I am still in disbelief and sleep-deprived from election night. I feel like I am living in a dreamy parallel universe where Barack Obama has won the election and my big brother actually sends me a text message acknowledging "u were right all along AND u r probably the smartest." I must be dreaming. I am elated. I am exhausted. And I am thinking-
Why does it mean so much that Barack Obama won this election?
The obvious answer is race. Little kids of every race and of mixed race can now dare to dream about being President someday. (Thanks to Hillary's historic run, girls can too.) In Obama I see the faces of the kids sitting next to my sons in school, and the brilliant kids I went to school with myself, some black and some biracial, just like Barack. Just like President Obama.
For older Americans, it is, as someone said, as if the country has been reborn. For me, it means whenever Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come" comes on the radio, I start tearing up again. And that endless sea of people of every shade coming together in Grant Park - that's Barack's America. And ours.
On a smaller and pettier generational note: Finally, FINALLY - the Boomers are out of power. We can stop fighting the stale battles of Vietnam and who inhaled and focus on today's world with all of its complexities and challenges. Just in time.
Obama's election also marks the beginning of the end of Idiocracy (I can dream too, can't I?). Obama never talked down to us. He never tried to be someone he wasn't (except perhaps in that unfortunate bowling incident). He never dumbed it down. In fact, Obama would tell us not to fall for the ol' "okey-doke" when the other side tried to go to the lowest common denominator. He trusted us to be smart enough to get it, and he wasn't afraid to show he was a pretty smart guy too. As Obama said many times on the campaign trail, now was no time to have a "big election about small things." For once, we got it right and brushed aside the nonsense.
Apathy went out of fashion. Remember in 2000, when you heard over and over, "It doesn't matter if Bush or Gore becomes President. It makes no difference to my life." We know now how much it matters, in lives lost and in lost livelihoods. It matters. People who had never voted before showed up this time and their votes counted and they helped to elect the next President of the United States - because it matters. I especially want to thank the radio personalities - like my personal favorite Michael Baisden - who never let up about the election and the importance of having a voice.
At last, the Good Guys won. I was never so thrilled as when Clinton won in 1992 because it felt like the political shadow over almost my entire childhood and adolescence had lifted, and the sun was out for the first time. As my four-year-old son Mills says, "Barack Obama cares about everyone." That's it exactly. I have never felt that the Republicans cared about everyone. Not when they only want to win in "real" (read: rural white Christian) America and hold their election night party at an exclusive gazillion dollar resort. Not back when Reagan conjured up the "welfare queen" or when Pat Buchanan railed against gay rights and feminism at the 1992 Republican Convention or when McCain put air quotes around "the health of the mother."
When Barack Obama says he will be the President for the United States of America, I believe him. He understands that the problem is not that government has been in our way, but that government has not been by our side when it matters. He understands that we need to restore the social contract in America and bring back a spirit of national service. Of course President Obama won't be able to solve all our problems, but he can surely lead us in a better direction than that of the past eight years. He gets it. He's smart. He cares about everyone.
Amazingly, he won. I'm wide awake.
The sun is shining.
Showing posts with label Presidential election. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Presidential election. Show all posts
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Never Say Never
Five things I thought I'd never ever ever do . . . and have done.
1. Go to law school
Somehow during my upbringing (ahem, Mom and Dad) I got the distinct message that going to law school was not a desirable life choice. (Maybe I imagined this, like I thought there was some big political reason for me never getting to join the Girl Scouts, and when I asked Mom about it, she said, "I don't know. Maybe you had a music lesson that day?") So I declared that I would never, ever do such a thing. But then there I was after three and half years of blissfully not thinking about a productive career or even what comes after college. My now-husband commented on my Spockian logic in arguments and got me to take the LSAT. My parents commented on how I could go to Case law school on a faculty-kid tuition waiver. And the rest is history.
2. Go to Case
Come to think of it, I am pretty sure I never intended to go to Case, what with both my parents working there. But at least in law school I could borrow their car (and run it into the garage door, oops).
