So, I am sitting here on the floor with my laptop, following Barack Obama’s speech. (Next week I will do the same for McCain). While the preliminaries were just-as-expected, there was one surprise. To have the granddaughter of President Eisenhower supporting Obama was certainly unexpected. But, the energy in the stadium, even through the “cool” medium of the television is incredible. It is even more full than is normally allowed for football games.
There is no doubt that McCain’s charges of elitism are being laid to rest. It is hard to see how a middle-class mother who was raising a child without a father, who worked difficult jobs, could be accused of elitism. There is little doubt that Barack speaks like a college professor, but that is only a credit to his family, who let his dream be fulfilled. But, there is no doubt that the speaks like a college professor, rather than like a politician. One must wonder whether that is all bad.
He is speaking in short declarative sentences, which is a broad improvement over hesitant overly-careful analyses. He is currently going after John McCain with faint praise. It is one of the better uses of satire that I have seen in a while. Damning with faint praise is certainly working for him right now.
He certainly is trying to redefine how economic and national success is measured. He is saying that success must be measured by our treatment of the little person and not by the profits made by large corporations. He speaks to the focus that we are supposed to have, and that focus is supposed to be for the widow and the orphan and not for the rich and the powerful. He insists that we must keep the promise that we are our brother’s keeper. May he keep that promise, should he be elected.
Some of his promises will only be achievable should there be some technological advances. However, that would also be true of John McCain. Interestingly enough, he has spoken in favor of nuclear power. That is startling for a Democrat. And he appears to be open to offshore drilling as a short-term solution while working out a long-term solution.
I will say that his big theme is quite appealing, “Now is the time.” He speaks quite strongly against those who keep putting off action, or even speak of action while giving no action. I loved the line, “We cannot meet 21st century challenges with a 20th century bureaucracy.
He has just stolen the family responsibility issue from under the Republicans by insisting on both individual responsibility and mutual responsibility. And, he is certainly taking on McCain on foreign policy in most unexpected ways.
What is most interesting is that he has quietly avoided wording his approach in traditional Democratic language that can be most off-putting to many in the center right. I think that the campaign has just become more interesting.
Not saying anything about BHO, but you have described what I think can be a “perfect storm” for creating elitism: “It is hard to see how a middle-class mother who was raising a child without a father, who worked difficult jobs, could be accused of elitism”
As I’ve heard elitism expressed most often, by persons who live the life you describe: “I pulled my self up this far (education, business, income, politics, etc) what the heck is wrong with you?”
Again: NOT saying anything about Obama, but what you describe is not an inoculation against elitism.
True dat. I suspect I was reacting to the judgement of elitism based on ways of speaking that clearly reflect an Ivy League education. And, Obama was jumped on for making his remark about bitter people, guns, and religion. That phrase very clearly reflected a facile East Coast/West Coast “intellectual” analysis. So, he is certainly not immune.