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Has Obama Lost the Magic Touch?

2 years ago
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Reading the tea leaves from this year's election to see what they might say about next year's midterms, the New York Times explores whether the magic rhetorical touch Obama demonstrated in winning the White House might not be so magical in 2010.

The Times notes that the gubernatorial candidates for whom Obama campaigned in New Jersey and Virginia had their own fatal flaws, but says the results suggest that Obama's speechifying may not resonate they way it once did.

"Speeches that once set pulses racing now feel more familiar," wrote reporter Peter Baker. "And if that remains the case heading into next year, it could make it more difficult for the Democrats' own Great Communicator to promote his program and carry along allies in crucial midterm elections."

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