The Corporate Media Experiment: Why Isn't Senator Obama 'One of Us'?

I'm not sure how he continues to be regarded as a very serious Washington pundit given his obvious history of race-baiting, but somehow he skulks his way onto MSNBC almost every day. Pat Buchanan on Hardball Monday night wondered out loud about Senator Obama: "Is he one of us?"

If by "one of us" he means a cranky, elitist, white, corporate media, man-shaped bunion who fashioned his career by demonizing brown people, the answer is a certain 'no'. But we know what Buchanan meant by this. Is Senator Obama with "us" or is he with the uppity blacks? Is he a real American like Senator McCain or is he a Muslim terrorist like those e-mails suggest? Is he too European (GAY!)? Is he like us: white, wealthy, conservative, elite?

During this dark ride of the Bush years, it's no longer surprising or shocking to hear such a bottomless cup of awfulness. This line of questioning has become the dominant theme in the corporate media's political narrative. "Us" has become a baseline which liberals -- regardless of race or gender -- will never achieve because the experiment is stacked against anyone who isn't centrist, moderate, right of center or conservative.

In scientific terms, the left has been tagged by the corporate media as the "experimental group" while the right is the "control group." The Republicans are the Awesome Republicans no matter what. They're constant. They set the tone of the debate. The corporate media accepts their terms, their rules and their frames as a given and the Democrats are expected to jump and dash and explain themselves based upon those givens, irrespective of how ludicrous they happen to be.

Prove to us that you're one of us. Prove to us that you support the troops. Prove to us that you're patriotic. Prove to us that you're not an effete snob. Prove to us that you can talk to a gathering of bumpkins in a diner like a plainspoken Republican can. Prove to us that you're not the enemy. Prove to us that you're not presumptuous.

And the experiment goes on and on with the Democrats (or liberals or progressives) poked and dissected and injected with false arguments, specious claims and disproved quotes (see Dana Milbank's recent column) often manufactured by the right and invariably parroted by the corporate media.

Instead of disregarding high pitched cranks like Buchanan and asking, "What Pat? Seriously -- why are you such a fringe psychonaut?" and discounting such a ridiculous question as beneath reason and credibility, the corporate media instead takes the "one of us" question seriously and more often than not wraps an entire debate around it.

This present week, in particular, has been yet another high water mark for this dynamic.

Senator Obama has been accused of being presumptuous, uppity (literally), against the troops, snobbish, elitist, hubristic, European (GAY!) and, considering the array of both subtle and obvious messages in Senator McCain's laughable Britney & Paris commercial, vacuous, frivolous, loopy, superficial, "Hollywood" and, I don't know, he produces amateur porn videos using night vision. Of course reasonable, professional analysts with ethical guidelines and some degree of integrity would disregard such accusations as the dripping-with-flopsweat acts of a desperate, pathetic McCain campaign. But instead, these accusations are somehow validated, debated and defended by people like Pat Buchanan. Prove to us, Senator Obama, that you're not a tabloid pop star. Prove to us that you're not a bleached blonde heiress or a slack-jawed ex-Mouseketeer.

Thankfully, for the cause of reason and rationality, there are people like Rachel Maddow who, while occupying the unglamorous role of debunking and debating Pat Buchanan, said to Buchanan on Wednesday's Race for the White House with Stretch:

"We have a responsibility to talk about whether [these accusations are] deserved, Pat. I think when John McCain doesn't speak to Pat Buchanan as being presumptuous -- calls himself 'President McCain.' But Barack Obama speaks to you as presumptuous for doing something much less damning... that says much more about you than it does the candidates."

In the menacing world of Pat Buchanan and of the larger barbecue media, Senator Obama is, in fact, presumptuous and all the rest of it, or, if he's not, the onus is on him to prove that he's not. Meanwhile, Senator McCain is simply...not. Senator McCain couldn't possibly be an elitist and out of touch with most Americans (even though he wears $520 shoes and his wife is the heiress to an Anheuser-Busch distributorship fortune) because it just doesn't fit their scientific experiment dynamic -- the script, the narrative. He's just not. Senator McCain couldn't possibly be a "celebrity" even though he's hosted SNL and had a movie-of-the-week made about his Vietnam experiences. He's just not. Senator McCain couldn't possibly be in favor of torture even though he voted against banning it. He's just not. Senator McCain couldn't possibly be out of his depth on foreign policy even though his lies and errors in this arena far outnumber any similar gaffes by Senator Obama. He's just not.

Is it any wonder why the latest polls show a much tighter race? And, thusly, is it any wonder that a tight race is better for ratings? Pat Buchanan, it turns out, is good for business.

