Obama is already an elusive Rorschach test candidate, and now he’s being pulled by his party in a thousand directions. The Democrats are in danger of doing to Obama what they did to their last two nominees: burying authentic individuals under a layer of prefab themes.
What the DEMOCRATS did to their last two nominees? How about what the main stream media did to the last two democratic nominees. Maureen Dowd, Tim Russert to name two.
Obama’s chief problem in this campaign is that large numbers of voters still don’t know who he is. They are having trouble putting him into one of the categories they use to grasp those they have not met.
And because large numbers of voters still don't know who he is, this makes him an elusive Rorschac test candidate. A tautology mon-sewer Bobo. Not really sure why the voters don't know who Obama is. For months upon end, media covered his campaign fight against Hillary Clinton on a daily basis. He's also written an autobiography. And there is a legislative voting trail.
And now he has to define himself amid the phantasmagorical vapors of his own party: the ghosts of the Kerry campaign, the overshadowing magic of the Kennedys and the ego-opera that perpetually surrounds the Clintons.
Oops. Somehow or another, I thought I remembered Al Gore as one of the last two democratic presidential nominees. Guess Al Gore left no phantasmagorical vapors, no overshadowing magic, and no perpetually surrounding ego-opera. Well, he did manage to win a Nobel Prize. And an election.
Of course, the Obama campaign has been here before. Just about a year ago, Obama was stagnant in the polls. His supporters were nervous and full of advice. And in the crowning moment of his whole race, Obama shut them out. He turned his back on the universe of geniuses and stayed true to his core identity.
Could it be Bobo - that you are trying to tell a large number of voters something about Candidate Obama? When in the crowning moment - Obama stayed true to his core identity. Whatever that core identity might be. Surely, Bobo - you have glimmered it. Please Bobo, tell us some momo. Sounds like ... a narrative is forming there ... the man who when polling stagnant, turns his back on the nervous-nellie universe of geniuses. I guess it goes without saying, that what Bobo seems to say he did, he did, and it worked. Although Bobo does not say soso.
"In the crowning moment of his whole race" sure LOOKS like bobo has made a fruedian here -- and (inadvertantly) pulled the race card out of his lap top. Alternatively, for bobo - maybe this is as good as the "multi-cultural" race is ever gonna get it - one crowning moment - and then the other race can reassert itself.
Is there no editor anywhere in Gotham who might have changed that particular sentence to:
"And in the crowning moment of his entire campaign Obama shut them out."
Maybe not as good as a perfect game, but at least the prospect tossed a shut out. If I may be permitted to torture a sports metaphor some more.
At the core, Obama’s best message has always been this: He is unconnected with the tired old fights that constrict our politics. He is in tune with a new era. He has very little experience but a lot of potential. He does not have big achievements, but he is authentically the sort of person who emerges in a multicultural, globalized age. He is therefore naturally in step with the problems that will confront us in the years to come.
I see it all -- Obama -- a man of not big achievements, but unconnected, skinny on experience, but a lot of potential. If her were a basketball player, one might call him, a project. And naturally in step with the problems that will confront us -- sounds kind of like maybe he IS at the core of the problems that will confront us. Thanks for making it more clear, bobo.
Yes. It is the tired old fights that constrict "our" politics. Not the vested interests. Not the lobbyists. Not the military-industrial-congressional-prison-media-infotainment complex. Not the politicians. Certainly not the GOP, not in the present era of partisan politics.
So as I’m trying to measure the effectiveness of this convention, I’ll be jotting down a little minus mark every time I hear a theme that muddies that image. I’ll jot down a minus every time I hear the old class conflict, and the old culture war themes. I’ll jot down a minus when I see the old Bush obsession rearing its head, which is not part of his natural persona. I’ll write a demerit every time I hear the rich played off against the poor, undercutting Obama’s One America dream.
Now bobo flits from potentially not helping us know the candidate any better (a man not of big achievements might not have any achievements after all, unconnected, skinny on experience) to getting all ready to RAG on the CONVENTION. Get out the red pen. Every jot and tittle, ever image-muddying theme will be checked. Cuz bobo's gonna call you on it - skinny man of little achievement -- if you DARE talk "class conflict", "culture war" or Bush-obsession-head-rearing, bobo gonna hit you with a red demerit. And don't dare play the rich off against the poor, lest you skinny man of little achievemnet undercut your own dream. For which bobo will call you on it.
Don't want none of that class war-fare, lest bobo's marginal rates go up.
Obama may yet recover his core focus. Now he has to preserve it against his most terrifying foes: the “experts” in his own party.
Okay. So now we know better who this Obama is - a prospect who once shut out his own team. Because never let it be said that Carl Rove or Jerome Corsi are anywhere near as terrifying as the democratic party "experts" (which is in quotes here, because they aren't, although please do note, that "geniuses" of universal yore, unto whose backs Obama turned, did not even merit the quotes, because that was too obvious).
Obama is also a loser - in that he lost his core focus; which he may yet recover. And, even though he has not yet recovered his core focus, he has to preserve it. Not so sure you can preserve that which you have yet to recover. Must recover it first. Bobo - you write bad prose. Muddled is as muddled does.
Shorter bobo:
Many voters don't know who Obama is, and I refuse to help them learn. But if he can withstand the terrifying slings and arrows of his own party, rich people should not have to pay higher taxes.
