Prediction: Obama's approach now

OK, my Pennsylvania prediction was off.  I predicted an Obama victory of 8%, with a MOE of 10% (one day I will explain my statistical methodology, but not now), and whoops, it should have been a MOE of 17%.  My calculator misspoke, and was under heavy sniper fire, so who can blame it?

But you’ll see, my prediction of how Obama is going to handle this problem – the media continuing to ask stupid questions, and then noting that Obama can’t put the questions to rest, while Hillary, on the mother of all ego trips, tries to bring down all humankind with her.  Honestly, it is uncanny the way Hillary’s campaign reminds me of that old movie, Primary Colors.  What a coincidence!

Here goes.  Obama’s speech.

People of America, I am running for the nomination of the Democratic Party, and for President of the United States.  In the campaign for the nomination, I believe I will have more delegates, more popular vote, and other key metrics in my favor.  For example, the more time I have spent campaigning in any state, the more my numbers have gone up.  A friend and colleague of mine, who is convinced that she should be the nominee anyway, does not have that success.  For example, in the recent primary in Pennsylvania, she started out with a 20% lead in the polls, and after three weeks of campaigning she lost more than half her margin.  She just can’t seem to be able to close the deal.

If I am the nominee of the Democratic Party, I have to do everything I can to make sure that the same dynamic stays in place.  I want to get stronger against John McCain as people get to know me better.  I think that Sen. McCain’s election would mean the equivalent of a third term for George W. Bush.  Most people in the country agree with me that that would be the wrong direction for us now, and if I focus on explaining the difference between me and John McCain, it would be more helpful than me explaining the difference between me and Sen. Clinton.  

If Sen. Clinton thinks that she would not be the target of fierce, deceptive criticism were she to somehow convince the superdelegates to overthrow the results of votes that have been cast, and secure the nomination, I think she is very wrong.  My campaign has not been providing a preview of that, but if you think about it, you know it would happen.  I think the people would discover that the so-called vetting process never ends, in an election where great interests are contending.  

I have always wanted this campaign to be about issues, not distractions.  Sometimes I have been accused of not being tough enough, because I have not crafted attacks against my Democratic opponents based on these distractions.  But if I did, and was elected President on that basis, I would be going down a road where I’d then have to try to lead on that basis.  And going down that road diverges from uniting the people of this country behind strategies to strengthen Social Security and medicare; to tackle the national debt problem that is clouding our financial future; from getting us out of Iraq; and so many other important issues, which are all interrelated, every single one of them.

Therefore, beginning now, I must begin my campaign against John McCain.  I have had twenty debates with Sen. Clinton, and I think the people have seen enough of that.  And the last debate made flag pins (and I have to laugh here, because not a single one of us was wearing a flag pin that night) more important than the economic storm clouds threatening our great nation. So in the days to come, as I campaign for votes in North Carolina and Indiana, I will begin to describe the difference between an Obama presidency and a McCain presidency.  This is not out of disrespect to Sen. Clinton.  She will campaign as she chooses, and events will unfold as they will.  But I believe this is what the American people deserve and need from me now, and I intend to give it to them.