Letters to the Editor
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What went right
I am hoping that Karen Tumulty does a parallel piece to this excellent article on the Clinton campaign's many blunders. I want a succinct analysis on what Obama did right. I think I would include the following:
1) identifying early the mood of the nation and sticking with the basic theme of his campaign despite pressure to shift; 2) enlisting a wide network of grassroots supporters and offering them basic training in community organizing that paid off in all 50 states; 3)running an extremely tight ship financially; 4)recruiting a top-notch group of staffers whose smarts and savvy paid off far beyond their salaries; 5) listening to his own inner voice and translating that into some of the most stirring speeches ever delivered in modern-day politics; 6)adhering to his conviction that dirty politics was out of style and ineffective; 7) speaking to the American people as adults capable of serious discourse on the touchiest subjects in our shared history; 8) having the emotional stamina and tempermental balance to withstand a typhoon of media-driven assaults against his character and patriotism; 9) having the graceful sense of humor to bowl gutterballs and laugh at himself, and 10) having the guts to refuse to embrace foolish or dangerous policy positions in order to pander to the uninformed views of potential voters.
In other words, I don't think that Sen. Clinton lost so much as Sen. Obama won. Now let's unleash him on McCain and get this nation turned in the right direction again.