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Monday, July 21, 2008

Columnist: Obama an ordinary politician?

Interesting take by columnist Jonathan V. Last in The Philadelphia Inquirer on why Barack Obama hasn't run away from John McCain in the presidential race.

With his huge campaign war chest, the media openly rooting for his candidacy and the general sour mood of the electorate, Obama should be much more ahead in the polls.

Last offers three reasons why Obamamania hasn't caught on with many:

First, people forget that Obama won the nomination by gaming the system, not getting the most votes.

Second, Obama made a strategic decision to abandon his original, central campaign narrative in favor of repositioning himself closer to the political center.

But the most important shift in the dynamic of the race is that Obama has become, for all intents and purposes, the incumbent.

This election is essentially a referendum on Barack Obama, Last argues.

Read the full column at the newspaper's Web site.

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