Barack Obama has come under some, in my view, very fair and timely criticism for releasing his inner Al Sharpton last week and engaging in a very juvenile effort at that old Democrat standby, racebaiting.
If anyone thinks that Obama is truly a “black” candidate, by this I mean in the political philosophy sense that we equate with Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Cornel West, and others constantly yammering over how they are being held down and back, they are mistaken.
Obama has shown he is capable of using his racial heritage to bludgeon critics but other than his hanging out the with the incendiary racist Reverend Jeremiah Wright, who we must acknowledge is not the man Senator Obama has known for 20 years.there is little in his history to indicate any great degree of Afrocentrism or an affinity for racial politics.
In fact, pretty much the opposite.
Today’s Washington Post has an bit of a puff piece on the Obama campaign. There were some interesting nuggets like the lede which parallels some discussions we contributors have had offline on the subject:
CHICAGO — The bustling Obama headquarters on North Michigan Avenue invites comparisons to a start-up, teeming with young people in jeans clutching BlackBerrys as they walk through the halls. Yet in Democratic circles, another, potentially less welcome, parallel is being made: to the tight-knit and tight-lipped organization eight years ago of George W. Bush.
Decisions are guarded with extreme secrecy, none more so than the upcoming vice presidential selection, and that has occasionally irked members of Congress. In recent days, as Republicans publicly accused Sen. Barack Obama of appearing presumptuous during his presidential-style trip to Europe, Democrats privately expressed concerns that Obama has become too Chicago-centric, relying on his inner circle rather than a broader group that encourages input from Washington and elsewhere.
What was more interesting was a photo taken of Obama’s campaign headquarters, other than the nascent cult of personality being developed there. I apologize for the quality but it doesn’t appear on line, as far as I can determine, and this is a scan of the newspaper photo.
Take a look at the faces. Truly a staff that looks like America. If you ignore the part that isn’t white and between 25 and 35. But it serves as an inspiration for a good campaign song for Senator Obama.
Moe Lane
Steve Maley
Dan McLaughlin
Neil Stevens
Daniel Horowitz
That's ok, the young women can look forward
Dave_in_Fla (Diary) Sunday, August 3rd at 3:49PM EST (link)to not being paid on the same scale as their male counterparts, just like on his Senatorial staff.
“If they were merely incompetent, then at least SOME of their actions would have been to the benefit of the country.” – Joe McCarthy
Well, that does fit the profile of your typical...
EireGOP Sunday, August 3rd at 4:30PM EST (link)…. Hopium addicts.
After all, people with jobs, children, and mortgages usually know better than be Obamites.
Cult of Personality indeed!
chemjeff (Diary) Sunday, August 3rd at 4:36PM EST (link)There is something creepily Stalinist about the large poster of Obama on the back wall. Its giant features of Obama, its red background… Ugh. I don’t think I could stand to work in an office like that.
The Procol Harum Video Rocks, But I'm Not Sure I Understand Your Point
Chuck_Norris_Republican (Diary) Sunday, August 3rd at 5:11PM EST (link)A picture of young white people supporting Obama?
(McCain has white supporters also (not counting myself) as far as I can tell)
How does this represent a cult of personality?
Because they are all white?
You said, “Truly a staff that looks like America.”
What is that supposed to mean?
Did you just double down on Obama’s the race card?
Chuck Norris Republican
Part of the EIB (Excellence in Blogging)
“Chuck Norris Republican is the only man I would let raise my taxes.” – Grover Nordquist
I am Shocked! Shocked! That this election has become about race.
Chuck_Norris_Republican (Diary) Sunday, August 3rd at 5:41PM EST (link)Obama is the first black guy to run for president.
Of course race is going to be an issue, whether he or us likes it or not.
The media will bring it up, parse campaign language to look for hidden meaning and conduct endless poles on whether race is going to influence voters.
Each side is going to use race to their advantage! After all politics ain’t beanbag and there is a lot at stake.
Chuck Norris Republican
Part of the EIB (Excellence in Blogging)
“Chuck Norris Republican is the only man I would let raise my taxes.” – Grover Nordquist
I think the point is that Obama
blooch Sunday, August 3rd at 7:45PM EST (link)is, once again, trying to have it both ways. He wants to be able to play the race card to blunt any criticism. He wants to offer the reparations sop and then pull it back as needed. He wants to bask in his uniqueness, yet claim it is somehow unifying in its own right.
The hecklers in St. Pete last week, who were more along the traditional Sharpton/Jackson lines, lambasred him for not being the champion for their cause that they expected. He handled them rather deftly, in my opinion, but it is obvious that more people are becoming aware of the fact that he is just another elitist, liberal socialist.
That is the main reason his playing of the race card is backfiring, and his thin credentials as a “community organizer” have been seen through by many of those who were around him at that time.
The peek into the Obama beehive reveals–despite the red, black and green revolutionary posters–a younger, whiter Dunder Mifflin. Granted, this may have little effect on his dedicated black voters, many of whom have moved beyond Sharpton et al, or who are simply attracted to the symbolism of a black president. It does,however, reveal the brittle, wafer-thin demographic on which he is relying to carry him into the White house.
The folks who heckled him in St. Pete, and those they represent, may find they are not so committed to his cause come election day if they perceive that he, of all people, is just another liberal blowing smoke in their faces and using them.
“Lieutenant Dike wasn’t a bad leader because he made bad decisions. He was a bad leader because he made no decisions.”
{Spambotting is a no-no.}
RoyFan51 Sunday, August 3rd at 7:58PM EST (link){Tsk, tsk. – Moe Lane}
Err ... that was Moses. You're really not that bright are you?
Martin Knight (Diary) Sunday, August 3rd at 8:05PM EST (link)Sad.
Don't Forget
JKH1232 (Diary) Sunday, August 3rd at 8:25PM EST (link)The “Staff that looks like America” bit comes from Clinton’s ’92 campaign promise to have a Cabinet that “Looks Like America..” and mostly just picked old white guys for the important postions and gave the unimportant ones to token women and minorities.
Exepction was Albright for SecState, who was an old white woman.
That group of staffers seems to mirror
bk (Diary) Sunday, August 3rd at 10:42PM EST (link)what you see at rallies and protests for supporting granting rights to illegal aliens.
Hillary didn't seem to mind ...
bk (Diary) Sunday, August 3rd at 11:06PM EST (link)ugly old women on the fringe of Bill’s inner circle – i.e. Maddie and Janet Reno. Next closest was maybe Alexis Herman, but she was about a 3rd tier player so there it didn’t matter.