So, Edwards chooses to talk about OUR concerns instead of himself and Obama mocks him

from the AP:

"Obama began by recalling a moment in Tuesday night's debate when he and his rivals were asked to name their biggest weakness. Obama answered first, saying he has a messy desk and needs help managing paperwork — something his opponents have since used to suggest he's not up to managing the country. John Edwards said his biggest weakness is that he has a powerful response to seeing pain in others, and Clinton said she gets impatient to bring change to America.

"Because I'm an ordinary person, I thought that they meant, 'What's your biggest weakness?'" Obama said to laughter from a packed house at Rancho High School. "If I had gone last I would have known what the game was. And then I could have said, `Well, ya know, I like to help old ladies across the street. Sometimes they don't want to be helped. It's terrible.'"

"Folks, they don't tell you what they mean!" he said.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5idUUzBp9elm7H_P7gKgN...


Sounds like he wishes he'd focused on voters' concerns instead of talking about his own petty self. I'm not surprised he thinks it was a game. What a jackass.

Note that I am an Edwards supporter. But I don't think those comments were a big deal, not targeted at Edwards specifically, and damn funny.

Lighten up.

The more I hear him deliver the line the more it aggravates me. Especially since he obviously wanted to create an impression that Edwards wasn't sincere. Look at his entire 'act'.

He did exactly what I would have done. Once again, his comments weren't directed at Edwards. He got beat in that round with that question. The candidates got message points in, and he flubbed it. As a former state-wide campaign manager, I would have told my candidate to go right out there and make light of it. Both Clinton and Edwards did the same thing, framed a "strength" as a "weakness" and stayed on message. So Obama said, hey if I would have know that's what I was supposed to do, I would have said....blah blah blah.

It's the only good save play to me made, and none of it was some kind of personal attack on Edwards for christ sake.

God, you've got me defending OBAMA now just because this notion is so stupid. :mad:

in which he intended to belittle his rivals and cast them as insincere (at best).

Don't try and brush off what's obviously a new attack strategy by this smooth talking politician as just an attempt to set himself right. Look at his entire line of attack which followed. He's in attack mode. He thinks he's savvy and cute because he has his crowd cheering him along. He's just insulting. It's not the hugest thing in the world, but it's just enough bullshit from this man to piss me off.

It's politics. He did exactly what he's supposed to do and I can guarantee you neither Edwards or Clinton are upset about it. He had to pivot and bridge from his gaff back to message, and make light of his mistake. It's how it works. It wasn't personal, in fact it wasn't even an attack.

I thought it was crass and vain.

"Those kinds of tricks, that kind of approach to politics is what has to stop because what happens is then nobody believes anything," Obama said. "The voters don't believe what politicians say. They get cynical. Folks in Congress, they'll tell you they're looking out for you — they're looking out for somebody else. We have to change that politics and that's why I'm running for president."

Those kind of canned answers from Edwards and Hillary are what make people not believe anything a politician says. At least Obama gave an honest answer.

:smoke:

and it got stupid political answers.

Obama's answer sounded too cute - he's messy. He came up with a weakness that's endearing. It goes along with Michelle Obama talking about his dirty socks on the floor and the morning breath. Obama wants to be seen as a regular guy. Behind that, you see the calculation. No one cares if their President is disorganized, because he'll have all sorts of support staff to do that for him.

Why does Edwards think empathy is a weakness? What does he mean that undermines what he wants to do? It's supposedly the whole driving force behind what he does and why he does it. He obviously read the old job interview manuals which say to respond to that question with a weakness that sounds like a strength. But, we're all on to that game. You should talk about your weakness as a challenge you have overcome, or made progress in overcoming. Again, you see the calculation - Edwards wants you to feel all warm and squishy about him.

Clinton's answer made sense. It was believable. She gets impatient, she gets frustrated. She acknowledges that she rubs people the wrong way. But, she doesn't say how she'll overcome it. If she gets impatient and rubs people the wrong way, how is she going to negotiate fragile treaties?

It was a stupid question.

instead of sleeping. I have a real job . . .

Edwards "feels our pain?" I fucking doubt it. Mr. Hedge Fund has about as much to fear on a financial level as Bill Gates. I applaud Obama for at least admiting a weakness, even if it's not a critical one, while the other two candidates answers were the usual politician non-answers.

