What do think is your candidate's biggest weakness?

[JohnCA246]

Obama's biggest problems will be his perceived lack of grit.  He is going to get smeared like John Kerry for being a dreaded yuppie.  This is really hurting him in the manufacturing states.  Race is also a factor, but further down the line.  Gotta avoid turning into a Daukakis or John Lindsey.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

He comes off at arrogant and uppity to blue collar voters. 

I love it, they don't.  Oh well. 

[Torie]

Age, sometimes inarticulate, and sometimes not as knowledgeable on issues that he doesn't care much about as he should be. But McCain is doing better and better as time goes by. He's done a great job in keeping his temper in check.

[JSojourner]

Age, sometimes inarticulate, and sometimes not as knowledgeable on issues that he doesn't care much about as he should be. But McCain is doing better and better as time goes by. He's done a great job in keeping his temper in check.

I agree.  Though I have never been particularly concerned about a candidate's temper.  Sometimes, you have to kick a little ass to get things done.  Of course, it's better when you can kick ass with a smile...a la Lyndon Johnson or Ronald Reagan...but a boot in the rear is probably more than appropriate in the White House at times.  I just can't help but like McCain.

His age is a weakness, but it really shouldn't be.  I think an older candidate usually has a lot to offer.  His health is probably more of a concern.  Two or three bouts with cancer in the past would have me watching that VP nomination very closely.

Much as I disagree with McCain on the war and as committed as I am to voting Democratic in the fall, I do have a real sense that -- for once -- whoever wins will be a major improvement over the status quo.

[Torie]

Age, sometimes inarticulate, and sometimes not as knowledgeable on issues that he doesn't care much about as he should be. But McCain is doing better and better as time goes by. He's done a great job in keeping his temper in check.

I agree.  Though I have never been particularly concerned about a candidate's temper.  Sometimes, you have to kick a little ass to get things done.  Of course, it's better when you can kick ass with a smile...a la Lyndon Johnson or Ronald Reagan...but a boot in the rear is probably more than appropriate in the White House at times.  I just can't help but like McCain.

His age is a weakness, but it really shouldn't be.  I think an older candidate usually has a lot to offer.  His health is probably more of a concern.  Two or three bouts with cancer in the past would have me watching that VP nomination very closely.

Much as I disagree with McCain on the war and as committed as I am to voting Democratic in the fall, I do have a real sense that -- for once -- whoever wins will be a major improvement over the status quo.

This rather partisan, but not uber partisan, and rather conservative, but not uber conservative (well in many ways not conservative at all, but few here would believe that), chap, thinks our current Prez has been a rather horrific disappointment, and it pains me to say that, but I call them as I see them.

[Democratic Hawk]

Obama: The media is a John McCain love fest

[Gustaf]

Obama: The media is a John McCain love fest

Your candidate has no personal weaknesses whatsoever? How wonderful it must feel to support an incarnation of God himself...

[Michael Z]

Obama: The media is a John McCain love fest

Your candidate has no personal weaknesses whatsoever? How wonderful it must feel to support an incarnation of God himself...

The question is about his biggest weakness.

[CheeseWhiz]

Well, the fact that it's mathematically impossible for him to win the Republican nomination isn't helping, that's for sure.

But, before that, I think Paul's biggest weaknesses were that he didn't present himself well in soundbites, his ideas and solutions to problems weren't really in line with the Democrats or the Republican on a lot of issues, and the Republican establishment doesn't like him.

[Gustaf]

Obama: The media is a John McCain love fest

Your candidate has no personal weaknesses whatsoever? How wonderful it must feel to support an incarnation of God himself...

The question is about his biggest weakness.

Yes, but supposed media-bias is not a weakness. Aside from the obvious point that any hack will say the media is against their candidate it's not a weakness of a candidate, imo. If the media is biased in favour of McCain this would hurt any candidate running against him, not specifically Obama. It's pretty obviously a cop-out for someone who cannot admit to their candidate having any weaknesses.