Anyone who promotes -- or who doesn't necessarily oppose -- the scientific narrative is good for business regardless of whether they're racists or homophobes or drug-addled hooples. After all, Rush Limbaugh's contract was just reupped for $400 million while Sam Seder isn't even allowed on corporate radio.

So irrespective of what Senator Obama might do or say or what his life story might be, as long as he has a (D) after his name, he'll always be expected by the corporate media to explain himself. To prove himself. Why isn't Senator Obama more like Senator McCain: white, wealthy, conservative, elite? They'll go through this routine until the experiment is finished: either Senator Obama is experimented upon until he becomes more like Senator McCain (or another media-approved "one of us") or he'll lose the election and the actual Senator McCain is the next president. And the experiment continues. That is, unless we can seize the initiative redefine who "us" is. After a long history of white, wealthy, conservative elites running the lab, it's time to shut it down and clear the way for the rest of us.

Bob Cesca's Goddamn Awesome Blog! Go!

CORRECTION: Mrs. McCain is the heiress to an Anheuser-Busch distributorship fortune.

Comments

[corcwolfe]

Bob, I believe you are right about the animus driving the conservatives; they are fighting old cultural battles. I was reared as a fundamentalist Christian in a family of Republicans and remember my grandfather during the sixties and seventies cursing Roosevelt, Roman Catholics and the New Deal. He was stuck in the 1930's and blamed his inability to become a wealthy man and all society's ills on Democrats and their taxes.

Today, these people blame progressives for the sexual revolution, African-American rights and achievements, the women's movement as well as the current bugaboos of LGBT demands for equality. Republicans, from Antonin Scalia to Dick Cheney, are still fighting Vietnam and the hippies. While not willing to address the legitimate issues raised during that era, they can only see that the sixties destroyed loyalty and faith in America. America first; love it or leave it. Some of us, however, believe the hippies and the anti-war movement caused America to grow up regarding our self-assessments.

Republicans, on the other had, came out of that era with different lessons learned. They were hurt and humiliated by the fall of Richard Nixon and have been taking it out on liberal America ever since. But now the political winds are shifting again because conservative crusading has created its own monster in the current Bush administration. Middle America is threatened again, but this time conservatives are the legitimate target.

[AliLiz]

Bob, you hit the nail on the head! You just get better and better!

Look at the public and think, 'They will vote for the next USA president.­' Who do you think they will vote for? Who would be their comfort level candidate? I think most will say McCain.

Obama must stay with Blacks, college students, thinking college grads in the work place and retired as his base. A lot of mid-aged white folk will not vote for him. Sorry, but that's the way it is. I think he can pull it off if he stays with and encourages his base. Hope he wins in November.

[GravitonX]

Pat Buchanan has a long history of racist sympathies. Hell, he's even written books about it. Just about everyone knows it. And, MSNBC continues to try to pass off this charlatan as a serious commentator providing unbiased analysis. His "open-question" the answer of which he leaves you to comfortably insinuate, "why Obama can't close the deal with 'white working class' voters" has become his obvious cause. Buchanan's racist apologia agenda is plastered to his forehead.

[Jonni Rae]

Pat Buchanan should be fired. Period. After he told the African American woman journalist to "shut up." If anyone is up to getting a petition to getting him fired, I am down. He creates an unacceptable level of racist innuendo everytime he speaks. He is not a journalist. I don't know what he is. He should be fired. Period. Obama is one of us in that he is American and a human being. That is all that needs to be said. I am so sick of the MSM, I never watch it except for KO, but even he disappointed me for his failure to call out his buddy Dana Milbank on his smear. I just get angrier and angrier everyday. We used to have an alternative press. In Boston, we had the Avatar , The Boston Phoenix, which was a real paper, and the nightly news which would tell real news stories instead of report on what someone said and talk about it endlessly. Facts go out the window' attributions go out the window. It's just the "in" crowd who gets to spout off to shape public opinion. What can we as citizens do about it except boycott?

[chamberslee]

TRUE--every word.

[Interested Party]

'SOLD...yo­ur character for the US Presidency"

Do any of those folks who say, "This is not the REAL John McCain, the McCain of 2000 not see, YES this is the REAL John McCain?"

Hopefully the American people will not fall for this negative devisiveness again.....­.......no wait, John McCain killed hope.

I only hope when he wins not ONE African American or Mexican ever enlists in the army. THEN all the 'folks that are JUST LIKE ME", can go and serve and die in Iraq, Iran.

[RAStewart]

I agree with your sentiments. Unfortunately, when McCain wins, the army will be the only option for many African Americans, Mexican Americans, and other Americans, including the working-class white Americans whose votes will have helped put him into office.

