February 28, 2008
When the history of Campaign 2008 is written, a memorable image will be Hillary Clinton’s poor imitation of Barack Obama as she strode across a stage in Rhode Island mocking the idea that change will come when the sky opens for a “celestial choir.”
Though Sen. Clinton’s performance left many political observers wondering if the long campaign had finally gotten to her, Sen. Obama brushed off the affront with a smile and a generous critique.
5 comments:
I have no problem with Mr. Parry chossing to support a candidate, though his reasons are for that support are obscured behind an almost ceaseless barrage of clumsy criticisms of the other candidate.
Facts are not as malleable as Mr. Parry would have us believe. Senator Obama's skimpy resume, his penchant for preaching instead of detailing his agenda may be symptoms of our political times, or may signify that this candidate really has nothing much to offer outside of a nebulous "hope". I , for one "hope" that the next President has the knowledge, experience and vision to lead us out of this wilderness we find ourselves within as a nation.
Wouldnt it be a better world if we all stuck to the reasons why we support our own choice rather than think the way to a successful campaign is through vilification and slanders? I do not, in fact, support either Senator, Obama or Clinton, or even McCain for that matter. I believe that the issues are being avoided, the plans not mentioned and the appeals emotional rather than cerebral. What a mess! But you, Mr. Parry are contributing to that mess rather than helping to climb out of it.
Just who turned Obama and his tin resume into The Second Coming? Who is this guy behind the curtain?
I wish journalists would deal in facts and worthwhile information, rather than masturbatory rhetoric about Obama the Great. It would sure help democracy if they did.
Well...tin resume was not my intention.
...thin resume
but, "tin" works, too, now that I think of it.
Come on guys -- where's your sense of humor? Hillary's comments about Obama were meant to be funny, as Obama realized. But like a lot of humor they also tell a certain truth about the Obama appeal, which is more like a rock star or preacher than political candidate. Parry's argument that Obama may offer the best chance for real change if he has coattails is right on, even if Hillary is really the better, more experienced candidate. The horrible sexism directed at her by the media and the public has done its work, alas. It remains to be seen whether Obama can escape or counter that type of attack if he is the nominee. It's already begun, but so far has probably had little impact, a lot less than calling Hillary a bitch, to laughter, and worse. Sigh.
The majority of the US voters have been effectively behaving as an alcoholic -- voting on the most superficial, emotional values and immune to all but the most strident intervention which doesn't happen with British 'enablers' and a strong sense of denial & hubris. Similar to a lot of alcoholics, rational entreaties (such as the many excellent progressive/humanistic writings found here and in other websites, magazines, and books) will have no effect - - only a bottoming-out experience MIGHT yield an epiphany, but could just as easily yield a scapegoat/holocaust type of response. Most US voters are not yet desperate enough for a truthful political analysis and fair, humanitarian solutions -- they still want the easy, self-indulgent non-'answers' that they get from the commercial MSM and pandering politicians, duplicitious fundamentalist leaders, and other hucksters (ie; right-wing 'think-tanks', corporate PR types, etc). If this weren't the case, we'd be having a Democratic race between Kucinich & Edwards or Gravel, not Clinton & Obama.
Though I don't hope for it, I sometimes think that it would be better in the long-run if the Republicans won this fall and the results of their corrupt policies continued to clearly and incontrovertibly accumulate against their side of the political ledger. As Mr. Parry notes, if Obama gets elected without a veto-proof majority, he will be almost surely stymied in any reform efforts. The Republicans and the right-wing media machine will be able to unjustifiably pin the lack of progress on he and the Democrats, and in the process, will sully the whole idea of 'hope/change/idealism' for the next two or three election cycles.
Like the alcoholic who doesn't sober up (if not get well), the US may run out of 2nd or 3rd chances, and we've got some BIG problems coming down the pike, with global warming, peak-oil, growing population, regional water supply problems, and economic upheavels arriving in the few decades. The national policies that worked (often accidentally or indirectly) in the past when we were a sparsly populated, resource-rich country almost certainly won't work in the future...
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