Collins: Has Obama worked out a way to explain his drug use to conservative voters?

[Karmadillo]

I wouldn't normally post anything by Gail Collins (Bob Somerby accurately describes her as "loathsome"), but since a number of DUers apparently like to read her thoughts when she's writing about the Clintons, I thought they would be interested in reading her thoughts about how Obama should prepare to deal with his past drug use.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/15/opinion/15collins.html?_r=2&ref=opinion&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

<edit>

Campaigns only behave well when they’re far ahead or far behind. When they’re all bunched together, teetering between victory and disaster, they get sweaty and sloppy and borderline insane. (Hillary is probably regretting the day she called this the “fun part.”) Still, unless you’re a candidate, this is not a bad thing. The whole point of the Iowa caucuses — if there is any point to the Iowa caucuses — is to see how everybody functions under stress.

“I’ve been tested. I’ve been vetted. There are no surprises,” Clinton assured Iowans yesterday. Nobody in their right minds would presume that anything involving the Clintons will be surprise-free, but Hillary’s big selling point has indeed always been her ability to forge ahead through unimaginable political disasters. Now, voters are getting to see how her presidential candidacy holds up when she’s losing her lead in the polls.

For Obama, the real question is not about what he ingested in his freshman year of college. If middle-aged men were disqualified from serious jobs because of recreational drug use as teenagers, there would be nobody left to run the stock exchange.

The question is whether Obama has worked out a way to explain all this to the more conservative voters he’d be wooing next fall. (Particularly if the Republican nominee is Mitt Romney, who has never tried coffee.) That doesn’t rank up there with health care programs when it comes to serious issues, but if you want the candidate with the best chance of winning, it’s a fair concern.

The classic way to get rid of a past-misbehavior problem is to turn it into an inspiring story about sin and redemption. But Obama has a hard time with the cheesy side of political campaigns, and being required to dredge up emotions he doesn’t necessarily feel.

“The point was to inhale. That was the point,” he said, when someone asked the inevitable question.

[NYCGirl]

1. I'm sure he'd explain it the same way he did to the school children the other day.

The conservatives have even less intellect than the schooll class, after all.

[THUNDER HANDS]

2. I think it's scarier that Romney has never tried coffee than Obama has tried cocaine

but that's just me.

[Armstead]

3. Unless there's more to it than he has already said, he should deal with it fine

If any voter is going to hold what Obama did many years ago in his youth against him, they're not likely to vote for him.

They're also not likely to vote for Hillary or most other Democratic candidates either if their memories are that long.

[Vinca]

4. He can always say, "Like George Bush, I turned my life around."

And Obama doesn't even have a mug shot somewhere!

[maddiejoan]

5. He'd be better off --

--just saying he 'turned his life around'

I don't think adding 'like George Bush' would be a good plan of action ;)

[TheDebbieDee]

11. Great answer! That's a quick, honest answer......

that even the X-tian fundies can support!

[dragonlady]

13. And they will think that validates another of their beliefs

That it's possible to stop using drugs all by yourself, no need to be mollycoddled by the nanny state with rehab programs and so forth. And if you don't, it's all your own fault. (I haven't heard that Obama went through any program, although I haven't bothered to follow this too closely.)

[Mz Pip]

15. And it didn't take him

until his 40s to do it.

Although, I do quibble with the notion that Bush ever turned his life around.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[babylonsister]

6. Thank you for your concern. nt

[Adelante]

7. Conservatives never did drugs in their youth?

They never dealt with drug use in their families?

In America?

I hope you don't believe that one. I'm sure you don't.

This is fun: :D

The classic way to get rid of a past-misbehavior problem is to turn it into an inspiring story about sin and redemption. But Obama has a hard time with the cheesy side of political campaigns, and being required to dredge up emotions he doesn’t necessarily feel.

“The point was to inhale. That was the point,” he said, when someone asked the inevitable question.

[Tom Rinaldo]

8. Something tells me that "Rush" Limbaugh did drugs in his youth :) n/t

[madrchsod]

9. conservatives will not vote for him

what obama needs to win is the undecided and independent voters.obama has stated his case and this is beginning to be beating a dead horse issue.

[stray cat]

10. Conservative voters will vote republican so who cares

[Karmadillo]

12. My subject line should have included "more conservative" voters. Obviously the Limbaugh vote is out

of reach for all Democrats (thank heavens), but I think Collins is talking about the independents who might vote Democratic but might be turned off if Obama isn't successful in dealing with the drug issue.

[msongs]

14. it's a non issue - the bigger question is why does he love war so much?

musta missed the day he introduced legislation in the senate to withdraw all US troops, or cut off funding.

Since he favors economic warfare against the Iranian people, expecting him to be anti-war is not realistic.
Instead of thumping that bible of his he oughta start practicing some of its concepts.

Msongs

[MethuenProgressive]

16. If he listens to DU's ObamaNation, he'll just blame it all on Hillary.

The RW will believe anything bad about a Clinton.