Despite having all but secured the Democratic nomination, the last few weeks have not been particularly good for Barack Obama. As Hillary Clinton's desperation peaks, and as her message morphs into something akin to a Karl Rove Talent Show, Obama has found himself taking heavy fire. And while polls have suggested that Obama's numbers have not been impacted by Reverend Wright, or "bitter-gate," or the tale of the missing flag pin, the Republican Party, with the happy assistance of the Clinton campaign, is beginning to define Obama in a way that could be dangerous come the fall.
For most of the campaign, Obama has been adept at preventing his opponents from defining him. When Hillary portrayed him as inexperienced, he was quick to point out that experience in Washington had little relationship to change in Washington. When Hillary suggested Obama had yet to pass a commander-in-chief threshold, Obama argued forcefully that if having supported the Iraq War was a prerequisite to meet that threshold, then it was the standard itself, not Obama, that failed to meet the test.
But in the closing weeks of the Pennsylvania primary, the eruptions of a series of mini-crises resulted in Obama's opposition defining him as an out-of-touch and unpatriotic elitist, half radical Christian, half Muslim-in-disguise.
Perhaps it was the silliness of these claims that led Obama to dismiss them rather than confront them. Perhaps he, like many, assumed that the American people would not be so easily fooled. Yet, as the weeks rolled on and the vacuum of Pennsylvania's purgatory needed filling, the media began to adopt and circulate the very narrative the Clinton campaign had tried so hard to create.
As Thomas Edsall reports, the media tone has shifted sharply; Obama is described in newspapers as unelectable, in magazines as incapable of connecting with working class voters, and on television as someone who might be uncomfortable with patriotism. A debate about whether Obama is more similar to McGovern or Stevenson is not one he wants pundits to be having. Obama is being defined by others. It's time for him to do the defining.
Obama must do a better job of wrapping his story around ours. His background is one of the few that is actually one-of-a-kind; how many other Americans were born into an interracial marriage in 1960s Hawaii and raised in war-scarred Indonesia? Because Obama's story is so dramatically different than literally everyone else's, it would appear that some voters are having trouble understanding how his story relates to theirs.
Obama has always been a master of weaving the story of his life into the greater American experience. The speech that launched his political career on a national stage got some of its greatest applause lines when describing his origins. But now, when Obama speaks of his background, it often takes the form of a list: his father was from Kenya, his mother from Kansas, born in Hawaii, raised in Indonesia, a half-Indonesian sister, and family members who resemble the UN General Assembly. It lacks the punch, that intimate feeling that he empathizes with voters because he understands them. But this need not be the case.
Obama understands what it means to be poor, to be an outcast, to be different. Having spent his early career working everyday with working class Americans who had been laid off, he understands better than Hillary or McCain ever could, what it means to be told your job is leaving forever. Having been raised by a single mother, he knows what it means to be a struggling woman in the workforce. It is Obama's very background that answers the questions being asked of him.
It's time for him to say so.
He should also show some anger and passion when told he isn't patriotic enough to be president. "Not patriotic?" he should exclaim with disbelief. "How dare you!" Barack Obama has dedicated his life to serving the American public. Everything he does suggests that he has an abiding pride in his country. It is a pride that made him yearn to find a better life for the downtrodden of Chicago's Southside. It is a pride that led him to teach Constitutional Law, a course which, at its very base, is a singing tribute to our most cherished founding document. Obama knows his story is only possible in America, and he is running for president to ensure that promise of America is fulfilled. He is an unabashed patriot.
It's time for him to say so.
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Rev. Wright is an honourable and passionate person. Who loves America… loves God… and cares enough to speak the truth even when it is uncomfortable and unpopular. The media has done him a great disservice.
Bill Moyers had the courage and insight to go to the source and ask the important questions. He wasn’t content to just watch a few carefully edited sound bites. Although I’m sure that it won’t happen… I truly wish that the media would give equal time to the “true storyâ€â€¦ that they would blast to airwaves with the full context of the sermons and show that Rev. Wright is not the pariah that Hillary, the Republicans etc. would like us believe that he is.
What does this have to do with “Defining Obama� Exposing lies and half truths benefits us all. This type of campaigning diminishes us all and damages the democratic process.
