Obama Still Does Not Know His Place

When Barack Obama started running for president, he was widely described as arrogant for daring to take on the Clintons after just two years in the Senate, despite the fact that polling at the time showed him to be the only threat to Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary.

Eighteen-months later, we are told by the McCain campaign and its traditional media parrots that Obama is at risk of looking "presumptuous" for his recent trip abroad, even as he has registered a small but significant bounce in the polls upon his return, presumably for doing what most of us expect of a presidential candidate.

The man who slayed Democratic royalty, who has raised more money than any political campaign in US history, drawn record-breaking crowds in the US and abroad, who has been ahead of John McCain since widespread general election polling began four months ago, this man is presumptuous for thinking he has a good shot at becoming president and should therefore get to know his potential counterparts and visit the sites of US military activity?

Most candidates Obama's age will be charged sooner or later with youthful conceit for taking on their elders, no matter how guilty those elders are of mismanaging the country. It happened to some extent to Bill Clinton, and surely to others before him. However, it is hard not to see in the ongoing attitude towards this presidential frontrunner, just three months before the election, something more uncomfortable that is not simply a matter of age, but one of race.

Throughout the primary there was a growing sense of disbelief in the Clinton camp that this young'un (older than Bill was in 1991 when he started running, mind you) really thought he had a shot at this. Bill, in particular, showed little patience for Obama's "fairy tale" campaign, eventually going ballistic because, in his own version of "some of my best friends are," he did not understand that even he, whose office is in Harlem, may be condescending towards African-Americans, and towards this African-American in particular. Perhaps more perniciously, some long-time African-American political and business leaders joined in with some of the worst stereotyping of the campaign, seemingly upset at the upstart who dared to go where most of them had not.

Now McCain is recycling some version of this superciliousness, heavily aided by a traditional media still so easily scared into thinking it is not tough enough on Obama. McCain can hardly hide his rage at this uppity kid who thinks he can hobnob with world leaders just as he does -- who thinks he has more judgment than a septuagenerian war-mongering former prisoner of war. And who sees no reason to wait his turn when barely 1 in 10 Americans think the country is on the right track, thanks to his elders' enlightened leadership. In a weird echo of the Clinton attacks, McCain smirks his way through one sarcastic comment after another, his face twisted in hatred and disbelief. Not only is Obama "presumptuous," he also "doesn't understand." It is never clear what Obama doesn't understand since he actually has not gotten his facts or, so far, his analysis wrong, as opposed to McCain whose errors in fact and in judgment are so numerous as to make one wonder where he has been for the past 20 years (poring over Cold War era reports on Czechoslovakia? Hanging out at the Iraq-Pakistan border? Plotting to bomb-bomb-bomb bomb-bomb Iran?). McCain is the most arrogant of Senators (not a light charge), yet even by his standards the tone he adopts towards Obama is so densely patronizing that here too it is hard to dismiss it as purely a matter of age gap. McCain's joke of an economic advisor, Carly Fiorina, is now also laying it on thick: she is glad that Obama is consulting with experts. This from the woman who nearly ran a Fortune 100 company into the ground and whose candidate knows so little about economic issues after three decades in Congress that Fiorina is reduced to repeating that McCain "has been understanding [economic issues] for months."

That Obama is actually able to listen to facts, absorb them and analyze them should be a good thing. We assume that those skills came in handy throughout his life, not least at Harvard, where he graduated near top of his law school class. This, of course, now makes him an elitist, as he would not be expected by the old DC guard to possess any such competence (charisma perhaps, analytical ability no.) Both McCain (894th out of 899 at Annapolis) and George W. Bush revel in their under-achieving school days, as if this made these scions of hyper-privilege any closer to real people. This tactic clearly succeeded well enough for Bush to be elected president twice, and McCain to be nominated once. But there is a sense that American voters may not be taken in again and that they may actually enjoy as president someone who isn't an inbred moron or a senile fratboy.

