the media talking heads shared Clinton’s view: the dominant meme was that the Dem’s participation in the Compassion Forum meant that the godless libruls have finally come around to the necessity of kissing up to “people of faith” to win the presidency. I think the bigger story is the marginalization of the right-wing Christian conservatives in this election cycle.

Sure, McCain felt compelled to go kiss ass at Liberty U and seek the endoresement of crazies like Hagee. But it was perfunctory, and the crazies know it, which is why they’re in such a snit.

Clinton, as usual, was fighting last decade’s battle. It warmed my godless heathen heart when Obama acknowledged that this is a nation not only of Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, et al, but a “nation of atheists”—he said it!—and that the process should include us all. Falwell must be spinning in his grave like a Tilt-a-Whirl.