Tom Hayden Predicts Obama Will Lose
DENVER -- Speaking at a luncheon hosted by the Denver Press Club at the Denver Athletic Club today, former California state legislator and '60s political activist Tom Hayden predicted that Barack Obama will lose the 2008 Election. "An African-American candidate talking about economics and a white war hero -- it's clear to me who is going to win," Hayden said. When one of the attendees at the small luncheon, attended mostly by Denverites, asked him to be more specific about why he thinks Obama will lose the race, Hayden replied, "You don't think McCain's gonna have a convention about his being an American." Hayden seemed to be referring to the fact that Barack Obama continues to introduce himself to the American electorate. Hayden elaborated. "I've known kookie Cokie, kookie Cokie Roberts for years, but when Obama vacationed in Hawaii, she said, "He shoulda gone to Myrtle Beach." Hayden turned out his hands, as if to say what're you gonna do?
Hayden went further. "[Obama's] problem is that he's lived in the world of beating the Democratic establishment for so long, it's hard to transition to being the Democratic establishment." Hayden is part of the group Progressives for Obama, but he has his issues with the candidate. "There's the pursuit of the last white man standing in Pennsylvania," he said, rather than a fierce pursuit of the Latino vote, which is what Hayden would like to see.
Given Hayden's history of confrontation with the police, famously at the Chicago Democratic Convention in 1968, perhaps it's not surprising that Hayden has a generally dark view. Much of his talk, which was advertised as an introduction to his new book A Tom Hayden Reader, centered on the police presence at the convention in Denver. Since the 1999 Seattle protests against the WTO, Hayden said that there has been "a continuous police build-up that concerns me since then." The brother of an old friend who lives on Denver's 16th Street Mall told Hayden that "he had never seen anything like it before"--that the police presence there is overwhelming, intimidating and edgy.
Apparently, the police have said that they have hundreds of weapons stored next to the mall, and that they bring them out every night and return them to their secret cache in the morning. Or anyway that's what the brother has confided to Tom Hayden. "All these horses on the mall -- it's like St. Petersburg 1905," Hayden said. The Denver Police Department has received $50 million from the Department of Homeland Security, according to Hayden. What concerns him is not only the massive police presence at the convention (the cop who spilled the beans about the weapons cache is convinced that something is going to happen here) but also the newly purchased technology, which will be used "in the barrio" long after the Democrats are gone. When Hayden says that the police create "an imaginary argument with your mind and with your nervous system," he almost seems to have made the point.
There's no need for so many police in Denver, Hayden says. "With Obama having opposed the war, there's no real reason for demonstrations." Hayden also feels that the "radicals of the 60s don't get credit for what has happened for good in the Democratic Party." He thinks there's too much harkening back to 1968. "All this talk about '68 because we have a fascination with round numbers," he quips. "Our country is full of the wreckage of the 60s."
Hayden observes that "there is a new social movement on a vast scale" centered right now in the Obama Campaign. "These young people will plant seeds for the next twenty-five years." But they are "small-d" Democrats, Hayden says, and they are environmentalists and idealists. "They don't want a war in :Pakistan!" And "if Obama loses, which I think he might," Hayden says, nevertheless the Democratic Party will have grown bigger. As for Obama, "he is losing. He is gonna lose the electoral college."
Hayden does offer a taste of Obama hope. "He gets one more chance to reboot, re-orient, redeploy." He offers the example of the Obama ad campaign on the McCain houses as a primer on how rebooting works these days. According to Hayden, some young investigators financed by Brave New Films in Los Angeles went to Arizona and filmed all the McCain homes and put the video on Youtube. Although the video went viral, nothing happened politically until a reporter from Politico saw it and then had a chance to ask John McCain himself the now-famous number question. Only then, Hayden reminded us, did the Obama team jump on. "Outsiders triggering situations -- that's the only way to win."
For more Huffington Post coverage from the Democratic National Convention, visit our Politics @ the DNC page, our Democratic Convention Big News Page, and our HuffPost bloggers' Twitter feed, live from Denver.
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So Hayden thinks Obama has a chance to reboot and gives the "how many houses does McCain have?" as a hopeful sign. What is the message of this? It is not ok for Cindy McCain to have the benefits of the gift her father gave her in wealth and houses? This is not the American dream? The war hero should not have married the rich white girl?
Hayden endorsed Obama early. He glorified Obama's chances to win for all Democrats and helped his movement grow feeding on lost memories of the 60's.
He called it a grass roots organizing movement! I experienced this gestapo Obama movement in my caucus where only O voters were encouraged to vote at my caucus site.
I really wanted my vote to count this year. Now, the least likely Dem candidate has the nomination (after Wednesday), and Hayden is promoting his book and admitting Obama will likely lose. Curses on these movement "leaders" who led us astray in the 60's and who lead us astray today.
There is "truthiness" reaking from your post- in other words this stinks of BS.
Ahhh, the wisdom of Tom "Chicken Little" Hayden. When Tom is running for office, he tells us there is always hope. When someone else is in the driver's seat, he tells us the sky is falling. Yawn.
I'm with Homer Simpson, who, after finishing a very tedious table puzzle, quipped, "Now, let's see. This is either an old coconut or Tom Hayden."
Tom, perhaps it's time for you and Cokie to take nice, long vacation in Martha's Vinyard. We really don't need your nay-saying right now. Rather than whining, we're busy helping get our \next POTUS elected.
Obama/Biden '08
Tom is dead on. America would never vote against a white war hero.