Watch video:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04252008/watch.html
or
Read story
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04252008/profile.html
When Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell (and several other white fundamentalist preachers) were saying that 911 was God's judgment on America because of her tolerance of Homosexuals and legalization of abortion did you condemn them as anti-American or as hate mongers? When these same two preachers blamed the Katrina tragedy on Gays did you speak out against them for hate speech?
Why is there a double standard? Rev. Hagey (who called the Catholic Church the great whore) endorsed McCain. Clinton's former pastor, Rev. Procanick, was convicted of inappropriate touching of a 7 year old girl and I haven't seen one viral video blast like the sort that happened to Rev. Wright? Why aren't McCain or Clinton being called to task for their associations with these "haters"?
Is it because "they" are only "haters" when WE disagree politically with them? Otherwise, we look the other way. I am so sick of the hypocrisy of it all.
And the irony of it is that what you say dovetails perfectly with the suggestions Karl Rove offered Obama in Newsweek.
Barack is totally electable. As he has often said, his story is "uniquely American." It defines not only the place from which so many of of us have come, but also the level of future opportunity that we can recreate for everyone in this country. But only if we're willing to work hard for it Right Now.
I'm a veteran and a gun clinger he does need to hang with some people that do have some understanding of these issues.
Those that have not served in our armed forces do not have a full understanding how these men and women feel about the issues.
The gun owners look at it as a right granted them by the constitution and will not give it up. There are three kinds of gun owners. First there is the legal responsible gun owners they are the vast majority. There are the irresponsible gun owners a vary small minority. There are illegal gun owners that should not own guns they should go to prison for owning guns.
I'm sure that I will draw fire for these comments but thats ok every one has a opinion and is entitled to it.
This you call vetting a candidate through a gauntlet of personal attacks to see if he or she can hold up to the onslaught . I don't agree with that .One can run a clean race on the merit of their policies and past voting record and they should without all this nasty stuff I have seen .
One can't help but wonder who did the arm twisting to make ABC turn to soap opera and bashing . I don't mind them giving Hillary press but what happened in that so called debate even other media co. had a problem with it ,not to mention most of the public who watched it before turning it off in disgust .
Hillary "misspoke" four times on the SAME topic the Bosnia Fire" Where I come from you may misspeak once about a topic, but 4 times in 4 different places we call that lying. Hillary liedabout NAFTA....
Hillary and Bill played the race card, becasue Bill really believed he was the fir "African American President, but he was NOT. He has tried to marginalize Barack at every turn.
ALL GREAT IDEAS!!! ALL HILLARY CLINTON'S IDEAS!!!
How long is he going to get away with this? I could not believe it when I heard him standing at a podium rattling off Hillary Clinton's original ideas as if they were his own today.
HOW DOES THIS MAN, BARACK OBAMA, HAVE THE CONSCIENCE AND THE AUDACITY to do this and how does he keep a straight face?
I am absolutely humiliated for him!
Why not take your incredulousness that he might lie so audaciously to the next step and maybe consider that he isn't lying at all(any more than any other candidate for any office anywhere) He pretty much is what he says he is. Consider the interests of those in the media that you heard this from.
2Nurselady,
Did you forget that Hillary voted for the war in the first place, Obama didn’t? So in fact he was the first to want to bring them home because he didn't want to send them in the first place.
I agree Hillary did have a Health plan proposal first and it was 17 years ago and she failed so badly, it was never presented again until now.
I've been following Obama since 2002; do you remember his speech that night? Many of the ideas you claim are Hillary's where mentioned in that speech. Go back and listen to it your self. Read or listen to his book "The Audacity of Hope" which has been out for several years. All these ideas are there. Hillary didn't have them first.
Hillary has been a Senator for almost two terms now, agreed. How come she hasn't introduced any, not one of those ideas to congress?
If you knew anything at all about Hillary you would never vote for her. Post your e-mail and I'll send it to you.
One other thing, if Hillary’s judgments are so good why would she as a mother take her young daughter to Bosnia and put her in harms way? Would you do that?
All it took for them to completely shift their allegiance to Clinton was to have the Clintons complain that "Hillary wasn't getting the attention Obama was getting"
Of course that might have had something to do with the fact that Obama had been winning most of the elections and most of the popular vote to that point!