3. Go back to school ever again after law school
I was absolutely sure of this up until this past summer, when I enrolled in creative writing courses at Cleveland State and had the time of my life. Now I am seriously considering pursuing an MFA.
4. Break up with a friend
Like breaking up with a guy, only a million times worse. But sometimes necessary.
5. Sign up for Weight Watchers
As a foodie raised by foodies, I was positive I could never look at each bite numerically (counting up the Weight Watchers daily "points"). But I looked around me (or tried to, I do need to lose a few pounds) and noticed that the people I know who have successfully lost weight have done it with WW. So after consulting with my trusty friend Jen, I joined the online version (I am way too introverted, not to mention busy, for meetings. The very thought makes me shudder). I actually really like it, though the website is just as addictive as the snacks I am learning to avoid.
6. Vote for a Republican President
Ha! Just seeing if you were paying attention. Ain't gonna happen. But in all other matters, never say never!
1. Go to law school
Somehow during my upbringing (ahem, Mom and Dad) I got the distinct message that going to law school was not a desirable life choice. (Maybe I imagined this, like I thought there was some big political reason for me never getting to join the Girl Scouts, and when I asked Mom about it, she said, "I don't know. Maybe you had a music lesson that day?") So I declared that I would never, ever do such a thing. But then there I was after three and half years of blissfully not thinking about a productive career or even what comes after college. My now-husband commented on my Spockian logic in arguments and got me to take the LSAT. My parents commented on how I could go to Case law school on a faculty-kid tuition waiver. And the rest is history.
2. Go to Case
Come to think of it, I am pretty sure I never intended to go to Case, what with both my parents working there. But at least in law school I could borrow their car (and run it into the garage door, oops).
3. Go back to school ever again after law school
I was absolutely sure of this up until this past summer, when I enrolled in creative writing courses at Cleveland State and had the time of my life. Now I am seriously considering pursuing an MFA.
4. Break up with a friend
Like breaking up with a guy, only a million times worse. But sometimes necessary.
5. Sign up for Weight Watchers
As a foodie raised by foodies, I was positive I could never look at each bite numerically (counting up the Weight Watchers daily "points"). But I looked around me (or tried to, I do need to lose a few pounds) and noticed that the people I know who have successfully lost weight have done it with WW. So after consulting with my trusty friend Jen, I joined the online version (I am way too introverted, not to mention busy, for meetings. The very thought makes me shudder). I actually really like it, though the website is just as addictive as the snacks I am learning to avoid.
6. Vote for a Republican President
Ha! Just seeing if you were paying attention. Ain't gonna happen. But in all other matters, never say never!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
What Do I Have Against Hillary and Her Peeps Anyway?
Why am I hatin' on all the Hillary supporters? Friends (as John McCain would say), that's not it at all. My whole family was for Hillary. Some of my best friends were for Hillary. My most brilliant students were for Hillary. Do I think they are stupid and knee-jerk? No. I also don't think they will sit out the election or vote for McCain for spite. But I did sit beside a Hillary supporter at the Cleveland Heights Democrats meeting who told me she just wouldn't vote for President since Hillary was so wronged. I've seen their quotes in the paper or on the news about how four years of McCain would be worth it to allow Hillary to run again. I saw that woman crying (and crying and crying) on CNN. PUMAs do exist. I profoundly disagree with them.
Now, there are plenty of people out there who believe McCain is best for America. Fine. I disagree with them too. But I'm not upset with true McCain supporters in particular, because they are voting their convictions. I am upset with the PUMAs in the Democratic party who will vote against their political beliefs just to avenge Hillary's loss in the primary. That is self-destructive, and unfair to the rest of us who would have to live with his policies just so they can get their petty (or strategic) revenge. And it degrades the democratic process.
