January 16, 2007

Blogometer Update

Every time you here someone refer to Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) as a ‘media darling’ the next few weeks, please keep in mind they are only referring to the MSM. The new media/bloggers just aren’t that into him.

A DailyKos straw poll shows shows Kossacks prefer John Edwards 37% to Obama’s 27% with Wesley Clark a distant third at 14% (the Blogometer has checked these numbers at 6K, 13K ,and 16K votes and there has been no change in the %s).

Netroots ambivalence towards Obama’s candidacy seems to stem from two related sources: 1) his perceived centrist/Liebermanesque/DLC rhetoric; 2) and his inability/refusal to lead take the lead on a major progressive issue (especially the war).

Netroots reactions include:

• The Left Coaster: “I am getting tired of this ongoing Liebermanesque "different kind of politics" canard. This country has been driven into a ditch, and is being led towards another war in Iran, yet what we get from Lieberman and perhaps now Obama is the salve of a bipartisan "let's just all get along" campfire sing-a-long.”
• Firedoglake Taylor Marsh: “Barack Obama has not been nearly as strong on the escalation, evidently preferring "symbolism" to action, or confusing one as being as strong as the other. (I won't say "I told you so," but I did warn you.) But Obama did strongly push back against escalation after Mr. Bush's speech last week. Certainly the fact that Obama was against the Iraq war from the start helps, but he wasn't in the Senate, so it's difficult to know what he'd have done if he were.”
• MyDD commenter MNPundit: “This is a bit worrying if Obama turns out to be a DLC type because that will mean he not only hurts our movement but is good at it which most DLC types... aren't.”

Posted by Conn Carroll at January 16, 2007 04:50 PM