Now that they have the good attention focused on Hillary,. they have been feeding the news sharks a chum of slime about Obama... elitist, not in touch, closet Muslim, ad infinitum.
What really grinds me is that even some of the better news people are being sucked in to the crap... Lou Dobbs for example. Dobbs has ranted several times over Reverend Wright and the flag issue... and has continuously repeated the "bitter" line, despite the fact that over 40% of Lou's OWN survey said the public WAS bitter! I thought Lou was smarter than that!
So here's what we have folks... McCain, who wants to continue the Bush legacy... and in fact voted 95% in favor of the issues Bush supported over the past 8 years... Hillary, who has now taken on the Bush-Rovian tactics to manipulate the public... or Obama, who has a history of being everything he claims to be!
Of course, she could pick that great black lady Stephanie Tubbs Jones as her running mate, not just to get support of the black community, but to have a truly great person as our VP.
Jones is awesome. Better than Obama.
And wouldn't it be interesting to see two super women go up against two, cavelike, republican jerks. What a fight.
I am an educated NASCAR fan who happens not to be a Republican . There are some of us race car fans who aren't Republican's or rednecks .
So how is Obama better or different?
Then you do the same, what is it specificaly that Hillary has done?
The people in the know will tell you Hillary did nothing but host a luncheon in Dublin; she didn't stop anything in Ireland. Check it out. She wasn't shot at in Bosnia.
All three of these candidates haven't run a thing. Look at Hillary’s campaign. It's a disaster; it's in debt and broke. Ask the vendors in Ohio who have filed suit because she hasn't paid them, she won't even return their calls. The only reason wants a 22nd debate is for free exposure, even after a huge surge of contributions she's still broke. Great fiscal management,
Here are a few things she can lay claim to:
FIRST FIRST LADY to come under criminal investigation
FIRST FIRST LADY to almost be indicted according to one of the special prosecutors
NUMBER of Hillary Clinton fundraisers convicted of, or pleading no contest to, crime: 5
NUMBER OF TIMES that Hillary Clinton, providing testimony to Congress, said that she didn't remember, didn't know, or something similar: 250
NUMBER OF CLOSE BUSINESS partners of Hillary Clinton who ended up in prison: 3.
HILLARY CLINTON AND HER HUSBAND set up a resort land scam known as Whitewater in which the unwitting bought third rate property 50 miles from the nearest grocery store and, thanks to the sleazy financing, about half the purchasers, many of them seniors, lost their property.
She has great, way more detailed plans, and she has more pull and knowhow to get them done.
She raised 10 million but she owed 11 million to creditors. He out spends her because he has many more contributors, DUH. You talk about the poverty Bill, we have spent close to a trillion dollars in Iraq. 57% of our National is owned by China.Listen whoever you are, there isn't a State in the US thats not close to Bankruptcy.
And where did you learn Grammar. Yours is terrible.
She has great, way more detailed plans, and she has more pull and knowhow to get them done. What?
I can guarantee you one thing for sure A year maybe 2 fromnow when things are really bad under Hillary, you will be the first to say you voted for Obama or McCain.
He definitely needs to come out swinging. (Ugh...another boxing metaphor...but it makes my point.) He can't let Billary define him now (anymore than they already have)...because it will definitely hurt our chances in the fall.
Congress and the President have the lowest rating with the American people in it's history. Doesn't that tell you something? There like a bunch of brats fighting over a piece of candy and were the candy.
All these negitive attacks aren't defining him it's defining them. The media wants this fighting to continue because it's news, that's how they get ratings, that's where the stories are.
Jesus did not fight with his aggressors, when asked if he was the King of the Jews he said "Give unto Ceaser that which is Ceasers, Give unto God that which is Gods. He didn't argue he didn't fight and he died for his beliefs and for us.
Secondly, let's establish that DEFINING himself IS NOT NEGATIVE, it is POSITIVE. RIGHT NOW those who want to see him LOSE ARE DEFINING HIM and to sit back makes him LOOK like he does NOT have the STRENGTH to STAND UP for himself.
Thirdly,If Rosa Parks had NOT been tired and ANGRY, she would have gotten up on the bus and where would the civil rights movement be?
Rebutting Accusers is NOT NEGATIVE. HE MUST NOW STAND UP.