If you have talked politics with me recently, you know I Don't Like Hillary. I got very tired of her tactics. I got very tired of her presenting herself as Co-President when she was really Wife Of (Obama should have been much more critical of her "experience" claim - now it is the gospel). I got very tired of her sense of entitlement. In short, I really don't like her style. Plus, I don't trust her. I feel like she will vote conservative if I turn my back for a second and she thinks it will help her win the next election.
But that's just my opinion. Plenty of people voted for Hillary because they truly believe she is the best candidate. However, I also can't count how many times I saw someone in the news say they just wanted to see a woman elected President before they die. That's great, but don't vote McCain because it didn't happen. That just leaves the rest of us hanging.
I have been for Obama since '04, when my jaw dropped during his convention keynote address. "Who IS this guy?" (and it had nothing to do with his looks this time, I swear.) He cuts through all the noise that other politicians thrive on. He gets it. It's not superiority or conceit on the part of Obama supporters - it's just our conviction that this is the right guy, and as we all know, the right guy hardly ever shows up at the right time, so let's get him elected.
The bottom line is, if the PUMA Democrats don't vote Obama, it will be one of the reasons we (all) lose. Don't be a PUMA, people!
Monday, September 1, 2008
PUMA Patrol
Ok, I looked up "PUMA" and found it stands for the very classy "Party Unity My Ass." That's beautiful, isn't it? I like my version better.
I also just perused McCain's abysmal record on women's issues. This link comes from the Obama campaign and appears to be accurate. Women who will vote for McCain just to get back at Barack Obama are throwing the rest of us under the so-called Straight-Talk Express.
Now, maybe it is a stereotype that the PUMAs are all baby boomer women, but I still think there is a big generational conflict here. Hillary and her PUMAs were all about electing a woman because she's a woman. Yes, I know they believe she's more qualified, but the real pain comes from the fact that we were thisclose to nominating the first woman, and the cool handsome young male upstart took it all away. So obsessed with the retro-feminist factor, they can't even appreciate what it means to black and biracial kids across the country that they might soon have a President who looks like them.
PUMAs seem to be mired in an outdated version of the women's movement the way Presidential politics for decades were mired in Vietnam (and I'm afraid that measuring contest's not over yet, with McCain and Biden on the tickets). Is it a coincidence that blouses with bow-ties are back in the stores? Is it all about getting a woman into a man's world or are the issues more nuanced now? That's not to say it won't be a milestone when we finally do have a woman President or that the women of the sixties didn't break down doors for the rest of us to walk right through. But we have to live in the present, and the fact is, now women are walking through those doors as breadwinners for our families and as caregivers, going to work with our kids and our infants and our breast pumps and yes, our ambitions. There's a lot more to this election than feminist symbolism. There's modern feminist reality.
Frankly, I don't want these sore losers dictating my and my kids' future. Here on the ground, we need expanded and paid family leave, equal pay for equal work, access to universal preschool and childcare, a woman's right to choose, sex education that's based in science, not religious belief. We need the Hillary feminists of yesterday to get with today's program. Yeah, that means get over it. (Hey guys - the same goes for Vietnam.)
If PUMAs vote for McCain or sit this one out, they can only blame themselves when it all falls apart. Of course, many of them will be comfortably sitting back on their pensions and Social Security, plotting for Hillary's comeback in 2012. Their daughters and grandchildren will pay the real price.
I also just perused McCain's abysmal record on women's issues. This link comes from the Obama campaign and appears to be accurate. Women who will vote for McCain just to get back at Barack Obama are throwing the rest of us under the so-called Straight-Talk Express.
Now, maybe it is a stereotype that the PUMAs are all baby boomer women, but I still think there is a big generational conflict here. Hillary and her PUMAs were all about electing a woman because she's a woman. Yes, I know they believe she's more qualified, but the real pain comes from the fact that we were thisclose to nominating the first woman, and the cool handsome young male upstart took it all away. So obsessed with the retro-feminist factor, they can't even appreciate what it means to black and biracial kids across the country that they might soon have a President who looks like them.
