And this much-derided rebuttal to Barack Obama seemed to me exactly right. "Making change is more than making speeches." I have a feeling that Democrats will be quoting that line to themselves in early 2010, as President Obama careens from one hubristic error to the next.
Conversely, I remain immune to Obama's appeal. Who's writing his speeches? Rob Reiner? How such utter empty gas-baggery could sound to so many people like the second coming of Pericles utterly baffles me. And yet evidently it does thrill millions of people, not only the Beatlemaniacs in the liberal blogosphere, but (much more importantly) the still-powerful custodians in the big media, who have decided that any criticism of Obama no matter how well founded is out of bounds. (See negative reaction to Hillary Clinton's rebuttal, as above.)
Me? I'm a bit more optimistic. I suspect many of the independent and Republican crossover primary voters may just suprise us in the fall when they're voting not for a primary candidate, but for the President of the United States. Do small-government, non-peacenik Republicans really fall that quickly for a pretty face? Or are they just delighted to see that Clinton woman get hers an election ahead of time?
And the unity talk? Something tells me not everyone in those Red States is lining up to get unified under the Democratic banner. (You really have to have a bit of skepticism in this game). The younger voters, sure, but the whole country? I don't think it will be the cakewalk some enthusiasts predict.
We'll see in November, I guess, and also how the sense of entitlement and unity-talk play out when candidates are called on to more fully outline their policy positions -- particularly on foreign policy, immigration, and economic issues. (Surely we'll get over the color of his skin, and more into content once the novelty wears off?) Of course, Bloomberg running on a third-party candidacy could throw everything off, similar to way Daley and Byrne split the vote in Chicago giving Mayor Harold Washington the office with less than 50% of the vote.
If the Democrats lose this November, we can thank men like Andrew Sullivan. He's best known for the Push for Gay Marriage. Sadly, the country wasn't really behind that one either -- evidenced by the results of state constitution amendments across the country. (Thanks Andrew.) If he had only listened to others, and worked within the system proceeding incrementally, who knows? Instead, he castigated those groups working on behalf of a larger constituency, and got what he wanted -- a Massachusetts marriage for himself, everyone else out there be damned. Now he doesn't understand why America won't lift their public health policies on HIV+ immigrants, so he can become an American citizen and vote. Nor does he understand that many think it's best for children to be raised in homes with a male and female parent -- he attributes to simple bigotry the American majority preference for traditional upbringings. Were it only that easy: imagine change for all.
I wonder what excuse Sullivan would give for the Democrat's further fall -- either this November, or early on in an Obama term? Probably, that we're all bigots. Remember this guy's track record -- just as eager an early Bush supporter, (he really seems to vote for physical looks over substance -- empty like that) no questions at all about the push to invade Iraq. It seems he likes to be with the "in" crowd, and changes his opinions at whim. But then again, he's not even an American citizen. Just likes to play one on the blogs.
His hatred of Hillary Clinton, I suspect, comes from the knowledge that he wouldn't be such an "innie" if her administration were to rule. Still, isn't it something how this self-defined conservative is so eager to line up as a Democrat today, supporting policies remarkably similar to Clinton's?
Or is he just eager to push the Democrats into unsustainable minority positions, so he can jump ship ... again ... when the going gets tough? Maybe other than himself, he's really got nothing to lose here, no sense of the past or continuity into the future for American children and grandchildren. He'll no doubt be gone long before the bills come due for future generations.
November can't come too soon, and for the sake of the party, I hope if she has to go down, Hillary goes down fighting. It's about time somebody starting challenging the attractive newcomer on policy issues, long before the Republicans have a shot at explaining why this is no time for empty rhetoric and affirmative-action attractions.
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