Roger Simon from Creators Syndicate

Obama: The Know-Too-Much Candidate? for 04/30/2008

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Having had the national media at his feet for more than a year, Barack Obama now finds them at his throat.

The fault is his. He has disappointed us. He is not winning every voting bloc in every state. He cannot close the deal.

Running against an older, white candidate, Obama has been losing the older, white vote.

Zounds. What did we ever see in this guy?

The Bubba vo ...

Updated: Wed Apr 30, 2008

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Clinton Playing By Her Own Set of Rules for 05/02/2008

Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Hillary Clinton leads Barack Obama in the popular vote, and this is her path to victory.

She will ultimately win the Democratic nomination by convincing the super-delegates that her popular vote lead makes it legitimate for them to support her. It gives them the cover they need to deny Obama a nomination that he otherwise would have won.

What's wrong with this picture?

Firs ...

Updated: Fri May 02, 2008

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GOP Seeks Order to Primary Chaos for 05/07/2008

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Is our current system of selecting presidential candidates doomed?

It certainly is under attack. And that's because it has become so messy.

It often starts with a fight over whether Iowa and New Hampshire will go first, and then the rest of the states jostle and elbow each other to move up close behind them.

This year has been downright chaotic. We have two "rogue" ...

Updated: Wed May 07, 2008

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Tough Road Ahead for Clinton for 05/09/2008

Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Rats don't swim toward sinking ships, and pols don't back no losers — and this is why Hillary Clinton is in such trouble.

In a relatively short amount of time, Clinton has gone from being the inevitable winner to being the underdog to being a dead woman walking.

She needs super-delegates to win the nomination, but what is her argument to super-delegates?

Can she promi ...

Updated: Fri May 09, 2008

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For McCain, Distance From Bush Is Key for 05/14/2008

Wed, 14 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

This year, John McCain is going to have to do what he failed to do in 2000: Beat George W. Bush.

But wait, isn't McCain going to be running against Barack Obama or (possibly) Hillary Clinton this year?

Yes, but only in one sense. In another sense, McCain's burden this year is as much about convincing voters that he is not a continuation of the Bush presidency as it is about beatin ...

Updated: Wed May 14, 2008

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Obama's Learning Rules of the Game for 05/16/2008

Fri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Early on in the election process, Barack Obama decided he did not much like the election process.

It was way back in February of last year, and the Democratic National Committee was holding a cattle call for all the candidates in a suburban hotel outside Washington.

The room was stuffed to the bursting point with pols and press, people were jostling to get in, others were shouting ...

Updated: Fri May 16, 2008

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Obama 'Stronger,' 'Better' After Struggle for 05/21/2008

Wed, 21 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

CHICAGO — David Axelrod walks into the coffee shop wearing a black T-shirt bearing the logo of the Iowa Cubs, the Triple-A farm team of the Chicago Cubs. Axelrod's boss, Barack Obama, is an avid Chicago White Sox fan, but it is unlikely Obama would object.

Obama has publicly supported the concept of the "principled sports fan," someone who "stands up" for his te ...

Updated: Wed May 21, 2008

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Can Clinton Muscle to a VP Nod? for 05/23/2008

Fri, 23 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

It is possible to muscle your way into a vice presidential nod: You have something the nominee wants, and he has to give it to you.

The question is: Does Hillary Clinton have that kind of muscle?

Her victories in states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and her strength with women and white working-class voters have fueled the argument that Barack Obama must put her on ...

Updated: Fri May 23, 2008

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What Is Clinton's Argument Now? for 05/28/2008

Wed, 28 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Hillary Clinton does not lack for victories. She has had several recently.

What she lacks is a way to make her victories meaningful. What she lacks is an argument.

What is the game-changing argument that will cause the super-delegates, who will decide the Democratic nomination, to vote for her?

That she has won Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania, Indiana, West Virginia and Kentucky ...

Updated: Wed May 28, 2008

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Dems Seek to Avoid Meltdown for 05/30/2008

Fri, 30 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Those people who believe all problems have solutions may be unfamiliar with the inner workings of the Democratic Party.

On Saturday, the party's Rules and Bylaws Committee will try to solve a big problem, in order to avoid a huge problem, in order to prevent a train wreck.