PUMAs seem to be mired in an outdated version of the women's movement the way Presidential politics for decades were mired in Vietnam (and I'm afraid that measuring contest's not over yet, with McCain and Biden on the tickets). Is it a coincidence that blouses with bow-ties are back in the stores? Is it all about getting a woman into a man's world or are the issues more nuanced now? That's not to say it won't be a milestone when we finally do have a woman President or that the women of the sixties didn't break down doors for the rest of us to walk right through. But we have to live in the present, and the fact is, now women are walking through those doors as breadwinners for our families and as caregivers, going to work with our kids and our infants and our breast pumps and yes, our ambitions. There's a lot more to this election than feminist symbolism. There's modern feminist reality.
Frankly, I don't want these sore losers dictating my and my kids' future. Here on the ground, we need expanded and paid family leave, equal pay for equal work, access to universal preschool and childcare, a woman's right to choose, sex education that's based in science, not religious belief. We need the Hillary feminists of yesterday to get with today's program. Yeah, that means get over it. (Hey guys - the same goes for Vietnam.)
If PUMAs vote for McCain or sit this one out, they can only blame themselves when it all falls apart. Of course, many of them will be comfortably sitting back on their pensions and Social Security, plotting for Hillary's comeback in 2012. Their daughters and grandchildren will pay the real price.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Who the Hell is Sarah Palin? and Other Questions
It's time for some political questions of the moment:
1. Who the hell is Sarah Palin? Yes I know, devoted hockey mom meets the religious right. I actually think this was a brilliant BRILLIANT chess move by McCain, but I hope I am wrong about that. It neutralizes Biden (can't pick on her in the debates or he's sexist, right Hillary?) and puts a happy personable human next to McCain. Of course, standing next to McCain, she also makes him look particularly elderly and creaky, which I like. Hopefully the concerns over her lack of experience and preparation will win the day. And is it just me (being sexist?) but who goes back to work running the state 3 days after having a special needs baby and then runs for vice-president 5 months later? Scary Republican Super-Mom, that's who.
2. Is Barack going to be tough in more than one speech? Barack did a great job in his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention. As one commentator said, "Here is a Democrat who has found his spine." He attacked head-on the notion that only Republicans can be trusted with wars and national security. He alluded to McCain's volatile temperment as a liability. He said, "ENOUGH." Will Barack keep it up or was that a one-time show? Everyone knows Obama is a superb speaker, but he has been notoriously generous with his opponents. Yes, it's part of his charm, but there's no time for that now. I heard comedian D.L. Hughley on the radio the other day giving some of the best political analysis I have heard in a while. He said we gotta fight this dirty, like a Republican or a Clinton. Ok, maybe not quite that dirty. But wouldn't it be great to see an ad that cuts all McCain's senior moments together with perhaps some temper and "bomb bomb Iran" for good measure? Take off the gloves, Barack. We'll still love you.
And speaking of the Clintons . . .
3. Do they really mean it? Hillary and Bill both gave excellent speeches at the DNC. In Hillary's though, I would have liked to hear less about Hillary (we get it, you were ALMOST President and you're a WOMAN) and more about why she supports Obama other than that he is not McCain. But she did everything she could to get those (in Rachel Maddow's terminology) "post-rational" PUMAs to vote for Barack. Bill filled the gap in Hillary's speech beautifully. He detailed why Obama is qualified to be President and noted that people thought Bill Clinton wasn't experienced enough either - but then we had all that prosperity and happiness back then when he was President. Remember? Remember? But until I see Bill and Hillary relentlessly on the campaign trail for Obama (and Hillary, in particular, putting the smackdown on the Palin strategy) I can't help but think what they are thinking: 2012.
4. Will the damage done by Hillary in the primary decide the election? Yes, conventional wisdom is that she acquitted herself and all is forgiven because of that speech in #3, above. But every devastating word Hillary said about Obama in the primary is now being replayed in McCain ads. Hillary painted Obama as inexperienced and unqualified for months without Republicans having to lift a finger. And then there are those rabid PUMAs - I don't know what it stands for (that's another question!) but I am guessing it is People United to Make America suck. Just sayin'.
