Top Five Reasons Obama Fails to Inspire

Obama, you can't hope for change; you must fight for it.

2. Obama Has Not Won a Tough Contest

Many political pundits think the Democrats are a lock to win the presidency, but much can happen in the next year. A big concern I have about Obama is his ability to win in a difficult contest. How will he hold up in a tough fight?

Obama managed to avoid a struggle in his last election for Senate in 2004. His first opponent, Jim Ryan, pulled out of the contest following the release of sordid details from his divorce papers. Next came Alan Keyes. Keyes, who is not from Illinois, proved a simple test for Obama and was blown out without a contest.

In fact, Obama has only faced one difficult battle -- one he lost. He ran for Congress in 2000 against an incumbent, Rep. Bobby Rush (D., Ill.), whom Obama and his staff perceived to be in a poor position after Rush was beaten badly in a mayoral race.

Observers of that race note that Obama underestimated Rush. Obama was an unknown commodity and faced an uphill struggle the entire way, receiving only 30% of the votes. Obama's inexperience hurt him.

While there's no exact parallel to this race, it does raise questions about Obama's experience and his ability to run a long campaign. I still remember an inexperienced John Edwards in the 2004 vice presidential debate against Dick Cheney. Cheney cleaned Edwards' clock.