The vultures sit precitpitously on the fence. Liberal internet magazine, Slate, has its doubts about Obama:
Barack Obama's suggestion that economically suffering small-town Americans are haters who cling to God and guns out of bitterness is a way bigger deal than he seems to realize, even now.
Five years into an unpopular war, and with the economy tanking, the widely held and absolutely poisonous perception that Democrats tend to look down on Mr. and Mrs. Middle America—and on their religious faith in particular—may be the most serious obstacle to the party's presidential hopes this year.
Yet here's Obama not apologizing: "If I worded things in a way that made people offended, I deeply regret that," he told the Winston-Salem Journal.
Poor wording was not the problem; on the contrary, it was his precision that was so unfortunate, and his ability to pack half a dozen unintended insults into a single sentence uncanny. And in San Francisco, no less? Roger Ailes couldn't have planned it better, unless he'd maybe followed up the event with some impromptu windsurfing in the bay.
Sure, many Americans in places like my hometown are angry and they do "cling'' to guns and God, though not in that order. It's connecting the two that's belittling in the extreme to the "typical white person''—to cite a phrase I chose to overlook at the time.
Now, if Obama is sticking by the essence of what he said out of stubbornness or arrogance, that's one kind of problem. But if he really doesn't see why this could be a game-changer, that's worse. And though I've been pretty unrelievedly positive about the guy, it's the first thing he's said that's made me question his ability to win.
5 comments:
"Question his ability to win?" "Unintended insults?" "...a phrase I chose to overlook at the time?" There's no disagreement here with Obama's ideas or attitudes, just hand-wringing over the way he expresses them.
First thing? Hell, for some people this was a three point ringer. A lot of those people down on their luck, in their small towns would have been offended by the racism swirling around that stake. They were waiting for the ringer to finish him off.
We have had the surreal experience of watching a man fuck himself.
As for the Slate writer, she understands that what he said does not correspond to reality. However, she also would like for him to have not said it, even if he believes it. She probably thinks McCain has beliefs which correspond to reality less and in more dangerous ways.
The sad fact is, that may be true, my friends. McCain is not someone I want for President.
Between the two, who would I rather have?
McCain is treading water down the shit river.
Obama will sell us down shit river on a fast boat.
The fact is, more people would recognize the sudden stink, than the slow oncoming stink. We might be more likely to react to the destruction Obama brings about.
Pastorius, you may be right but testing it out would be taking a huge gamble with our future. Obama might indeed provoke the sort of crisis that would "wake up" millions of Americans. The question is, what sort of damage would this entail? He is not "mis-speaking" or putting his foot in his mouth. He believes what he says. What we hear is his real attitude towards most of the rest of us. What we hear from Wright, Lee, Michelle, Ayers, and the rest of his gang is the real Obama and it's what he will inflict on us.
RRA,
I agree. He means what he says.
His friend Ayres is an enemy of the state. Likely, Obama is too.
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