The Hero stumbles

Steve Benen:

Now, I should note that I’ve seen some Obama supporters use this to rationalize major losses yesterday. As the refrain goes, “You won, but only because you took the campaign in an ugly direction.”

That, frankly, sounds a little petty, and it’s not the point I’m trying to emphasize. Rather, Clinton’s kitchen-sink strategy is a clear explanation of what worked and changed the campaign dynamic over the last week. It’s not even a mystery — one can look at the Ohio polls before the attacks began and after. And in Texas, before and after. Obama had narrowed the gap, and Clinton had seen her double-digit leads disappear. Then she launched the no-holds-barred attacks, and for the first time in the entire campaign, Obama’s numbers slipped. It’s hard to call this a coincidence.

This isn’t a value judgment. If you’re an Obama fan, the argument is, “Clinton couldn’t make an affirmative case for her nomination, so she had to tear Obama down. She’ll do anything to win, even if it hurts the party and helps Republicans.” If you’re a Clinton, the argument is, “We played rough, and it worked. This proves that Clinton is a fighter. Besides, if Obama can’t withstand relentless attacks now, he won’t be able to withstand relentless attacks later.”

Who’s right? In all likelihood, both are.

On "On the Media" last week, Brooke Gladstone spoke with Bill Powers, media critic for National Journal, to revisit Powell's theory of the "seven stages" of the media's focus on a candidate. Powers admitted that up until that interview, Obama hadn't reached "stage six" with the media -- "the flop." Powers was amazed it hadn't happened and explained that Obama just seemed to elude, "gazelle-like," a flopping performance because of his style -- a combination of logic and calm in the face of attacks. Was the past week -- Benen's "kitchen sink" of Razko, NAFTA/Canada, SNL, and momentum-stalling (though not delegate-changing) Ohio and Texas results last night -- a prelude to the flop? And, if so, will Barack reach stage seven: ultimate redemption?