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The Surprising Mr. Obama
Back at the start of his political rise to superstardom, with all the hullabaloo about Senator Obama being the heir apparent to the wide-eyed optimism of the Kennedy years, all the gushing and weeping in his presence by young and old, white and black alike...I wondered if it was all just one more fast one being pulled again on a very tired and dispirited American public. We were so weary of the wink and the nod, the don't-you-see-I-have-to-do-this-to-get-elected strategy, the silence of the dead and the abused not being heard once again for expediency's sake. We swallowed it before and loathed to go there again. But now it seems the nightmare is happening once again as we look forward to another campaign of flag pins (he's wearing one now), false patriotism (oh, look, Obama doesn't want to play...really? How...noble he is), supporting the troops (maybe Obama should consult with those Pentagon big brains before making any quick decisions about bringing our kids home after all), and of course FISA (hey, let's call it moving to the middle, not betraying the Constitution). Of course, the media loves whatever false campaign controversy gets kicked up in the dust, while the information we really need goes begging, locked in a closet somewhere with the ghost of Edward R. Murrow. So I'm not surprised about Mr. Obama, I was just wondering how long it would take for the mask to wilt and drip to the floor. Not too long, but long enough for the people needing justice to once again have their hearts broken after hoping that this time the promises were real.
Count Basie used to say "One more once" at the end of April in Paris...and then another dramatic, big band tag would blare out just one more time before the song faded into the night. Obama's oh so surprising and smiling doublecross is just the tag at the end of a beautiful song that was only a silly dream anyway. It was never intended that Senator Obama would actually sing the song of freedom, just that he be able to lip-sync well enough and long enough to fool you one more time.
Comments (13)
Your username is not familiar to me. Your avatar is not, either.
Your meme, however, is all too been there, done that, and we've all had a good cup of tea here at TPM and talked these things out, already, and we did it better.
Search the readers' posts in a blog, before you blog. TYVM.
Nice picture, though.
July 2, 2008 9:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
"We did it better"? LisB, I wouldn't have expected that tone of condescension from you.
July 3, 2008 1:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
I respect your opinion, but I have to be honest, I don't understand people who claim that their hearts are being unceremoniously broken by Obama because of his shift to the center. Not for nothing, but it just seems to be nothing but needless hand-wringing - what you call selling out, I call trying to win an election.
This is how I look at it, there are a great deal of people out there who might end up voting for McCain simply because Obama seems like a risk to them. Positioning himself the way he has, is putting those people's fears to rest - I think as president he will be the same person that caught your attention initially.
July 2, 2008 9:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Not for nothing, but it just seems to be nothing but needless hand-wringing - what you call selling out, I call trying to win an election." I'm just curious, if this turns out to be a real, basic policy reversal, and Barak Obama turns out to not to take the amendments to the Constitution seriously, how would you know the difference?
And when did greatly impinging or outright reversal of stance become only "...what you call selling out, I call trying to win an election."?
July 3, 2008 1:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why do you post this? I have to wonder, since you knew on this site it would not be a welcome comment. It is not even positioned to establish dialog, as far as I can see.
So again, if you are serious, why?
July 2, 2008 9:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Voices from the attic.
July 2, 2008 10:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well please mend your heart - go and watch his speech in Colorado - a very different stump speech - so much substance to his change from the bottom up and how
he intends to make it happen:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/stateupdates/gGxsBn
Everyone should watch and read it - the call to service. It's not rhetoric - it's a detailed roadmap for how he envisages Americans taking back our country by giving to it.
July 2, 2008 10:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Look Obama is a politician. He is trying to get elected.
Yes he gives great inspiring speeches that will sure come in handy to rally the people to act in order to get things done in Washington.
His stand on FISA I don't like either nor some of his other positions, however, that does not translate into losing my vote. I did my research. I decided to support him with my eyes wide-open because of what he stands for.
A President sets the tone of the country. Iam disgusted with the fear and negativity Bush peppers the nation with. The past 8 years have been a nightmare. From what I have ascertained is that McCain is no different in fact he will probably be worse.
Furthermore because individuals fund his campaign he is beholding to us rather than corporate power.
Obama is focused on winning the election. No politician is perfect and neither is Obama. He is, like I said before, a politician.
There is no doubt that Obama will ultimately make a hell of a lot better President than McCain.
July 3, 2008 12:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
If Obama becomes George W. Bush -- trust me, I won't use FISA to violate your Constitutional Rights, I won't use faith based programs to promulgate faith -- he takes the new UnDemocratic Party down with him and nobody fights for the issues Obama claims to care about and that I do care about.(Obama lacks the strategic sense to see that even if he is trustworthy other Presidents come after him.)
If McCain has four year, the Republican Party becomes somewhat better.
I did all my research way early and decided I could never vote for Obama.
Why would I want to install in the Oval Office the last man in Chicago to discover that Rezko is a crook?
July 3, 2008 9:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, many of us knew Obamarama was the pits. Who wants another FOREIGN Secretary of State (Zbig) - who turned Barry into a puppet.
We don't want WWWIII (although it's started already in IRAN) .. our real loyalty should lie with the Constitution and Geneva, not political parties.
I'll admit his speeches are magic to watch, but he's the PROBLEM, not the SOLTUION.
NO MORE IMPERIAL PRESIDENCIES.
I give my buck$ to Ralph (and local buskers) ..
V
July 3, 2008 11:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
Barry? Really lady you are a bigger republican troll than I thought. Why don't you go back under your rock troll. You are not welcome on progressive blogs.
July 3, 2008 12:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear%2C_uncertainty_and_doubt
July 3, 2008 3:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
I love it.
July 3, 2008 3:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
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