The predictable happened again in the Democratic presidential debate at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama again got down and dirty with arch rival Hillary Clinton. And just as predictably the usual suspect Hillary Bashers blamed her. Obama's sideswipe was the by now obligatory pound of Hillary for allegedly being a corporate flack. He cracked to her about sitting on the board of Wal-Mart when I (Obama) was organizing poor people on Chicago's Southside.
Obama's low-blow personal dig, as it was intended, punched the hot buttons--the hated Wal-Mart symbol of flaming corporate greed, environmental rape, sweatshop labor practices, roughshod riding over small communities and businesses. It also allowed Obama to image himself as the noble defender of the poor, exploited, downtrodden, worker. This, of course, is pure fiction. And Clinton rightly hit back that his savior of the poor man image doesn't square with his record of grabbing any and every corporate donation he can get his hands on, and that includes even some from real estate interests that deal in slum property.
The problem with the Obama-initiated low-blow attacks is that this is not merely the typical, and expected, feisty exchange between two front-running candidates that are in a dog fight of a race and each trying to rip each other's jugular. That's sadly what's come to pass for campaign politics American style. But the Clinton slams have become part of an all too troubling Obama template. He tosses out barbs, personal innuendos, slurs, against Clinton, and lately hubby Bill, and then steps back and presents himself as the wronged victim who's forced to hit back to defend his name, rep and record against the bullying and dirt-dealing Clintons.
Talk about having it both ways. But he gets it yet another way. When Hillary defends herself and snaps backs at him he knows that the gaggle of talking head Hillary hating spin masters will hack up, mangle and twist every utterance from both Clintons, and shove Obama's attacks back in their faces to paint them as the bad guys. The wasteful, lethal, and no-win Iraq war--what war? The shamble of Bush's failed and flawed domestic polices--what flaws and failures? The mess of the economy---what mess?
No, the only thing that matters to Obama is hammering Clinton. The pity is that Obama didn't start out as a campaign mud slinger. When he stood on the steps of the Old capitol building in Springfield, Illinois last February and announced his candidacy, millions were thrilled that a youthful, top flight intellectual and politically savvy, community grounded, bona fide African-American presidential candidate had stepped boldly onto the American political scene.
His drum beat slam of Bush's polices, talk of substantial directional change in America for millions of dispossessed, and of challenging disaffected young voters to engage in the political process and to tackle the nation's tormenting problems. But as the old line from legendary blues singer B.B King goes that thrill is long gone. No, worse, it's in danger of being permanently drowned in the wallow of political garbage dumping. It's not enough for the wise men and women of the Democratic Party to scream at Obama and Clinton to knock it off and get back to the business of spelling out what both are going to do about affordable health care, failing public schools, a burgeoning housing bust, crippling poverty for thousands, job creation, immigration reform, and winding down the Iraq debacle.
They need to remind Obama first that his attacks may play well to the clinically obsessed anti-Hillary crowd, but the price for his snatch at one-upmanship over her will be to fracture relations, and increase polarization within the Democratic Party, and drive thousands more fence sitting independent voters to the GOP. That's a terrible price to pay for getting down and dirty and then smugly sitting back and letting Hillary take the rap for it. Obama, are you listening?
Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His forthcoming book is The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House (Middle Passage Press, February 2008.
Obama is ambitious in way that seems mostly about self-interest. That disturbs me.
"clinically obsessed anti- Hillary crowd". They are all over Huffington Post.
He needs to stop crying and answer the questions. He is just like every other
policical hack, long on rehetroic short on substance.
Earl has it totally correct.
BTW I have read everything on his website and his books and I am not buying it. Just like I don't buy everything all the others say.
There is nothing new about Obama...Nothing!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDHbHcOV1N4&feature=related
I think your post is right on. In his rants against the Clintons, Obama is making himself look bad - mean-spirited and angry - as well as damaging Hillary and the party.
The other thing about the Wal-Mart dig is that it baffles me why he thinks corporate experience is a bad thing. I hope the president understands big business as well as social issues. After all, improving poverty is about the size of the pie as well as the shape of the slices - as Bill Clinton understood so well.
Your post has NONE.
Speaking truthiness to power, are we?
It isn't even that his recent conversion to Republican-style "attack" politics runs directly contrary to his early uplifting rhetoric regarding "hope" and a "new kind of politics". While hypocrisy is about my LEAST favorite attribute in a public figure...some of that is unavoidable in a tight campaign.
What bothers ME most is that Obama apparently can not SEE that he is gaining NOTHING from this stuff and losing plenty.
Sen. Obama already HAS,... in the bag,.. the votes of every Republican crossover voter, and every Clinton hater that he's ever going to get....simply because his name is not Hillary Clinton.
Meanwhile his recent negativity has had the effect of LOSING the potential votes of people like me....committed Democrats who like ALL the candidates well enough..and are in the enviable position of choosing from among a number of VERY GOOD choices.
People like me.... who are pleased by and proud of Obama's presence in the race.
People like me.... for whom the Senator's early uplifting rhetoric about "the audacity of hope" and a "new kind of politics" had great resonance.
It is that the Sen. apparently CANNOT SEE this, and this makes him look weak and unreliable on the ONE issue where he is most vulnerable...that of EXPERIENCE and Judgement.
After all...Barack Obama WITHOUT "the audicity of hope" is just another run-of-the-mill politician wallowing around in the mud, a relatively untried and untested one at that.....................................tm