[lboucher]

Obama words from Missouri today:

"What they're going to try to do is make you scared of me," Obama said. "You know, he's not patriotic enough, he's got a funny name, you know, he doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills."

Last month in Florida:

"They're going to try to make you afraid. They're going to try to make you afraid of me. He's young and inexperienced and he's got a funny name. And did I mention he's black?"

Obama places the race card often and loud!!

[kayfacefl]

Barack doesn't look like any of the other presidents and he is just pointing that out because he is pretty sure other people will. Plus, are you telling me a black man can't point out the obvious. How is that racist....

[chamberslee]

What is a race card? Can I buy one from a novelty store? Seriously, many white people are shameless. Because they don't want to feel guilty or couldn't care less about the plight of black or brown people in America, they result to this "race card" gimmick in order to minimize and neutralize anyone who dares talk about racism or point out a fact that involves racist whites. Unfortunately, it works too often.

Many white people will not vote for Obama simply because he is black, not based on policy positions. Many white people are afraid he is a Muslim sympathizer, because of his name, who would help terrorists attack America. It is all true. These concerns have been written about ad nauseam . You can return the race card for a refund.

[StillIRise]

The following words and phrases have lost all meaning, and are simply used by very shallow people to present very shallow arguments, neither of which have any substance:

1. Elite, elitist, elitism
2. "thrown under the bus"
3. "playing the race card"
4. racist
5. arrogant

And I'm sure I'm missing some, but I'm just as sure that I'll soon be reminded of the words that escape me by another poster who'll throw another shallow word or phrase out there to make a point. It happens when they have nothing else to back them up.

[JXB]

So what you are saying is that when Obama points out to the American public that his opponent is playing the race card against him, he is playing the race card.

[StillIRise]

"Playing the race card" used to mean to use race to gain an advantage. As your own post affirms, Senator Obama made reference to the reality of what the GOP and McCain campaign in particular have already done, are already doing and will likely continue to do as the campaign goes forward. They HAVE questioned his patriotism; they HAVE used his name to incite fear; they HAVE said that he's young and inexperienced; and they HAVE reminded us again and again that he's the "black candidate: the candidate who attended a black church, who has a relationship with black people that frighten us, who has an angry black wife, who talks like a black preacher, etc. Contrary to him playing the race card, he is actually responding to the race card that has been played against him, throughout both the primary and general campaigns. Finally, no matter how uncomfortable it may make some people feel, playing the race card is not to simply talk about race. In fact, it is just the opposite. When one "plays the race card," they actually don't want to talk about race in open and honest dialogue, they simply want to put it out there to scare people and to gain points!

Senator Obama's race can never be an advantage to him in America, but using his race to exploit the racial fears and racial divide among the electorate can indeed be an advantage to his opponents.

[RAStewart]

Ah, it's class warfare all over again!

"Class warfare" as the neocon right defines it, that is. You know the routine. Right-wing politicians and their corporate bedmates engineer the most drastic upward transfer of wealth in our country's history, drive the poor and working classes toward destitution, and plan and execute the not-so-gradual destruction of the middle classes. Nobody says boo.

But when somebody dares to point all of this out--*that*'s class warfare!

And it's in that false and spurious sense, and that false and spurious sense only, that Obama is playing any kind of "race card."

RA Hussein Stewart

[tgood]

Obama didn't have time to speak the "little people" of Houston yesterday. I suppose LaRaza didn' t want to schedule another public display of his devotion to them so soon after the last round of pandering. Time to pander to the rich.

Houston Chronicle:

Barack Obama collected more than $1.5 million in campaign funding Thursday night in two Houston neighborhoods built by oil and natural gas profits while telling his audiences that America needs to liberate itself from those fuels.

Picture this: Standing on a platform just above the water level of a lighted indoor pool at a Memorial home, Obama said the nation needs to develop wind and solar energy and other alternative sources. He spoke to about 55 paying guests at candlelit, round dinner tables under skylights in the 18,000-square-foot home of John Thrash, chief of a natural gas infrastructure company, and wife Becca Cason Thrash. County appraisal district records list the home's market value at about $5.5 million.

"Our energy policy is essentially nonexistent, which looks like it's been pretty good to Houston," he said. "But even those in the energy business here in Houston will tell you it's not sustainable over the long run," the Democratic presidential contender added.

[gsrb]

Right on Bob!
But these thugs won't go down easy, if at all. I'm scared.

[SouthpawSass]

I don't want my President to be "one of us." I do however, want him to understand "us" and Obama does.