5. In the debates, will the moderators take to heart Obama's admonition not to make this big election about little things? Or will they pursue tabloid "gotcha" questioning, as they did in the primary debates? Then their (lame) excuse was that the policy differences between Hillary and Barack were so slight, they simply had to ask about inconsequential nonsense. That line of reasoning is out the window with Obama and McCain, Biden and Palin. So now what? I won't hold my breath in this Britney-Lohan nation, but let's have the audacity to hope for something better.
6. And speaking of Britney and Lindsay Lohan, why when I listen to 96.5 Kiss FM (Cleveland's local top-40 pop station) would I think that there isn't even a Presidential campaign underway? All the newsbreaks are about "celebrities," and no, even Obama doesn't make the cut. It's irresponsible to fill young people's heads with nothing but fluff, even if you're not NPR (ick). They could take a lesson from Michael Baisden or Tom Joyner, who use their radio airwaves for more than just entertainment.
7. Finally - Is it ok to say Barack Obama is hot? My friend Jen texted me the night of the speech: "Obama is so dreamy!" Totally! Remember when the Republicans thought women would vote for Bush I because of Dan Quayle? We were so offended. Number 1, we don't vote based on looks. Number 2, Quayle was so not hot! Barack Obama is another story entirely. Of course that gleaming smile is so NOT why I'm voting for him.
Stay tuned . . .
1. Who the hell is Sarah Palin? Yes I know, devoted hockey mom meets the religious right. I actually think this was a brilliant BRILLIANT chess move by McCain, but I hope I am wrong about that. It neutralizes Biden (can't pick on her in the debates or he's sexist, right Hillary?) and puts a happy personable human next to McCain. Of course, standing next to McCain, she also makes him look particularly elderly and creaky, which I like. Hopefully the concerns over her lack of experience and preparation will win the day. And is it just me (being sexist?) but who goes back to work running the state 3 days after having a special needs baby and then runs for vice-president 5 months later? Scary Republican Super-Mom, that's who.
2. Is Barack going to be tough in more than one speech? Barack did a great job in his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention. As one commentator said, "Here is a Democrat who has found his spine." He attacked head-on the notion that only Republicans can be trusted with wars and national security. He alluded to McCain's volatile temperment as a liability. He said, "ENOUGH." Will Barack keep it up or was that a one-time show? Everyone knows Obama is a superb speaker, but he has been notoriously generous with his opponents. Yes, it's part of his charm, but there's no time for that now. I heard comedian D.L. Hughley on the radio the other day giving some of the best political analysis I have heard in a while. He said we gotta fight this dirty, like a Republican or a Clinton. Ok, maybe not quite that dirty. But wouldn't it be great to see an ad that cuts all McCain's senior moments together with perhaps some temper and "bomb bomb Iran" for good measure? Take off the gloves, Barack. We'll still love you.
And speaking of the Clintons . . .
3. Do they really mean it? Hillary and Bill both gave excellent speeches at the DNC. In Hillary's though, I would have liked to hear less about Hillary (we get it, you were ALMOST President and you're a WOMAN) and more about why she supports Obama other than that he is not McCain. But she did everything she could to get those (in Rachel Maddow's terminology) "post-rational" PUMAs to vote for Barack. Bill filled the gap in Hillary's speech beautifully. He detailed why Obama is qualified to be President and noted that people thought Bill Clinton wasn't experienced enough either - but then we had all that prosperity and happiness back then when he was President. Remember? Remember? But until I see Bill and Hillary relentlessly on the campaign trail for Obama (and Hillary, in particular, putting the smackdown on the Palin strategy) I can't help but think what they are thinking: 2012.
4. Will the damage done by Hillary in the primary decide the election? Yes, conventional wisdom is that she acquitted herself and all is forgiven because of that speech in #3, above. But every devastating word Hillary said about Obama in the primary is now being replayed in McCain ads. Hillary painted Obama as inexperienced and unqualified for months without Republicans having to lift a finger. And then there are those rabid PUMAs - I don't know what it stands for (that's another question!) but I am guessing it is People United to Make America suck. Just sayin'.
