blogger interrupted

Nick from BSB asks…

Tim, do you think this is going to help or hurt him at home? I honestly don’t know. I think he should be slamming McCain for his “gas pump” ad. Rasmussen’s new poll released today makes me think the trip isn’t working.

First of all, hyper attention to polling at this stage is really a waste of time, especially if you try to tie it to a poll that was clearly taken before Barack got on the plane.  But to the main question….

I think this trip has been an unmitigated success so far.  The pictures have been perfect.  And even the unpredictable moments have gone well.  The three-pointer in Kuwait was just stunning.  Who doesn’t want a president who can hit a 3-pointer in business attire after getting off a transatlantic flight under the pressure of every news organization on earth waiting for you to miss the shot?   Booya.

The Berlin speech has always been problematic.  European political crowds are notoriously flashy and unpredictable, especially if there are a million of them.  However, I’m quite confident in the Obama campaign’s ability to get the shot they want.  I expect the speech to be pretty sedate compared to the average Obama speech.  And I expect the audience to understand that if they really like Obama, the last thing they want to do is make a big spectacle of themselves.  

Also, just wait until Sunday morning’s shows, during which you will see footage of Obama in front of No. 10 Downing Street taking questions from reporters.  There is no shot more presidential than that.  

I also think that in the real, non-blog world, this visit was absolutely necessary, and will take a little time to sink into the electorate.  We tend to want instant gratification, us bloggers.  Yes, the gas pump ad needs responding to, and yes, there are tactical domestic political incidents that come and go while Barack is away.  But the drumbeat of coverage of this visit has been so pervasive, Barack doesn’t really need to be on the rapid response Twitchymobile right now.  He needs this trip.  He’s always needed this trip.  If he didn’t have an insanely long primary to win, he’d have taken it a long time ago.

Don’t worry, this is going to be a great trip all around.

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