This is the sort of thing that has moved me towards Obama. At least he gave an answer. Edwards response was nothing more than an attempt to prove that he feels empathy, which, as far as I'm concerned is not a weakness. Clinton wants to "bring change" again not an admission of weakness, which was the question but just another phoney-sounding bullet.

and work to make a difference in the lives of folks they don't know or for issues and concerns which don't directly affect them.

I also have friends who care deeply but don't have the resources or the means to step up and run for president or public office. It makes no sense to take these candidates with means and support and knock them for that. And, I have seen MANY people who 'care too much' to the point of the decline of their own life. Who are you to define what sacrifices Edwards is making in his bid? It's more than clear whose voices he's elevating in this campaign.

But I can overlook it.

I hate it when someone asks the "what do you see as your greatest weakness" question - like in an interview or something - and someone answers with a fake weakness like, "my greatest weakness is that I'm just such a hard and dedicated worker I can almost never stop working my butt off for my employer." That stuff makes me want to :puke:

tells you to answer.

But it makes the person sound insufferable. ACtually, some interviewers are people too, and esp. if they're the prospective supervisor rather than just a HR flunky, want to pick people who'll be congenial with their co-workers.

I believe he truly does feel empathy for the people he meets and the problems they have. Even though he may be rich now, I don't think he's forgotten what it's like to not be rich, and I think that's part of the reason Elizabeth wears the same cheap wedding ring and they go to Wendy's on their anniversary.

I see no contradiction in feeling for the poor while pursuing personal wealth - I'm in the same boat. With thirty years to go, I am starting to pay attention to my own retirement fund, and realize that a money market account is not going to return enough. I want to invest in companies that will make money, but not unethically. I can look up a company's financial statements and all kinds of data to help determine if it's a wise investment or not. But there's no score card for social responsibility. So, it's a dilemma - how much of my financial security should I sacrifice for my ethics?

And Clinton's weakness was her impatience.

Really, one could argue Obama's answer was politically motivated too. He named something sort of charming that lots of people could relate to - it's like saying his weakness is pizza or that he doesn't like vegetables. He named something that wouldn't be a problem for some one with dozens of secretaries and staffers...

:boring:

Nor will the M$M creating a mountain out of a zit.

Everyone needs to step back and research the candidates independently - voting records, transcripts, public records, etc. -- and vote for who they believe in (no one will know if you voted for the loser) - unless of course, you're in one of those caucus states (aka democracy, what democracy). In any event, latching onto this tit for tat crap will just ensure your vote is skewed by meaningless dribble.

Its like the canned advice they give for job interviews about how you should say something that's really a positive when asked what your biggest weakness is.
I mean, come on, how his having compassion a weakness? At least Obama gave an honest answer.

who understands the seriousness of the position. This comment could be funny if the position he is being interviewed for was not so important. When he is negotiating for us, he won't have a lot of opportunities to keep explaining why he is not prepared.

I always hate it in debates when the politicians don't really answer the question and instead answer something else, or say something else.

To me this shows that Obama won't be afraid to admit when he's wrong about something, or has a weakness, unlike George Bush - who won't ever admit that everything's not perfect about what he's doing.

It shows he's human. And messiness may not be such a bad thing - see this article from the New York Times - that made me say - yes I'm messy because I'm more creative (maybe wishful thinking?). This may not be the only article on this but I knew I'd read something like this and went looking for it.

Article by Penelope Green in the New York Times

"Studies are piling up that show that messy desks are the vivid signatures of people with creative, limber minds (who reap higher salaries than those with neat “office landscapes”) and that messy closet owners are probably better parents and nicer and cooler than their tidier counterparts. "

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/21/garden/21mess.html?_r=1&em&ex=1167109200&en=9f7fc45bca81bd36&ei=5087%0A&oref=slogin

"Because I'm an ordinary person, I thought that they meant, 'What's your biggest weakness?'" Obama said to laughter from a packed house at Rancho High School. "If I had gone last I would have known what the game was. And then I could have said, `Well, ya know, I like to help old ladies across the street. Sometimes they don't want to be helped. It's terrible.'"




Now he's trying to pass himself off "as an ordinary person", that's a good one:rofl:

When Obama answered I thought, oh sheesh he can't keep track of papers or loses them. Not a smart thing to admit, IMHO. The GOP's ears perked up on that one.

When Pumpkin Head Russert asked them that question, I screamed at the them NOT to answer it. It was a set up and I knew it. This WILL be used against them come November.