John Ransom

I’ve gotten a chuckle out of the liberal civility war that’s been going on since the debt deal was signed and S&P downgraded U.S. credit ratings. The Bolsheviks are trading salvos with the Mensheviks and hunkering down for the long war.

On the one hand you’ve had some liberals who feel that Obama just “appears” weak; on the other you have some progressives who think that Obama’s been done in by a message problem and lack of conviction more than anything else.

So, today I read Colin Delany’s peacekeeping article on the Huffington Post calling for a truce with some interest. Delany says that argument is about two sides of political operations: messaging and mechanics- by mechanics he’s talking GOTV. He argues that the message hasn’t been the problem, but rather the mechanics.   

Delany’s delusional on both his general point and wading into the fray.

Because after all the campaigning and advertising, all the stump speeches and robo-calls, politics still is about the one thing: the truth.

And here’s the truth for you Democrats out there: Your candidate sucks.

No, really. I mean it.

I’m not saying that because I hate Obamacare and cap and trade and unions. I do hate those things, but I’m speaking from the perspective of a political professional with a background in message and mechanics.

Liberals are going to have a very hard time selling the candidate Obama again for the very same reason that they had an easy time selling him the first time around.

In the last presidential election, the country eventually went with the candidate who least reminded them of George W. Bush. This time around, I’m guessing they’ll do the same.

This comparison won’t favor Obama.  

Voters will put up with a lot of things. They’ll put up with war that stretches on for five years too long; they’ll put up with a temporary downturn in the economy; they’ll put up with presidents who can’t keep their pants on.

But they won’t put up with a con job.

Don’t misunderstand me: I think George Bush was a good guy and a not bad president. But on the Iraq War, his administration tried to con a lot of people. The Republican Party eventually paid a price for that con job by losing support in 2004, 2006 and ultimately in 2008.

John Ransom

John Ransom is the Finance Editor for Townhall Finance.