Regards,
John Kerry
Bob Dole
George McGovern
John McCain
Characteristically, for a man of his generation, Tom Hayden seems to think that only he and the likes of him know how to start a revolution. "Our country is full of the wreckage of the 60s.": So it is, and he is part of it.
For some sound advice check Paul Krugman's recent piece in the New York Times: Barack Obama's job is really just to remind the electorate that he is the Democrat and John McCain is the Republican. At this point, that will make the difference.
To my knowledge, Tom Hayden has never been right about anything, and I remember him from his earliest days. He has always been a fool.
As to the police presence in Denver, it seems to be reasonable. Who would imagine that it would be wise to have minimal cops when a black man is about to be nominated? If we ever need a serious police presence, now is probably the time, and Denver the place.
I have one image of the Chicago 68 convention
I pray that these riot crowd control police in Denver are much more controlled and able to maintain control without precipitating an ugly dangerous riot situation where much personal injury and property damage results.
I agree with Mr. Hayden on one point, Barack is spending way too much time on wooing blue-collar white male voters that aren't going to vote for a black man no matter what. He should have chosen Bill Richardson for his V.P. and concentrated his efforts on increasing his hispanic support, a demographic that was open to voting for him. I sincerely believe Barack could have gotten his hispanic support up to 75% percent with a Richardson V.P. selection and made the "good ol'boy" electorate irrelevant, but somebody has convinced him that he has to have the "stamp of approval" from a bunch of rednecks to become president, I believe we can thank Hillary for that.
Food for thought, what if Barack threw his support behind Al Gore at the last minute, with the understanding that Gore would step down after three years and turn the presidency over to him, so he could run as an incumbent in four years? Such an act wouldn't give the Republicans any opportunity to react, Al Gore would win by a landslide, Barack would then have three years experience as the V.P., thereby, killing the inexperience argument and it would effectively eliminate Hillary for good. Just thinking out loud, afterall, it is about winning.
Tommy Tommy TOMMY!.. Dude 68 is over. The Nixonites won! Brother all those twerps running everything, the judiciary, Rove. They LEARNED form their mistakes.
Why do you think the are signing up for timetables for withdrawal and bumping up the presence in Afghanistan? They are taking that feather out of the progressives hats. How did the last halfway reasonable candidate get elected? "It was the economy stupid" to quote.
As a teetering businessman I see the terror all around from the failed conservative tricklenomics. The chink in these creepy conservatives scam is the horrific damage they have wrought on the basic ability to feed ones family. They can claim the surge worked, they can claim they are rededicating themselves in Afghanistan, but they can not fix their failed economic Reaganomic, Bush, Hoover modus. Eighty to ninety percent of Americans are stunned to be moving backwards ECONOMICALLY over the last eight years. Its the economy stupid! Everything else is easily manipulated.
Touche Tom, I also have been predicting Obama will loose the election is already bought and paid for.
I am afraid Mr. Hayden is right. Obama is gonna lose this election. Many whites are simply too prejudiced not to demonstrate that prejudice at the polling booth.
See, Lucy, here's the problem with you democrats. You can't even lose with dignity and insight.
Grasshoppers,
I'm with Hayden. Read "Just How Stupid Are We?:Facing the Truth About the American Voter." To paraphrase BillMaher, Americans are too stupid to be governed. Besides trolls/PUMAs, you're preaching to the converted.
From MSM pund-idiots; to silly and uninformed speculative advice from critics in all directions; to endless Clinton drama (including that HRC ran a bad campaign); to Carville/Rendell; to PUMAs (hyped by MSM) and trolls; to being the first AA presidential candidate; Obama is a po*li*ti*cal pri*oner of the w*r in his own party.
We don't hear Obama talk about the impossibility of being the first AA candidate. We don't hear about the as*as*i*ation threats to him and his family. Is he black enough? Enough like "us"? People advise him to get angrier, more passionate, more emotional, more this/that. I'm with JesseJacks
Just how contorted does everyone want Obama 2b?
Apart from Obama's desire to serve and his ambition (yes, ambition) to do it, I wish he could say, "S*rew it," and walk away from this insanity. Many Dems don't deserve his caliber. So know this: I will proudly vote for Obama/Biden. Then, no matter what happens, I will say "Sc*ew it," and walk away with my very long memory of all that’s gone down.
Bill Maher, one of the great political thinkers of are time?
I guess Tom Hayden would see those guys arrested for weapons and meth as just a couple of good ol' boys having a bit of fun. Beware of false prophets!
Someone please tell me what is wrong with Barack going back to his home state for vacation?
Another questions, why does the Cokie's of the the press treat Hawaii as if it is a foreign country and not a state in the union?
Hawaii rocks!!!!!
What island did he stay on? Kauai is my favorite..
Tom Hayden has no credibility to assess the electorate or the number of police. And isn't the author the one who started "bittergate"? What credibility does she have? People like Hayden and Fowler don't need any hope for the future because their only issue is themselves.
Can a so-called "War hero" use such a resume to win an election? Where was McCain when another hero from that war, triple amputee, Senator Max Clelend, was Swift Boated ans defeated by a man who was deferred due to a high school football injury? The only issue in this election ending this insane war which Bush started and which McCain now openly admits he will expand it to attacking Iran when he wins. Steve WW2
What a downer.thi
Why didn't Obama choose Clinton?
- She's too geared up to run in 2012. Get a VP that won't run against you in the next term.
- Three words : William.Je
- She has too much baggage - and the Pubs have too much unused ammo for her and Bill.
- She slammed him too hard during the primary...
- A lot of people still don't like her from when she was First Lady.
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