Well, it’s been a while since I’veagreed with something posted here.
It’s really simple. The media needed some way to take down Barack Obama, and since they didn’t have anything on him (by all accounts he appears to have conducted his life with honor and integrity – something that makes him dangerous in Washington), they went after his preacher. And so we find ourselves in a situation where a presidential candidate is being attacked not for what he did, but for what someone else did. If I had been watching television, something I occasionally do just to see what shit they’re peddling, I would have written this a week ago – I’m sorry this is somewhat late to the game. And it appears the netroots have lost focus of what is really going on here. It is simply unacceptable to hold a candidate responsible for the actions of someone else who is not under their employ. I can’t believe people are falling for it.
If anybody gives a shit what I think of Obama’s speech, it’s that I was, as usual, impressed with him as a writer, and as usual, impressed with him as a speaker, and as usual, wondering with a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, “Oh, what the fuck is coming down the pipenext?” Because it’s not the speech, of course, that counts. Talking about this over at the crack den, where there was actually some interesting discussion amidst the trolling, I said if anything, the speech was too subtle for me, I wanted Obama up at the podium saying something along the lines of “Fuck you, and by the way, tell your mom I want my change.” But then, there’s a reason I don’t work in politics. You can’t always headbutt your way to success, and screaming doesn’t always do much beyond making the headaches worse. Maybe subtle is what’s called for at this point. Maybe subtle is what needed to happen today.
Tomorrow, though? Tomorrow?
Tomorrow asskicking needs to happen.
Tomorrow beating down needs to happen.
Tomorrow a smackdown of monumental proportions needs to begin because you can’t stay on defense. You can’t stay in the place where the perception is that you’re explaining, because then you have something to explain, and if you have something to explain then you have a problem and if you have a problem you have a big problem and it’s one big echo of nonsense, repeating back on you until you’d like to stab out your ears with an ice pick. I made the unfortunate mistake of watching the local news over the weekend, which I hardly ever do because I don’t want to know which household products could kill my children, but the top story was, of course, “OBAMA’S CONTROVERSIAL PASTOR CAN HE OVERCOME DENOUNCE OMG BLACK PEOPLE ARE SCARY.” There’s a black mark on the wall behind my TV. The shoe missed.
Tomorrow, the speech needs to stop being about “We are better than this” and start being about “Fuck you for making it out we’re not better than this.” It needs to stop being about what Rev. Wright said and start being about how nobody is cold and hungry because of what he said. Nobody is poor because of what he said. Nobody is dead because of what he said. Nobody is any worse off today than they were yesterday because of what he said, recent DC-based whining about how sticks and stones may break our bones but words make us feel funny aside, and nobody is at war because of what he said.
People are cold and hungry because of what small, pinched, angry little men did, in this nation, these past eight years. People are poor because of what they did. People are dead because of what they did. People are worse off today than they were yesterday and they’ll be worse off tomorrow than they were today because of what the men in the halls of power today did. People are at war because of what they did. Not said from the pulpit, not shouted from the pews. Not spoken in anger or haste or even in righteousness, but done, calmly and deliberately, with Powerpoint slides and careful spreadsheet calculations, to destroy this country and all that for which it stands. And every minute we go back and forth about what Rev. Wright said is a moment we’re not focused on fixing what George Bush and Dick Cheney, Doug Feith and Paul Wolfowitz, Condoleezza Rice and Donald Rumsfeld, DID. And of course, don’t think for one minute that’s not why this is an “issue” at all.
So while I am righteously glad Obama said what he said today, I’m even more eager to see what he says tomorrow.
A.
I worked in the mail room in the halls of power, I see how it is done. I delivered sandwiches to the press people when then asked their “tough” questions.
The hall of power people MAKE news. This is no surprise, but what I am surprised at is how often we on the left WAIT for the right to make the attack. Then the media’s X vs. Y clock starts.
When you are on the offensive THEY have to be on the X vs. Y clock scrambling for talking points and experts.
