A Good Question

I'm pretty sure this is not a headline the Obama campaign wanted to wake up to this morning.

Obama's Test: Can a Liberal Be a Unifier?

The New York Times goes on to ask:

"At the core of Senator Barak Obama's presidential campaign is a promise that he can transcend the starkly red-and-blue politics of the last 15 years, end the partisan and ideological wars and build a new governing majority."

"But this promise leads, inevitably, to a question: Can such a majority be built and led by Mr. Obama, whose voting record was, by one ranking, the most liberal in the Senate last year?"

My guess is that he probably can, but only if voters allow him to be successful in making this a race about his personality and not his past performance.

To date, the Obama campaign has treated voters like a bunch of deep-pocketed venture capitalists.

He knows his views and his record won't seal the deal, and that's exactly why he isn't selling a record of past success, or even a detailed plan for future success. He's selling a "big idea" and the potential that the idea will make people rich - figuratively, of course.

The answer to the Times' question will come in whether voters demand more of Obama than the 30-second elevator pitch they've heard so far. With that demand comes the tough questions on his voting record and an examination of his views on the issues that so far he's tried so hard to avoid.

UPDATE: The Washington Post weighs in on the issue too.

And one more thing. This might not be the best explanation from the Obama campaign as to why his voting record is what it is.

"They also note that his "most liberal" ranking in the National Journal was slanted by the many votes he missed while campaigning."