Obama's partner in elitism, his wife Michelle, is in extreme tongue-biting mode. This is a shame, but it is inevitable, as she too is under the kind of scrutiny that would make Cindy McCain's face melt back into some approximation of reality. It is widely understood that Obama is more deserving of close examination than McCain because she is more actively involved in her husband's campaign than Cindy is. This of course is a lie: McCain has campaigned extensively for her husband and, were it not for her family fortune and her private jet, he wouldn't even have come close to being nominated. The truth is that Obama is expected to play a certain role: strong, angry, overbearing, and every one of her statements is demeaningly parsed in that light. If every word uttered by McCain were analyzed and reported to fit the stereotype of the rich, spoilt, husband-stealing white woman that she is, all would be fair. But instead, we get adoring glances, little examination of her actual role and an occasional hiccup about Michelle Obama's lack of patriotism.

What angers John McCain and bemuses many traditional observers is how unflappable Barack Obama remains in public, no matter how condescending the attacks. There is little doubt that the thick skin he grew over decades came in handy as he started to run for president. The past 18 months surely were not the first time Obama was baited for being black, for being white, for being Muslim, or for not being from "here," and it must be fascinating, although not unexpected, for him to see these patronizing attitudes resurface at this stage of his life. For the rest of us, what is fascinating is to witness how these old-school mindsets are backfiring on those who hold them, making them look less wise, more prejudiced, less fit to lead and altogether completely unappealing. And to witness that in America in 2008, it is perhaps not a bad thing not to know your place.

Follow Paul Jenkins on Twitter: www.twitter.com/PaulcJenkins

Comments

[deja669]

Excellent Post!!

[gouge]

Paul, this, is a marvelous piece of writing, informed with both thought and, passion. I just finished reading it to my 75 year old mother -a diehard Barry Goldwater Republican who is herself, passionate about this fine man now running for president -Barrack Obama that is. I believe it will be the first time she has ever crossed party lines to vote democrat.

She reminded me of what a hard time Franklin Delano Roosevelt -facing many of the criticisms about experience Obama is facing -not to mention that he was a sophisiticated man, a metro as opposed to retro-politan......I mentioned that another of our truly great presidents -Abraham Lincoln, like Roosevelt and Obama, was brilliant with his rhetoric -while also lacking in the judgement of many, experience.

One only needs ask, could we have been in better hands?

[Naithom]

Barack knows his place - 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, DC, hopefully for the next eight years.

[cmp]

What I would like to know., no offense intended, is how many of you bloggers are black ? Are the majority of you white ? Because I'm not a racist. Never have been my entire life. And believe me, that stand has left my friend pool at about 1 or 2. I'm surrounded by white family and associates and the vast majority speak about Obama like he's the Anti-Christ. Why is it that I never hear them speak about JMC qualifications and his plans to help my country, but only obvious venom and hatred for OB. When I open my mouth it's a virtual shitstorm. Where is all this hatred coming from ? My call............. Race.

[phyzise]

I have both white and black friends ( am mixed like BHO) Most of my white friends have pure hate for the guy for no reason and my black friends love him to death. Though I find most of my female white friends love the guy but the males just don't like the guy. I had an Obama poster in my office and I came one day to find a small Nazi symbol drawn on his head. I ordered another and I now lock my office. People are racist and I do not understand. I for one can't chose sides because my dad is white and my mom black which is rear when it comes to mixed couples. My wife is mixed too but Asian and black.
What a beautiful world we live in. We the educated few need to educate our friends and family's.

YES WE CAN

[brooklyncitizen]

I am shocked and awed (and I wish I wasn't). I didn't think whites in America were evolved enough to "SEE" this much less write about it.
Thank-you.

[Marlyn]

Good article, Paul Jenkins.

[grannysharp]

Why doesn't the McCain campaign just come right out and say "GO TO THE BACK OF THE BUS", thats what their getting at.

