What to make of the latest pummeling of Obama? Well, I'm not worried in the least. Wonder why? Let me put it like this ...
What I love about Obama is that he can take it all on the chin and come out fighting, not only beating back the attacks in the process, but standing up stronger for it.
People are tired of the same-old, same-old petty drivel that has passed for politics in recent years. It's partly why McCain, the "Maverick," captured the GOP nomination and why Hillary the "Annointed One" has to draw from the Rove/Morris playbook to try to stem the appeal of Obama, whose nomination is virtually in the bag.
But I have to give it to the cynics and hyperpartisans out there, on both sides of the aisle: their style of baseless and exaggerated attack-dog politics doesn't die easily. The practitioners of this kind of politics of yesteryear, a kind of politics so despised by most Americans, are pretty tenacious in fighting against the changing tide of seriousness, thoughtfulness, and candor that someone like Obama brings to the table. I find Obama's style of politics to be quite refreshing given what we're used to. (And, to be fair, I have to say that there are some conservative politicians, too, as much as I vigorously disagree with their policy positions, whose style of politics I find equally refreshing for the same reasons. I have to admit that I think of Bobby Jindal, as distasteful as I find his conservative agenda to be, as such an individual.) I think Americans are aching for people with dispositions like Obama and Jindal. And the ideologues on both sides better beware they don't underestimate their appeal. Obama is not perfect, and he has (and will) make mistakes: but it's precisely because of how he plays the game of politics that these mistakes are likely not to cost him as much as some people think they will, and why people are willing to listen to what he has to say in defense of himself when he makes a mistake or flubs the delivery of a point.
I could be wrong, but I predict that Obama will handle this latest salvo against him as he usually does: honestly, forthrightly, and sincerely. And people, I think, are disposed to give him some breathing space for this. I predict further that he will finish as strongly, if not more strongly, in the race for the Democratic Party nomination.
I doubt the current controversy is likely to cause Obama to lose any votes among the rural populations he was addressing... those people weren't going to vote for him anyway. (many people in my neck of the woods believe he is either a Muslim or the Anti-Christ, or possibly both).
ReplyDeleteThe real question is whether it will damage him with the larger population. I don't think the claims of "snobbery" will cost him any votes with people who were already planning to vote for him, but it can't help his appeal to undecided voters, either in the primary elecection or later in the genreal.
But on this issue I'm sure we agree: I am sick to death of all rhetorical sniping against Obama, deserved or not, and am ready for the conversation to turn towards the actual issues and the candidates' proposed policies to address them. Everything else is just window dressing. It is bound to happen eventually, and the sooner the better!
uh eric, Obama said he would rather debate change rather than issues. This guy is gonna bomb out like Hiroshima.
ReplyDeleteAs for costing him votes....see Tanking