I look at Obama's policy sheets on his web site, and go "meh, little different from the other candidates." In fact, his health plan is even worse than the other candidates, in that it does not cover all Americans. Yet, when I encounter Obama fans, they go on and on about how he represents "change" and all that. What's going on here?
Then you talk further, and you realize: the "change" they are referring to is... his skin color.
Fundamentally, they have assigned Obama to what The Black Commentator calls The Magic Negro role in the film that is American politics. He is the black man with supernatural powers (of oration, apparently) that will save White America from, well, itself. It is not anything he says that gets the Obama folks salivating. It is his oratory style and, yes, his skin color, that represent the "change" here, not anything between the man's ears.
Which is a shame, really, because Obama is running a George W. Bush type race, speaking in sweeping generalities and trying as much as possible to avoid specifics that might turn people off of his campaign. He's running a smart race, if not a particularly courageous one, and looking at his old stuff from back in the runup to the Iraq War you realize that he is a very intelligent person who certainly has the equipment between the ears to be President (unlike the current President). But that, in the end, is not his appeal to people. It's that "change" thing. It's the expectation that his skin color and oratory style alone are somehow "magic", and will change American politics if he is elected.
But then, maybe Obama is trying to get himself cast as the Lawrence Fishburne character in the film "Election Reloaded" in people's minds. After all, most Americans seem comfortable with the Magic Negro as movie stereotype. Shall life, then, emulate the movies? That, in the end, may be what we find out during this election season. But the problem with magic is that, in the end, it's all tricks.
-- Badtux the Magic Penguin
There is one other factor that may explain Obama's popularity: the fact that his main competition for the office of President consists of Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, and Mitt Romney. Against that reverse-elite corps of lying, venomous weasels, one merely needs to be sane and relatively competent to appear like the Second Coming, and Obama is certainly sane and competent enough, if not particularly inspiring.
ReplyDeleteCould not agree more. The fact that he is an excellent public speaker, although he speaks nothing new, and everyone else continues to just blather on.... he looks like the second coming!
ReplyDeleteMetinks maybe the Magic word that flows out of the magic speech givers mouth is hope. He gives great speech, but I'm with you Badtux, where's a rest, eh?
ReplyDeleteHmmm, lookit what I just found...
ReplyDeleteObama Inc vs. Working Families
Wow.
ReplyDeleteCan't burn magic to keep you warm, eh?
BTW, Aaron, I would not consider John Edwards a lying venomous weasel. From everything I can tell, he is a sincere man who truly believes he is helping people by suing companies on behalf of folks who've been harmed by companies' products. I'm probably biased since I voted for John Edwards for the Senate when I lived in North Carolina... (shrug). So it goes.
ReplyDelete- Badtux the Southern Penguin
They all talk about change during an election champaign.
ReplyDelete"I look at Obama's policy sheets on his web site,"
Don't their policies always change after they get elected?
I'm assuming that he would fine tune his health care plan. But I think it doesn't matter who gets elected, in the end we still won't have a decent health care plan because of all the capitalism in the system.
Bah, they are all just the next group of big nuts that have worked their way to the top, and we'll have to vote for one of them.
Well, I'm writing in my name, if I'm going to piss away a vote it may as well be on me.
Excellent points, Badtux.
ReplyDeleteThose that the Gods would destroy , they first make the front runner.
Good post. And I second you on Edwards.
ReplyDeletei don't mind if he loses, i just don't want some redneck taking a shot at him on account of his being ahead of white folks.
ReplyDeleteTux-o, as a mixed-colour waterfowl, you have roughly the same percentage of blackness as Obama. So does that make you the magic penguin?
ReplyDeleteSadly, Bukko, penguins are never magic. I suspect it is the permanent formalwear or something, but penguins are always either a) amusing, or b) awkward. But magic? Nope. Sigh.
ReplyDelete- Badtux the Awkward Penguin