Why is Barack Obama losing his “shine”?

Well in the last few weeks we have seen a dramatic drop in the polls for the Democratic Presidential Nominee Barack Obama, but why?  Could it be all these attack ads Republicans have been throwing at him have had an effect?  Could it be the Republican Presidential Nominee John McCain has found his stride?  Could it be missteps “The One” has made lately? What is the truth to this sudden reversal of fortune? Let’s take a look back at some of the more recent events to see why he has begun to slip…

In one word, Saddleback.  It has been no surprise with the political gaffes “The One” has been throwing around for the last little while, that he would be sliding in the polls.  For those who forgot, Obama’s comments on the “typical white person” and his constant claims about not bringing race into this campaign even after giving two separate speeches which implied just that (Part 1 and Part 2) are starting to hurt him, especially since it seems to be the only game he can play lacking experience that his opponent has. Trying to grab new ground and taking a bold new approach, Obama decides to take a shot at McCain by trying to solidify support among Evangelicals, a group “The Maverick” has been trouble with this election. How did he do? Well here and here are links to two stories which came to the same conclusion; Barack Obama fell flat during the Saddleback Presidential Forum with Pastor Rick Warren. You don’t go to someone’s house and insult them by contradicting what they believe and then expect that they will support you in crushing their political goals. While the “above my pay grade” comment was a mistake, discussing how you intend to clamp down on the rights of religious organizations receiving funding from the federal government was just stupid. If only that was the end of this story…

Trying to regroup, Barack Obama then decides to make a political assessment of the Russia/Georgia conflict. With John McCain discussing how the international community should pressure Russia into pulling out, and President George W. Bush making a firm stand against what people are calling “Soviet era tactics”, Obama had to make a statement to hold on to whatever credibility he had on foreign issues, especially after that disaster of a campaign trip (former President John F Kennedy did the same thing, but stepped off the plane admitting he was wrong and changed his ways, not telling everyone he was “right” to begin with). In continuing with his streak of misstatements lately, he announced that America should work with Russia, instead of working against it or taking any aggressive action. This approach didn’t work for former British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain when he confronted Adolf Hitler with his “white piece of paper”. Matter of fact, according to various historians, this was one of the reasons the former German Chancellor kept up his plans for “Anschluss”, knowing that the only powers who could stand against him wouldn’t. This is a complete reversal on his original statement calling for a UN Security Council resolution against Russia, ignoring the fact that the country itself is a Security Council member with veto power. Even with this, he could have salvaged something and at least slowed down his fall, but we saw something else entirely…

During what is probably the most significant event so far during the Presidential campaign, when supporters are looking for leadership from Barack Obama, when people are looking to see how he would handle a foreign crisis, where is he? This reminds me of that “3 AM” ad that both Hillary and Obama were running during the Democratic Nominee race only a few months ago; “It is 3 AM and there is a phone ringing at the White House, something is happening in the world. Where is the President to answer this call? Well he is in Hawaii on vacation!” It gets even better as it seems he wasn’t only there to take a break from campaigning, but according to Democratic consultants, he was also learning how to cut back his dependence on teleprompters. It is one thing if he needs a rest after all those “inspiring” speeches, it is quite another if he wants to learn how to actually give a good speech instead of faking it like Ashley Simpson. During this time, McCain campaign picked up points by asserting his dominance in foreign policy over his opponent and showing voters that he is ready for the responsibility of President. We could be seeing Barack Obama’s “Waterloo” in the coming weeks…

Surely though this can’t be it can it? Surely the attack ads the McCain campaign and its supporters are releasing are the real culprits right? While pointing out his obvious mistake in raising taxes during an economic slowdown, when many Americans can’t afford it (basic macroeconomic theory points towards tax cuts as the way to go here), is having an affect, I would argue that the real reason we are seeing this shift is because voters are finally getting a better picture of who Barack Obama really is. We saw this at the end of the Democratic Nomination Race, and now it appears to be happening again.  The more we know about him, the less we like him.

You can ignore his connections to Rev Jeremiah Wright, Tony Rezko, Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn (not all together, but each one individually), but you can’t ignore the mistakes he has already made so far during his Presidential run.  For example, his discussions about the state of the economy and the supply on oil are irresponsible, especially since it has a dire effect on the issues themselves.  Simply put, a “self-fulfilling prophecy” of sorts, if you say things are one way and you are perceived to have credibility on the issue, they will be that way.  Perception is important especially to the average American, and he isn’t helping, but making things worse with a “doom and gloom” assessment of every issues.  They take what you say seriously Mr. Obama, and you should be far more careful with your choice of words, something someone with experience would know.  I would also say that past mistakes, like his book, Dreams From My Father, are coming back to haunt him. It is disturbing to read what he wrote in it and see the same tactics he discussed to win over certain ethnic groups, like latinos and whites, being demonstrated.  Voters want honesty, they don’t want to be “handled” in a different way because of the colour of their skin.

When you add up all we know about him, what we have learned since Hillary Clinton’s campaign first introduced us to the many “skeletons in his closet”, he just doesn’t stand up to the image he is trying to portray. He isn’t Martin Luther King, he isn’t John F. Kennedy, and he definitely isn’t the “second coming”, he  is just another politician. With the announcement of Senator Joe Biden as his running mate, a man who’s Presidential campaign was in sharp contrast to his own, especially on Iraq, I don’t know how “The One” can maintain any credibility on the issues he claims to support. While John McCain isn’t perfect, and by no means the Republican’s first choice for President, he is definitely not the “empty suit” Barack Obama is slowly becoming.

UPDATE: Why does Joe Biden need to remind Americans that Obama is black? First off, he is a mix, and second, race isn’t what is important here. America needs a President, not an “affirmative action” candidate who lacks both the moral compass and experience to lead. Sorry Joe, they aren’t going to fawn over the “race card” anymore.