I don't understand those who argue Obama is too risky. What part of his lifetime, his education, his marriage, his religion, his community, his career, has he mishandled or done wrong? In all that Obama has accomplished can one person say, "Oh look, that's an example for why we can't trust him to do the right thing, to be a responsible human being who will contribute positively to society?"

He's done everything right given his limitations growing up in a modest home. He's made positive, responsible choices in his own life to prove to me that his history shows he goes beyond what's expected and delves deep into awe-inspiring.

I'm SouthpawSass and I approve this message. :)

[MsBrina]

Exactly! I'm getting tired of the, he's arrogant (another way of saying "uppity n word) commentary, from the media.

BTW...I am Sabrina and I approve of SouthpawSass's comment.

[SouthpawSass]

rofl.... Yeah, we should kick their hiney's!!!

[MSaldana]

SouthpawSass says:


"I don't understand those who argue Obama is too risky. What part of his lifetime, his education, his marriage, his religion, his community, his career, has he mishandled or done wrong?"

Errr, I think you aded just one too many of his "qualifica­tion." His RELIGION??? Yeh, I get it, his longtime association with "pastor" Wright should surely endear him to all Americans. You people are absolutely blinded by the "light." Get a life!

-MS

[PoliJunkie]

So are you saying what the pastor said was not indeed true? Please listen to what the pastor said before you say things like this. Also I would also you take a serious history lesson. You might find out there was a reason for what the pastor said.

[balance]

Geez, I am so sick of the latest, idiotic right-wing spin & MSM chatter reinforcing these venal characterizations about Obama.

First it was "he is too presumptuous (uppity), and doesn't know his place."

And now, it's "ignore him, he's not a man of substance. He's popular because he's like one of those 'celebrities' -- ie: a song & dance entertainer, or a know-nothing Hollywood type."

With all due respect to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, Bush Jr & McCain have more in common with them than Barack Obama.

Bush Jr and McCain seem to be anti-intellectual airheads in comparison to Obama.

It's desperately lame to dismiss Obama as merely a popular entertainment celebrity rather than as a intelligent, capable, and _historic_ candidate for POTUS.

Why is the public dialog for electing the POTUS so idiotic?

Is it the only hope of the right-wing to dumb down the political race, so that voters would be foolish enough to again decide their vote based upon wedge issues & fear based ignorance?

What about the far more important issues of our generation facing us, unresolved?

What about health care, the economy, adapting to the future, the national debt, vision for our energy future, policing abuse by predatory speculators in the commodity markets, Wall Street reform, intelligent foreign policy & strategy in the Middle East, etc... ?

[shothot]

Haven't you noticed most Americans are airheads? Look at the last eight years. And going for four more.

[ScarletKnight1307]

Barack Obama is not one of us he is the best of Us

He is the American Dream

what person would not want to see someone from their family with limited resouces go to a good prep school on educational scholarships. Get into a good school graduate

come to help a struggling community

go back to school for more education at one our Finest Institution

and go back to the Community and get involved

Not many who have that background have done that

especially with the student loans associated with those schools

who would not want that for our children regardless of you socio-economic background

how many of the 537 elected members of our government (100 senators, 435 reps, Pres and VP)

have that story?

I see a lot or resentment and Jealously towards him

He is a reasonable guy who will work with the both political parties

it's not new- it's actually old school politics

when they got things done in this country

we will see if he really means it.

He is the Best of us

[MSaldana]

doo-doo-do­o-doo-doo-­doo-doo-do­o... Earth to ScarletKnight, Earth to ScarletKni­ght... We can't read you Scarlet...­come in, please... Have you been drinking that kool-aid..­. we are worried, Scarlet...­.. Fade to gray!

-MS

[shothot]

Sorry Scarlet. MSaldana can't read. One has to read to know about Obama, not watch and listen to those who tell you what to think.

[Indubio]

I am about to finish Eric Alterman's book "Why We're Liberals" and Cesca makes many of the same claims as Alterman. One difference, and I believe it's an important one: Cesca believes the debate is GOP driven. GOP is the political mouthpiece of might be thought of as a machine. Well-funded thinks tanks are the "brain", corporate media the mouthpieces, fundamentalist churches provide a base of pliable footpads, and the whole mess is very well funded by corporations and mostly rich white people. The GOP shills for this monster. Subtract the churches and their unworkable social agenda and the DLC-led Democratic Party would be perfectly happy to step into the roll of shill. Alterman exposes virtually every conservative myth about liberals and makes the argument that conservatives are guilty of liberal excesses. This process began 40 years and I believe it will take a catastroph­e--economi­c, ecological, political--for anything to change. The deck is stacked against individual citizens who don't fall into the upper 5% of income earners and I expect there to be a major political disruption in my lifetime because the system has been rigged to preserve the status quo at all costs and the status quo is unworkable. An Israeli attack on Iran may be the tipping point for catastrophe because I don't believe our economy could deal disruptions of and instability with oil flow and pricing. Cesca paints an ugly picture but if anything he understates the situation.