You want to play, black and white, male and female politics and who is or isn’t qualified? Let’s look at Condi Rice.
Just how qualified is she? Just how bad a job has SHE been doing? Is she protected because she is black? Or because she is a woman?
Maybe Hilary can address her qualifications because the womenness is canceled out and Barak can address her blackness be cause the blackness is canceled out.
Because like a stand up comedian who realized he can only do jokes about blacks if he is black, so to can only a woman attack another woman for her positions and not be in the situation where the other can be called sexist.
Why go after Condi, because everyone else is history and she is still a player, with a potential future. She needs to wear the defeat alike a rotting hunk of meat.
Just a thought.
Righteous, as were the Eschaton comments this afternoon. Everyone needs to get this meme and push like there’s no tomorrow. Pile onto the McFlub flub where he doesn’t know a Shia from a Sunni. NO MORE REV TALK. Where’s that lobbyist? Breaking FEC rules? Attack Rush and fellow spewmiesters’ advertisers (Spoko says). NO MORE REV TALK. That day is done – offense, offense, offensive offense! FISA, subpoenas, rollback of bankruptcy, increase CAFE, civil rights enforcement, jail the head of EPA for contempt – the list goes on – oh yeah – file an amicus brief with the Supreme Court allowing us to go on the air and tell these fucks to go Cheney themselves.
the gnews has to pay for their bullshit. call them on it. give them the asskicking they deserve.
Damn, A – that was a wicked awesome post!!! I say we need a ride in the Crack Van to laud you w/funny noises – now THAT would leave the “Straight Talk Express” in the DUST!!!! 🙂
Elspeth
My, my, my! You have been eating your Wheaties this week!!! Your rants are nuclear grade plutonium! As usual, I am going to send this rant around to my pals… Thanks!
Jeebus, I don’t know if I’m glad it wasn’t just MY stupid local teevee newspeople wetting themselves, or if I’m just more depressed by that fact. Mr. BuggyQ had the sense to restrain me from shoe-throwing, but now he’s recovering from injuries sustained in the explosion of the IED that used to be my head.
I’m off to write several nasty letters to local media which will prominently feature the words DOUBLE STANDARD and the name HAGEE. And the words BOYCOTT OF YOUR ADVERTISERS.
Until and unless McCain gets the same kind of treatment for his sloppy embrace of Hagee, we need to make the newscritters worry about their income.
Admittedly, I’ve come to the decision that I can’t decide between Clinton and Obama and will vote for whichever one wins.
Admittedly, I’m befuddled that the pastor’s words have caused such a stir. It sounds like the normal style common in many black baptist churches (and frankly, the man had a point – when America does deplorable things, it is ridiculous to say “God Bless America” like we’re kissing a boo-boo to make it all better. To do such is taking the Lord’s name in vain – and woiuld earn stoning in ancient Israel. Even New Testament Matthew: Swear not by heaven nor by earth).
Listening to the tape of Obama last night, it struck me how he was taking this attack and turning it into a positive attempt to heal some of the racial wounds that stil haunt our country. The man is good and the speech increased his stock in my book.
Dare I compare it to Nixon’s “Checkers” speech?
More than ever before, I miss Steve Gilliard.
MapleStreet, in effect it may be like the “Checkers” speech. In fact, I think that’s an apt comparison as far as the intent of the speech goes. But Senator, I knew the “Checkers” speech. The “Checkers” speech was a friend of mine. Obama’s speech was no “Checkers” speech. /s
Srsly, this was a very good speech, and delivered with far more sincerity than I ever saw in Nixon. The man couldn’t sneeze sincerely.
BuggyQ – I quite agree that the Obama speech was very sincere and about a situation that he was being blamed for (although not at all his own making) while “Checkers” was Nixon having his hand caught in the cookie jar (and with 20/20 hindsight rather cynical to the public).
As you implied, I’m thinking more about the humanizing sincerity defusing a bomb.
Well, I’m with you.