Saying A Dumb Thing to Explain A Dumb Thing.
Well, Barak certainly cleared that up right away, huh? Trying like heck to dig his wife out of the hole she dug for herself just a couple days ago, the Obamessiah didn’t do much more than jump right in himself.
“Statements like this are made and people try to take it out of context and make a great big deal out of it, and that isn’t at all what she meant,” Obama said.
“What she meant was, this is the first time that she’s been proud of the politics of America,” he said. “Because she’s pretty cynical about the political process, and with good reason, and she’s not alone. But she has seen large numbers of people get involved in the process, and she’s encouraged.”
Ah, so she’s encouraged by “large numbers of people” being involved in the process? Why, then, wasn’t she proud of the election in 2002, where a record number of voters went to the polls. How about the last Presidential election, where both winner and loser got more votes than any candidate in history? I’m fairly sure that voting is part of the voting process and it’s not like these things weren’t in the news quite a bit before now.
If the mark of political pride is large numbers, well, we’ve seen them before. And if I can see those numbers and be proud of the past, then certainly an Ivy League-educated lawyer can do the same thing. And so can her husband.
Then again, I’m a bit concerned about someone whose sole sense of civic pride is in the size of the mob. It seems to me that the French Revolution was all about mob size, too, and that didn’t turn out so very well, what with the Jacobins and everything. And the Jacobins led to more mob size admiration throughout Europe, too. Examples shouldn’t be tough to find.
Look, it’s not a sin for a Democrat to place their personal accomplishments over everyone else’s. It’s pretty standard stuff. Politics is personal, remember? It’s not about the betterment of the country; it’s about the betterment of the country with you calling the shots. There’ll be time for magnanimous praise for such petty stuff as history later, when the statues are being built.
UPDATE: Bryan Preston has the story as well, with audio and some very good thoughts.
UPDATE 2: Here’s a Michelle who knows where to find some things about which to be quite proud.
No related posts.
Category: The 2008 Horse Race
Umm, for the Democratic primaries, this year really has been unusual. Nearly every primary/ caucus this year has set an all-time turnout record. The proportion of first-time voters is much higher than usual and is really only exceeded by 1972 when the voting age was lowered. The 2004 presidential election may have had a big turnout, but this year will blow it away, with the added voters mostly going Dem. While the primary season may be a little lackluster on the Republican side, the Democrats really do have an historic turnout this year. And the Obamas are driving a lot of that excitement. They have reason to be proud.
At least now I see the anti-Obama strategy: go after his wife like they did with the Clintons. Of course, we all know how well the strategy worked the last time. It turns out that the voters understand that First Lady isn't a very important office. The office of First Lady has produced its fair share of wackos, lesbians, and drunks, yet the nation has survived them all. I have no doubt our nation can survive the clumsy speech of Michelle Obama.
"I have no doubt our nation can survive the clumsy speech of Michelle Obama."
Yeah, but could a potential Obama presidency survive repeated first-magnitude gaffes by Madam Obama? And how might Prince Charming react when the late-night shows start snickering about Michelle's latest verbal screw-up? Will he take the well-worn path of least resistance and call them racists? Gee, I wouldn't put it past him.
If or when Obama is elected, the first thing he should do is ensure Michelle is kept busy giving White House tours, hosting tea parties, and visiting day care centers–and keep her the hell away from any kind of politically responsible (or irresponsible) position. Otherwise, I've got a sawbuck that says Michelle will rapidly morph into the "Black Hillary Clinton"…with political ambitions of her own.
Count on it.
fostert – I don't think this was just a casual slip. What it tells me is that the Obamas are the sort of folks who believe deeply that America is a fundamentally-flawed country that occasionally does something good (like, say, voting for Barak). I don't want someone with that mindset in the White House. I want someone who sees this country as fundamentally good.
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