[mesut]

I'm waiting for the word 'boy'. It's what I hear when Sen McCain says "he wants to teach Sen Obama" something. What annoys me more is the attitude that Sen Obama-has-a-lot-of-nerve-running-for-the- highest-office-in-this-country. Who does he think he is comes to mind too.

[ezet22]

Obama has the drop the honorable war record blather about McCain for the duration of this
Campaign. One is already liked and pretty tough but now one must show he can be rough enough to lead. His duty to the American people now, is to examine and challenge every part of McCain's war and senatorial record. €
It is not Obama's job to decide on McCain fitness but the American people's. ‘Most don’t meet or know anybody who has been a Prisoner of War, its strange to think about in this day and age. What does that mean and what does that do?’
Since McCain has shown 'country club' condescension and disrespect, Mr. Obama is required to pull up his law degree from Harvard and move on as a fair and thorough prosecutor ie. 'inquisitor and interrogator', should run the headlines for a few weeks.,
‘The One’ determined to get to the bottom of McCain record so that The American people can have all of the facts, to choose. Let face it he has never been vetted and using the troops and Brittney to score points in a presidential campaign has raised serious ‘doubts'. Obama can’t give him a free ride.

[NoSandwiches]

I disagree. Every time I hear Obama say that he honors McCains service and believes that McCain loves this country but...and there is always a but...he sets a fine example that I applaud. McCain looks worse because Obama acts so much more reasonable and well, presidential.

If you have read Dreams from my Father, you know that being polite and reasonable is a coping mechanism that Obama adopted in his youth. People find a polite young man to be less threatening, and being less threatening is Good.

I cried when I heard that Obama had won his first primary, because I never believed I would live to see the day. I cheered when I read this article. Now, get on the air and try to be heard among the media love-fest for McCain.

[sowhatdemos]

Since all my posts get flagged... let's check out this one which has nothing to say!

[VAforObama]

Great article. I am, however, torn between wanting Obama to put on his gloves and take the suckers out, or wait for McSame to really work himself into some sort of frenzy.

[Suthngal]

We teach our kids that it's best to talk to resolve issues before you react. However, we don't desire our president to use common sense? A common thread, which has been missing in the WH for at least 6 years! This is why our economy is in such a downward spiral.

Republicans for Obama!

[SadButWiser]

I just became a fan of your writing.

[JackND]

This is one of the best pieces I've ever read.

Love the Cindy McCain morph comment...LMAO.

[tipiglen6]

Brilliant article! Why does the word "uppity" come so readily to mind?

I'm on the Obamabus!

[sowhatdemos]

What are we going to use after O becomes President? OMG, they're going to have to think up new KKK slogans!!!
Women for Obama '08 & beyond!!

[lunchbag]

Presently everybody is going thru trying times, do people want someone with experience or someone with very little, that's the river Ob will have to cross

[clsmithj]

lunchbag it depends on what that experience is, if the person will the longer experience has been work in pushing a agenda against interest of the people but favoring large corporations, I rather have the person with less experience that's looking out for the individual.

[shimown]

There are lots of older people, with years of great experience, but that alone does not make them fit for today's challenges. John McCain has a wealth of important experience, but his ignorance of human nature, and his unwillingness to see sovereign nations as co-partners in our future security, and not just targets of our derision, betray his basic unsuitablitiy for Chief Executive. There is nothing subtle about John McCain. He is a blunt instrument in a world requiring precision. His failure to understanding geography (yes, it counts, especially when you trumpet your foreign policy chops), his inability to see the Bush economic policies for the failures they represent, and his adamant stand that the war in Iraq is the center of the War on Terror, underline the irrelevance of McCain's experience.

[pvernier]

Well Said !

[Choicelady]

Huge difference between experience and mere seniority. McCain is long on the latter but clearly short on the former. Hanging around does not equate with paying attention.

[brooklyncitizen]

Great post-thanks!