Obama the Counter-Puncher

Obama backer Mark Kleiman is impressed by his candidate’s ability to turn attacks by his opponents, such as the recent pronouncement by Hillary Clinton’s proxies in South Carolina that putting a black man at the top of the ticket would be political suicide, to his advantage.

Mark observes, “There may be something more important in a campaign than the capacity to counter-punch, but I can’t think what it is.” Perhaps having opponents say really, really stupid things?

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James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. Aren’t counter-punchers, by definition, reactionary?

  2. carpeicthus says:

    If that’s *all he did*. But, of course, it isn’t. After Kerry, though, it’s obvious that the Dems need a candidate who’s good thinking on his feet.

  3. Nick says:

    A good offense comes from a great defense. Playing good politics on all sides of the court is just a sign of a great politician.

    And yes, of course, it also doesn’t hurt that the opponent can sometimes be stupid in its statements.

  4. floyd says:

    He’s good on his feet, as long as the strings don’t break… or trip him up!