Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Light on Blogging

Not that there isn't plenty to comment on, but dear friends have just given birth to a big baby boy and we're running errands for them in between cooing over the sproglet.

I'm stunned and saddened by the news of the death of Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones. She was one of the best people in national politics. This is a loss for the nation.

I'm also waiting for someone, anyone, (Bueller?) among the Obamacans to recognize that they are combatting arguments that are not being made by the Republicans and letting through the really harmful stuff without even noticing it is being done.

For example, take Karl Rove's pronouncement about Hillary being the obvious and best choice for Obama's VP. Good ole' Turd Blossom - listen carefully to what he says but never trust his motives. With his promotion of Hillary, he:
  • Made a very cogent and reasonable argument in support of a strong candidate based on a non-partisan and unvarnished evaluation of Hillary's considerable capabilities.
  • Attached the Rove name to Hillary just when it would behoove the Republicans to have the CDS Obamacans go into hissy fits over that association.
  • Praise Hillary and make the Republicans look more sympathetic to those of her supporters who are swing voters.
  • Revived the "assassination threat" meme obliquely by describing a situation in which Obama has been killed or incapacitated.
  • Drew attaention to the fact that Hillary is ready and raring to go as President, the most qualified person out there, while Obama suffers by comparison.

Obama is not being attacked on race or nationalism issues, as you would think from the kinds of responses coming out of his camp. He is being attacked on competency and readiness questions, and is being feminized by the Republican attacks. Obama is being called less ready than a woman to lead the country, he is being compared not to any old celebrity but specifically vapid and vain party girls, and his much vaunted judgment is being mocked as shallow, uninformed and dangerous to national security.

People who can be moved by simple appeals to racism/jingosim/xenophobia need no convincing when it comes to Obama. Those votes are already gone. What the Republicans are successfully pursuing are the people in the middle whose hearts do not go pitter-pat over narratives of hopey-changey. They want to have a solid reason to vote for someone. Obama is not offering solid policy choices, he is getting increasingly whiney and defensive, and McCain is plugging away on national security as his own selling point.

Affirmative action, not race, is the focus of the Republican assault, and the Democrats are letting themselves be railroaded again.

Anglachel

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Rove, as usual tries to be too smart; I don't believe his statement has a long shelf life.

Obama is scared to death of have a substantial VP. He dispatch with Wes Clark to make sure that all good candidates are out of sight. His debating skills are second rate because he is not fast on his feet. He, probaly, started to believe his own medicine or cannot tell the difference between his fog and crisp plans. Once again we have a Dukakis. This time he is not Greek; he is from Kansas.

I never believed that Obama can win; never intended to vote for him; now I am really worried.

hg said...

Very astute analysis, Anglachel, of the Republicans' technique: the Republicans are playing a delicate yet deadly fencing match while Obama's campaign is flailing around with wiffle ball bats. The Republicans are laying the groundwork for the most furious assault ever on Democrats' strength, "virility," and credibility on national security and when they launch the full nasty attack on the first post-convention week, Obama won't know what hit him. His declining polls reveal that people are weakening in their support and if the Repubs are true to form, McCain will be pushed across the finish line. And so far, Obama and his campaign have NOT shown that they are anywhere near ready to fight back.

hg said...

Oh, yes: Stephanie Tubb Jones was a phenomenal Congresswoman and yet another Black leader that the NYT Magazine conveniently forgot about in their declaration of the end of black politics with Obama's candidacy. The fight has only just begun, and Congresswoman Tubb Jones was one of the few who truly realized it.

Unknown said...

I detect movement away from Obama amongst the delegates and Supers. We are now going to have a vote!

Imagine that. If there has been one thing that has whipped me to a white hot rage it's been the Obama camp, DNC and corporatist press assertion that the primary is over.

It. Is. Not.

Howie and Donna can put on their little dance and violate the rules, read yer Heidi Li, but that does not change the fact that the vote has yet to be taken. Votes are a very American thing. They should not be screwed with by wimpy, Chi-Town neophytes.

And indeed the very scenario SuperDelegates were created to deal with is now coming to pass. The UnDemocratic Triumvirate, man I luvs Roman allusions, has selected, not elected, an incompetent fool who cannot win this election. This is the time SuperDelegates are supposed to strip off their ordinary guise and emerge as women and men of steel. This is their day. To say:

'Hey, hey,
Obama...
This just ain't your day,
Time now for you ta,
Go Away!


And elect someone who can win.

Hillary.

Yes, elect a winner. The nation, the Party and Obama will all be the better for it.

Hillary/Clarke 08!

No messin'

femB4dem said...

Thanks for putting some meat on the bones of an issue I pointed out on TL last night. Seems to me Rove is getting nervous that Obama may be considering doing something politically astute for once -- choosing Hillary as his VP. The Repubs clearly do not want that, so out comes Turd Blossom to make the very idea a poison pill to the Obamabots. I hadn't even heard the whole inteview -- nice catch about the subtle re-opening of the assasination meme. Whatever you think of Rove, you've got to give the guy credit. He's the master of ugly politics.

pm317 said...

Hi Anglachel, I am still in awe of the depth of that one ad (with Britney and Paris) where they hit so many of his strengths (at least his minions think they are his strengths) all at the same time. Rove is trying to take the one final choice that would be difficult for Republicans to deal with. With Hillary as VP, it would definitely confuse many of the PUMAs and others who are not yet on board and they may hold their nose for her sake and Rove is stirring the pot not to make that happen as you so clearly write.

On a slightly related note about why he is being rejected (his incompetence and unpreparedness, as you point out), here is an interesting article (if you have not already seen it): http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/08/the_odd_choices_in_barack_obam.html
{I heard this blog tends to the right but in this election season we will take logic and reason from whatever source we can get. I am curious to see what you think of it.}

pm317 said...

Just another quick comment inspired by hg's comment -- not only have the Democrats undermined race relations with this candidacy (as you point out giving the Republicans seemingly legitimate reason to go after affirmative action among many other reasons) they have also made themselves weaker on national security by nominating this unprepared hack of a guy who is far from being hawkish and who does not have a strong and compelling argument for what ultra-hawkish Bush and the Republicans did wrong with their war of choice.

show me said...

Exactly! I heard that little Canadian ecominist Krista (something) say if Hillary were picked as VP it would give the campaign some machismo! Pat Buchanan was laughing his head off!

So sad about Stephanie Tubbs Jones, a real stand up women.

Anonymous said...

I had the opportunity to see Stephanie Tubbs Jones and Bill Clinton in Toledo, OH right before the Ohio primary. I carpooled with two other people and we drove in hail and sleet from Ann Arbor, MI to get there. It was absolutely worth it to see them both. Tubbs Jones will be truly missed. It is shame that she will not be able to see the day when Hillary becomes president.

gendergappers said...

The sheer hatred and vitriol against Hillary coming out of many of the "liberal" talk radio hosts and commentors indicates to me that they see what we see.

Republicans have done what Hillary was not allowed to do - expose all of BO's warts. It must make them feel brave and strong to trash her.

Anglachel said...

Novaya - Just a response to your recent private comment.

Yup, you nailed it.

Anglachel