[junestag]

I've always felt the president should be an extraordinary human being, not a 'regular joe'. I wouldn't want my neighbors to be 'the decider' of the whole country that's for damn sure. i want someone smarter than me, more knowledgable, and more capable than me.

[JXB]

Exactly. As Bill Maher says, the job of President requires an exceptional person. Al Gore is an exceptional person. John Kerry is an exceptional person. George W. Bush is a "special" person.

[Melissa]

As long as Bill Maher says it, I guess it is the gospel truth!

[shothot]

Bravo June. Only someone with an elementary school mentality would want an "ordinary joe for prez. Our nation's well being is at stake and won't be solved with old world solutions and people who don't understand economics, and doesn't, after a five year war know a Sunni from shiite, voted against veterans benefit bills, etc. And, who was almost last in his class of 898. Is this the guy I want taking care of my affairs. I think not!!

[Garvagh]

We should keep in mind that Pat Buchanan is one of the strongest critics of the Bush administration's idiotic invasion of Iraq and its continuing effort to retain permanent military bases even if this helps to facilitate an Israeli attack on Iran. Actually, the facilitation of the potential Israeli attack is part of the strategy behind the effort to keep the multiple permanent bases (against the will of the Iraqis).

John McCain so obviously is not up to the task of understanding the strategic realities that obtain in the Middle East, those wanting to get him into the White House to "protect Israel" and oil deals in Iraq, have to chip away at Obama continually, on grounds other than the real issues. So the husband of a blonde babe worth $100 million is presented to the American public as just one of the guys.

Most Americans are so pathetically ill-informed, this kind of crap can work.

[harveyr2]

Ensuring that the President of the United States has the experience and qualities required of the office is a very important task of the populace. Obama would generate the same scrutiny if he was a Republican.

It is unfortunate that the Democrats are attracted to the shiny object type of candidate rather than one with a credible, respectable resume.

Why anyone would consider Obama a credible candidate with a resume that contains not a single published paper during a 12 year stint as a law professor, who voted "present" over 120 times in the state senate, and has less than a full term of experience in the US Senate is beyond me.

And I'm not alone since no poll shows Obama with a statistically significant lead.

[kayfacefl]

What do you mean not a published article. I guess you do not consider his writings while President of the Harvard Law Review. Maybe you should go back and research that...

[chamberslee]

What the Hell did Bush have on his resume before he was elected twice. He could barely put a sentence together.

[StillIRise]

If I remember correctly, President George W. Bush's most memorable qualification was that he was someone most Americans would enjoy drinking a beer with!!! Otherwise, he graduated from Yale as a "C" student frat boy; he spent his years in the National Guard at home; he had failed in both of his business ventures; was virtually given the governorship over which he had very little power or control; had only traveled outside of America once, and that was for fun; could not even pronounce the names of our closest allies, and had no grasp of the English language. Yet, this is who the Republicans were attracted to, not once but twice!

Senator Obama stands shoulders above George W. Bush, not only when he was "elected," but even now after seven years of the Bush presidency. And he stands shoulders above his opponent as well. I think we all know why he doesn't have a statistically significant lead, and it has nothing to do with his credibility as a candidate.

[shothot]

Apparently, you are ill-informed or ignorant, using bits of information to prove your point. May I suggest you get all the information before presenting it. It makes it seem as if you have an agenda. Voting present in Illnois means there is a/some provision in a bill with which you disagree or are oppose to. How many other presidents published any papers "about anything" that you're aware of. Certainly not John McCain. Needless to say in your endeavor to belittle Obama, you forgot to mention McCain was close to "last" in a class of 898 graduates. How does that compare with "Professor Obama", who was president of the law review and offered a tenured professorship, with a salary exceeding what he was making in the state senate. But he turn down the opportunity and the money. You can lie to the public,but don't lie to yourself. God don't like ugly.
As one former Obama student stated, "when you hear him talk about the issues, it's at a level so much simpler than he's capable of".

[Dirowe]

John McCain barely graduated college. He's been in office 35 years with no particular accomplishments. He serviced the country and married well. If you think this country is a mess after 7 years of Bush just wait if Mc Cain is elected. We get what we deserve, if we let it happen again.

[nitestik]

Buchanan is a "Bottomless Cup Of Awfulness.­" Beautiful! You made me laugh out loud, Bob.