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    Change vs. Status Quo; Poll Shows Obama Surge
    By Scott Galindez
    t r u t h o u t | Perspective

    Monday 07 January 2008

Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod works the spin room after a presidential debate in Manchester on Saturday night. (Photo: Scott Galindez / Truthout)

    Manchester, NH - The battle lines are drawn in New Hampshire. Since change won big in Iowa, all the candidates are trying to paint themselves as agents of change. In back-to-back debates in Manchester on Saturday night, many of the candidates attempted to position themselves as the change candidate; on the GOP side one succeeded, Mitt Romney. In an attempt to label Romney a flip-flopper, Sen. John McCain said, 'one thing is for sure, you are the change candidate' to Romney.

    On the Democratic side, John Edwards and Sen. Barack Obama teamed up on Sen. Hillary Clinton, who Edwards labeled at the status quo candidate. Senator Edwards even defended Senator Obama from an attack by Senator Clinton:

    "We have a fundamental difference about the way you bring about change. But both of us are powerful voices for change."

    "And if I might add, we finished first and second in the Iowa caucus, I think in part as a result of that."

    "Now, what I would say this: Any time you speak out powerfully for change, the forces of status quo attack. That's exactly what happens. It's fine to have a disagreement about health care. To say that Senator Obama is having a debate with himself from some Associated Press story I think is just not - that's not the kind of discussion we should be having. I think that every time this happens, what will occur - every time he speaks out for change, every time I fight for change, the forces of status quo are going to attack - every single time. And what we have to remember - and this is the overarching issue here, because what we really need in New Hampshire and in future state primaries, is we need an unfiltered debate between the agents of change about how we bring about that change. Because we have differences about that. But the one thing I do not argue with him about is he believes deeply in change. And I believe deeply in change. And any time you're fighting for that - I mean, I didn't hear these kind of attacks from Senator Clinton when she was ahead. Now that she's not, we hear them." And any time you speak out - any time you speak out for change, this is what happens."

Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul speaks to the media in the spin room following a presidential debate in Manchester on Saturday night. (Photo: Scott Galindez / Truthout)

    Clinton resisted the label, calling the Bush administration the status quo and vowing to bring change to Washington. Senator Obama agreed:

    "I think there's no doubt that any of the candidates on this stage would represent significant change from George Bush. And we've seen a disaster, in both foreign policy and domestic policy, over the last seven years."

    "But what the people in Iowa were responding to, what I think that we're seeing here in New Hampshire, is a hunger for a different kind of politics that is very specific about pushing aside special interests that have come to dominate the agenda and the debate, reducing the power of lobbyists; something that I have done."

    "I think people are very concerned about making sure that the American people are let back into their government."

    After the debate, I asked Elizabeth Edwards and Joe Trippi if we should read anything into Edwards's defense of Obama. Trippi just said no and didn't elaborate, while Mrs. Edwards said it wasn't a defense of Obama as much as it was a defense of change. She said the "status quo always resists and attacks those seeking change."

    On Sunday, Obama responded directly to a charge by Clinton that some candidates are presenting 'false hope'. Obama said, "Women had hope; they struggled for the right to vote, African Americans had hope; they struggled against slavery and oppression. Without hope a man wouldn't have walked on the moon."

    On the Republican side, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney found himself in the hot seat. McCain accused him of both changing his positions on the issues too often and of false charges in attack ads. Volunteers who were watching the debate said Romney looked fake to them. The latest polls show McCain moving ahead.

Sen. Barack Obama rallies supporters and undecideds at the Palace Theater in Manchester, NH, on Sunday morning. Obama responded to Hillary Clinton's allegations that he is spreading "false hope." (Photo: Scott Galindez / Truthout)

    A loss in New Hampshire could be the end of the road for Romney, heading into states where Rudy Giuliani has the advantage.

    Late Sunday, a new poll released by WMUR/CNN showed Obama surging to a 10 point lead 39 percent to 29 percent. If this is accurate, the Democratic race could be over on Tuesday. Donna Brazile, who was Al Gore's campaign manager in 2000, didn't agree; she said the race was a "marathon and would go until February 5th." Brazile did say the results in Iowa felt good and acknowledged Obama has the "momentum"; but she told Truthout even if Obama wins the first three races, she expects the race to continue until super Tuesday.

    Others aren't as cautious; the buzz is an Obama win here sets him up so well in South Carolina this momentum would be very hard to stop.

    In another development, Obama picked up a key endorsement: Former presidential candidate Bill Bradley, who was a favorite among independents in New Hampshire eight years ago, will be campaigning with Obama today.

    "Barack Obama is building a broad new coalition that brings together Democrats, independents and Republicans by once again making idealism a central focus of our politics," Bradley said in a statement released by the Obama campaign.

    Senator Edwards showed no signs of slowing down and has embarked on another 36-hour marathon bus tour through New Hampshire, holding events in the wee hours of the morning. The Edwards campaign argues an Obama win will narrow the race to the real agents of change; and they look forward to a two person race on who is better equipped to bring effective change to Washington.