5. In the debates, will the moderators take to heart Obama's admonition not to make this big election about little things? Or will they pursue tabloid "gotcha" questioning, as they did in the primary debates? Then their (lame) excuse was that the policy differences between Hillary and Barack were so slight, they simply had to ask about inconsequential nonsense. That line of reasoning is out the window with Obama and McCain, Biden and Palin. So now what? I won't hold my breath in this Britney-Lohan nation, but let's have the audacity to hope for something better.
6. And speaking of Britney and Lindsay Lohan, why when I listen to 96.5 Kiss FM (Cleveland's local top-40 pop station) would I think that there isn't even a Presidential campaign underway? All the newsbreaks are about "celebrities," and no, even Obama doesn't make the cut. It's irresponsible to fill young people's heads with nothing but fluff, even if you're not NPR (ick). They could take a lesson from Michael Baisden or Tom Joyner, who use their radio airwaves for more than just entertainment.
7. Finally - Is it ok to say Barack Obama is hot? My friend Jen texted me the night of the speech: "Obama is so dreamy!" Totally! Remember when the Republicans thought women would vote for Bush I because of Dan Quayle? We were so offended. Number 1, we don't vote based on looks. Number 2, Quayle was so not hot! Barack Obama is another story entirely. Of course that gleaming smile is so NOT why I'm voting for him.
Stay tuned . . .
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Gunning for the Dumb Vote
Have you seen the movie “Idiocracy”? In this satiric look at America’s future, a soldier selected for his averageness and a prostitute trying to escape her pimp are frozen in an army experiment, forgotten, and emerge 500 years later, when the United States has devolved into a society dominated by sex, violence, and crass corporate commercialism. Everyone in the future is gravely stupid as a result of the intelligentsia having fewer and fewer children for generations, while the dumb people had more and more kids. The two average folks from the past are now the smartest people in the world. The President of this future America is a professional wrestler, like the ones on WWE.
That’s right, the WWE where you recently saw our current Presidential candidates posturing for votes. Sometimes I worry that the future is now.
I don’t mean to sound like another Ivy League-educated elitist, but doesn’t it seem like the Presidential campaign keeps getting dumber and dumber? Here’s Hillary, throwing back whiskey and beer, talking about huntin’, that is when she isn’t dodging sniper fire in her personal Rambo movie. There’s Hillary threatening to “totally obliterate” Iran, leading Iran to complain to the U.N. about the threat from She-who-would-be-President-or-else. (You can almost hear John McCain singing that old ditty of his, “Bomb, bomb Iran” in the background.)
Hillary leads among Democratic voters who have a high school education or less, as well as among hunters, gun owners, and bowlers. Barack Obama is portrayed by the Clinton campaign and others as an Ivy League-educated elitist. At the same time, it’s hinted, Obama just might be an angry racist black man or Muslim – I mean, as far as we know. Wait, it’s been a full five minutes since someone mentioned crazy Jeremiah Wright – that’s far too long!
Hillary had a nice privileged upbringing and an Ivy League education. Like George W. Bush, she’s trying to portray herself as the candidate we’d like to have a beer (or a near beer) with. President Bush was elected on that basis – Gore and Kerry were too intellectual, too stiff, too “French” – and the results have been just peachy.
Not to say that Hillary isn’t smart. Her wonky command of policy detail is well documented. She’s also clever like a fox, as her sound bites and those of Fox News on Barack become harder and harder to distinguish. She’s not trying to play dumb (that would be career suicide for a woman politician); she’s just gunning for the dumb vote.
The media is interested in the dumb vote too - critical thinking is overrated when it comes to ratings. Who wants to hear about Jena, Louisiana when we can hear about Jamie Lynn Spears in Louisiana? Who wants to hear the candidates answer substantive debate questions about United States policy and the direction of the nation, when we can keep playing an endlessly fascinating game of gotcha?