The big problem is what to do about Michigan and Florida, two states stripped last year of their delegates to ...

Updated: Fri May 30, 2008

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Clinton Isn't Ready to Pack It in for 06/04/2008

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"We can't get her to sit down and talk," the Hillary Clinton person was telling me. "We have been having a hard time getting her to stop campaigning long enough to talk about how she actually ends this thing."

It is understandable. She has been campaigning for so long. She has fought so hard. And, let's be fair, in recent months she has done so well.

So why tal ...

Updated: Wed Jun 04, 2008

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Would the Dream Ticket Be a Nightmare? for 06/06/2008

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Should Barack Obama choose Hillary Clinton as his running mate? Does he have to? Would she be better off without it? The answer to these and other questions below:

Will Obama follow the First Rule of Running Mates? A candidate's chief concern in picking a running mate is: First, do no harm. Obama needs someone who is not going to damage the ticket. Very few people cast a vote fo ...

Updated: Fri Jun 06, 2008

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The Myth of the 50-State Campaign for 06/11/2008

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

The Barack Obama campaign has announced a "50 state strategy" for the fall campaign.

Steve Hildebrand, his deputy campaign manager, sent out an e-mail to supporters this week that said, "Today, I am proud to announce that our presidential campaign will be the first in a generation to deploy and maintain staff in every single state."

And it makes sense to campai ...

Updated: Wed Jun 11, 2008

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Cracking the "Confusion" Code for 06/13/2008

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Politicians speak in code — but the code is really easy to break. That's the whole point.

Politicians say things without seeming to say things because everybody knows what they are saying.

Take John McCain and his age. McCain is 71, will soon be 72, and if he wins the presidency will be the oldest president ever inaugurated.

John McCain talks about his age directly, t ...

Updated: Fri Jun 13, 2008

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If It's Sunday, We'll Miss Tim for 06/17/2008

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

After "Meet the Press" ended each Sunday, it didn't end. The bright lights would go down in the studio, but Tim Russert would keep talking, chatting, going on as if he never wanted the moment to be over.

If you were one of the guest journalists on the panel, you would stay in your seat and talk with him. On or off the set, Tim never acted like a superstar.

"Meet,&qu ...

Updated: Tue Jun 17, 2008

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Simon Says for 06/20/2008

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

SIMON SAYS: You haven't lived until you've seen the World Hot Dog Eating Contest in high-def.

Never praise one woman's perfume to another.

If you stick to Coach for wallets, Brooks Brothers for shirts, Rockport for shoes and Maytag for blue cheese, you can't go too far wrong.

I'll bet you have at least one gift certificate sitting in a drawer someplace that is at least five ...

Updated: Fri Jun 20, 2008

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Obama Is Doing What It Takes to Win for 06/25/2008

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Maybe it's because my supply has been used up, but I am having a hard time summoning outrage over a recent decision by Barack Obama that people tell me I am supposed to be outraged about.

Obama recently decided not to accept public financing of his general election campaign.

This means that instead of getting about $84 million in taxpayer funds for his campaign, Obama will raise t ...

Updated: Wed Jun 25, 2008

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In This Year's VP Search, Boring Is Better for 06/27/2008

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

I do not know exactly whom Barack Obama and John McCain will select as their running mates, but I do know this: They will be dull.

They will be safe choices, and not just because of the old rule that the person in the second spot should never overshadow the nominee.

That is not the problem this year. The presumptive nominees of both parties are so high profile that they cannot be ...

Updated: Fri Jun 27, 2008

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Obama Is Campaigning to Win for 07/02/2008

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Barack Obama is a different kind of Democrat. He is one who actually intends to win.

I don't know if he will or not, but I do know that he has made a key decision: He has decided to run as a candidate for president and not as the leader of a movement.

Movement candidates often fail when the demands of the movement come in conflict with the demands of politics.

The most rece ...

Updated: Wed Jul 02, 2008

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Out of Failure, America Finds Success for 07/04/2008

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

I have done some pretty awful things in the name of journalism. I have rushed up to interview mothers who have lost children, husbands who have lost wives, families shattered by a variety of emotional and physical calamities.

All reporters do these things. We wear a protective cloak of professional indifference while we write the names and ages and addresses in our notebooks. The deed is ...

Updated: Fri Jul 04, 2008

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