Survive this, chumps.
Seriously, A. Survivor? Wouldn’t you much rather watch a mechanical River Tam travel through time and beat the crap out of robots? I know you would. In fact, I think thatthis comic pins down what everyone wants to see.
Hell, while I’m talking about comics, you good people should check outYourmometer. My pal Hobbes takes time out of her extremely busy life to create a well-drawn and highly entertaining comic strip, and she does so for free. Her Valentine’s Day strips are particularly amusing. Here’sthis year’s.
Now. As regards the hash/the rhetoric of hope: Bring. It. On.
It’s a testament to Obama’s skills that he can take the deep disaffection of people with the dogshit of the Bush years and channel that alienation into hope. Of all things, hope. Now, I remember my Greek mythology. And, yes, Hope was the last and most awful thing to come out of Pandora’s box in the original story. But this isn’t ancient Greece. We have room for hope. If not, it’s time to curl up into the fetal position and wait for the end. Most people have to believe they can make things better before they can find it in themselves to try.
I was reading theGroup News Blog the other day, and Doc Wendel was kinda down on the non-specificity and emotional content of Obama’s campaign speech in Seattle. I saw pretty much the same speech in Madison Tuesday night, and I didn’t really have the same complaints. Like the Seattle event, Obama filled a large sporting venue, and the gate staff ended up turning people away. And, yes, the crowd was hype. So he didn’t lay out wonky policies in detail. Fine. He’s engaging people from 18-85 and making them believe they matter again. All of them. After the 50.0001% majority Bush years, the crowds at the Obama events really seem to want to unite large majorities of the country to get positive things done for most of the people. Naturally, a great deal of the people at these events are already predisposed to like Obama. But the man does appeal to broad groups. I don’t mean to be down on the folks at the GNB; I really enjoy their site. I just don’t think that engaging people on an emotional level is the worst thing that a candidate can do.
Especially since, as Athenae astutely points out, Obama’s rhetoric isn’t entirely bullshit, and isn’t predicated on fucking over everyone else so the rich can run off with the treasury.