On the election front, Hillary wouldn’t have it any other way. To paraphrase one of the slogans from her boomer ‘60’s: if it works for her, do it.
Barack Obama doesn’t want to play the same old game. He tried to elevate the conversation from the very start of his campaign, and for a while, it seemed like it might work. But now even he has been put on the defensive and forced into the dumb and dumber trenches. His own missteps like Bittergate haven’t helped nor has the media-hungry Reverend Wright. It’s a shame.
Barack Obama is a member of an elite, not because of his circumstances (he and Michelle only recently paid off their school loans, and are not part of any Presidential dynasty), but because he is asking the American people to rise above all the idiocy. That’s a rare and risky position to take, but he knows nothing will change until we do. Yet, with the media and his Democratic rival hurtling headfirst into the idiotic future, where is the hope? Barack needs to get his groove back and get back on message and above the fray. America needs to listen and follow him out of the muck. We can’t be so dumb as to repeat the same political nonsense over and over again, and expect a different result.
That’s right, the WWE where you recently saw our current Presidential candidates posturing for votes. Sometimes I worry that the future is now.
I don’t mean to sound like another Ivy League-educated elitist, but doesn’t it seem like the Presidential campaign keeps getting dumber and dumber? Here’s Hillary, throwing back whiskey and beer, talking about huntin’, that is when she isn’t dodging sniper fire in her personal Rambo movie. There’s Hillary threatening to “totally obliterate” Iran, leading Iran to complain to the U.N. about the threat from She-who-would-be-President-or-else. (You can almost hear John McCain singing that old ditty of his, “Bomb, bomb Iran” in the background.)
Hillary leads among Democratic voters who have a high school education or less, as well as among hunters, gun owners, and bowlers. Barack Obama is portrayed by the Clinton campaign and others as an Ivy League-educated elitist. At the same time, it’s hinted, Obama just might be an angry racist black man or Muslim – I mean, as far as we know. Wait, it’s been a full five minutes since someone mentioned crazy Jeremiah Wright – that’s far too long!
Hillary had a nice privileged upbringing and an Ivy League education. Like George W. Bush, she’s trying to portray herself as the candidate we’d like to have a beer (or a near beer) with. President Bush was elected on that basis – Gore and Kerry were too intellectual, too stiff, too “French” – and the results have been just peachy.
Not to say that Hillary isn’t smart. Her wonky command of policy detail is well documented. She’s also clever like a fox, as her sound bites and those of Fox News on Barack become harder and harder to distinguish. She’s not trying to play dumb (that would be career suicide for a woman politician); she’s just gunning for the dumb vote.
The media is interested in the dumb vote too - critical thinking is overrated when it comes to ratings. Who wants to hear about Jena, Louisiana when we can hear about Jamie Lynn Spears in Louisiana? Who wants to hear the candidates answer substantive debate questions about United States policy and the direction of the nation, when we can keep playing an endlessly fascinating game of gotcha?
On the election front, Hillary wouldn’t have it any other way. To paraphrase one of the slogans from her boomer ‘60’s: if it works for her, do it.
Barack Obama doesn’t want to play the same old game. He tried to elevate the conversation from the very start of his campaign, and for a while, it seemed like it might work. But now even he has been put on the defensive and forced into the dumb and dumber trenches. His own missteps like Bittergate haven’t helped nor has the media-hungry Reverend Wright. It’s a shame.
Barack Obama is a member of an elite, not because of his circumstances (he and Michelle only recently paid off their school loans, and are not part of any Presidential dynasty), but because he is asking the American people to rise above all the idiocy. That’s a rare and risky position to take, but he knows nothing will change until we do. Yet, with the media and his Democratic rival hurtling headfirst into the idiotic future, where is the hope? Barack needs to get his groove back and get back on message and above the fray. America needs to listen and follow him out of the muck. We can’t be so dumb as to repeat the same political nonsense over and over again, and expect a different result.
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