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Three take-away points from Bittergate
Here are three lessons derived from this week’s episode of Deconsructing Obama: Class Edition:
Barack Obama sucks at populism. Obama should have spent more time talking to John Edwards, or else paid more attention to Edwards when he addressed the public. Not that the populist theme got Edwards even to within shouting distance of the nomination, but nobody ever accused him of insulting the very people he was trying to reach, either. Way to reach out, Barack.
Barack Obama sucks at sociology. The glaring flaw in Obama’s read on the non-rich whites of Pennsylvania: If it’s economic disadvantage that motivates people to affirm gun rights or religious faith or to hate foreigners or free-trade arrangements, then how do you explain similar stances of conservatives who aren’t poor? What’s their excuse? Without the negative motivation of relative poverty, they ought to be latte-sipping liberals, yes?
Obama has declared a broad swath of the electorate as essentially irrational in the political choices it makes. When the same charge is leveled at African Americans who support him - that they are voting for Obama out of emotionalism - it’s properly judged as the insult it is. This situation is no different.
Hillary Clinton finds new ways to politically debase herself every goddamned day. For the candidate who once publicly opposed the gun lobby to suddenly depict herself as a sister-in-arms (a rather unconvincing image likely to fool precisely no one) is just pathetic. Even worse is the breathtakingly cynical lunge for the “elitism” brush, lending credence to a right-wing trope which she surely knows will be wielded against the entire Democratic party. It’s worse than merely parroting John McCain because she’s supposed to be better than McCain. If I could take back the vote I cast for her back on Super Tuesday, I’d gladly do so. Not sure what I’d spend it on besides an empty protest vote for Edwards, but still.
Remember when Left Blogistan practically broke its arm while patting itself on the back, chortling over its “three great candidates” good fortune?
Neither do I.
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Let’s make a deal
For the greater good
Hillary goes abrasively into that good night
Edwards = White people!
When analogies attack
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Well said. Excellent analysis. Sad tale.
Our choices: not good, not good, worse. Soon one of the not goods will drop away and it’ll be between not good and worse.
I’ve had a hard time being enthusiastic for one or the other, because (a) my vote was for Edwards and (b) my vote doesn’t count anyway, being from the currently-in-the-DNC’s-corner-wearing-a-dunce-cap state of Florida. Other than crying out one way or the other or sending money, it’s beyond me until we get to not good and worse. Then my choice will be easy.
But not fun.
(It occurs to me that the last time I cast a gen election presidential vote with joy was for Al Gore.)