[Beet]

Obama: The media is a John McCain love fest

Your candidate has no personal weaknesses whatsoever? How wonderful it must feel to support an incarnation of God himself...

The question is about his biggest weakness.

Yes, but supposed media-bias is not a weakness. Aside from the obvious point that any hack will say the media is against their candidate it's not a weakness of a candidate, imo. If the media is biased in favour of McCain this would hurt any candidate running against him, not specifically Obama. It's pretty obviously a cop-out for someone who cannot admit to their candidate having any weaknesses.

Errr, if you think your candidate is the presumptive nominee and the only one who will be actually running against McCain, then the media being in favor of McCain is indeed a weakness for that candidate.

[Michael Z]

Obama: The media is a John McCain love fest

Your candidate has no personal weaknesses whatsoever? How wonderful it must feel to support an incarnation of God himself...

The question is about his biggest weakness.

Yes, but supposed media-bias is not a weakness. Aside from the obvious point that any hack will say the media is against their candidate it's not a weakness of a candidate, imo. If the media is biased in favour of McCain this would hurt any candidate running against him, not specifically Obama. It's pretty obviously a cop-out for someone who cannot admit to their candidate having any weaknesses.

We can beg to differ there. While I wouldn't say it's the biggest problem he has to deal with - that's still his inexperience and his tendency to shoot his mouth off from time to time (though even there we can argue that actually it's quite endearing because it means he's not as robotically media-trained and PR-driven like some of his rivals, but I'd probably be stretching it if I said that) - it's fairly obvious, to me at least, that he's up against a status quo which includes much of the mainstream media; who are more likely to make a meal of things like the Wright debacle and the "bitter"-remarks than had these things affected Clinton or McCain, solely to undermine Obama (the fact that no-one has picked up on the fact that McCain has cavorted with some very dodgy people himself kinda supports that view). The ABC "debate" last week, where he kept being hammered with one "gotcha"-question after another in the obvious but vain hope that they could get another clumsy soundbite out of him they could then repeat over and over in the news, was rather illustrative of that.

[Gustaf]

Obama: The media is a John McCain love fest

Your candidate has no personal weaknesses whatsoever? How wonderful it must feel to support an incarnation of God himself...

The question is about his biggest weakness.

Yes, but supposed media-bias is not a weakness. Aside from the obvious point that any hack will say the media is against their candidate it's not a weakness of a candidate, imo. If the media is biased in favour of McCain this would hurt any candidate running against him, not specifically Obama. It's pretty obviously a cop-out for someone who cannot admit to their candidate having any weaknesses.

We can beg to differ there. While I wouldn't say it's the biggest problem he has to deal with - that's still his inexperience and his tendency to shoot his mouth off from time to time (though even there we can argue that actually it's quite endearing because it means he's not as robotically media-trained and PR-driven like some of his rivals, but I'd probably be stretching it if I said that) - it's fairly obvious, to me at least, that he's up against a status quo which includes much of the mainstream media; who are more likely to make a meal of things like the Wright debacle and the "bitter"-remarks than had these things affected Clinton or McCain, solely to undermine Obama (the fact that no-one has picked up on the fact that McCain has cavorted with some very dodgy people himself kinda supports that view). The ABC "debate" last week, where he kept being hammered with one "gotcha"-question after another in the obvious but vain hope that they could get another clumsy soundbite out of him they could then repeat over and over in the news, was rather illustrative of that.

Again, this is your perception being an Obama supporter, and I remain quite unconvinced about it, to be honest. But even if you're right it's absurd to say that Obama's biggest weakness is that the media likes McCain. It's not a characteristic of Obama. I could say McCain's biggest weakness is that Obama is charismatic but that would make just as little sense.

And, Beet, I disagree. The principle of the matter remains the same, even if Obama is the nominee.

[tik 🪀✨]

I'd say that sometimes when Obama is shooting lighting bolts from his perfectly rounded silver nipples of salvation, he can hit unsuspecting innocents. That doesn't help with the MADD crowd I guess. They're big in the NE.