Barack Obama: A long Days Journey into Night?

The Campaign flounders

Published on August 7, 2008 By Bahu Virupaksha In Current Events

The campaign of Barack Obama is in trouble and everyone seems to understand it except the candidate and his team. Given the unpopularity of George II and the Iraq War, Obama should be poised for victory as the polls are less than 100 days away. Sure he enjoys a 5 point lead over Maccain but that lead is well within the margin of error and unless Barack Obama crosses the 8 to 10 point margin one cannot be sure of his victory. Of course, Barack Obama himself has not made any major faux pas but the Karl Rove inspired campaign of selective disinformation and distortion seems to be eroding the public persona and appeal of the first African-American aspirant to high office in the USA.

The tour of Europe in which Obama was given a rock star welcome seems to have angered some people. Obama himself is harsdly responsible for the enthusiastioc welcome he received. All over the world he is perceived as the very spirit of political decency and freedom. Jon Steward the shamefaced comedian that he is even made the unkind remark that hen Obama visited Bethlehem he was merely visiting his birthplace. Such remarks have no palce in a political campaign and only helps Maccain shore up the conservative Christian vote.

The campaign advert in which Barack Obama's speech in Paris is shown spliced with shots of Brtiney Spears and Paris Hilton is a cruel ad and reminds me of Harper Lee's To Kill a mocking Bird. A black man between 2 lilly white girls and designed to exite all the primordial fears of a conservative white electorate. In fact the Obam,a people must protest against the racist implications of that ad.

Having said all this I must say that Obama himself has not helped his own cause by trying to be a hiltionite and an obamacrat at the same time. He has fil flopped over the issue of off shore drilling. His stand on the new surveillance law that gives immunity for prying into the e mails of citizens has not gone down too well with the civil libertarians who were attracted to his campaign. On gun control too Senator Obama has changed his position and many who are interested in strict gun control legislation will be disappointed and may well keep away from the polls.

Perhaps Barack Obama is much too decent a man for the kind of politics inflected with racism and fear mongering.

Comments (Page 2)

maudlin27

on Aug 09, 2008

A guy who thinks oil prices are not too high, they just went up too fast

Just thought I'd pick up on this point you made Charles, since you seem to be implying (given the context of the point) that Obama is wrong to think that. In the US, since taxes are very low on oil (especially compared to other countries), the prices could well be argued to be too low, not too high. The reason is that the price may not fully reflect the damage done to the environment, and hence you will have overconsumption of it. If this is the case, then a rise in the world price of oil could be viewed as a good thing in that it makes renewable energy alternatives that don't have a harmful impact on the environment relatively cheaper, and hence cause some people to switch from oil to them, thus decreasing the total level of overconsumption.

kurtin

on Aug 09, 2008

It will be tough to elect a guy who shares the same name as the dictator of a regime we just toppled.

You are ridiculous, Anthony. I am still just highly disappointed that people think in such ways (or have such lack of reasonable judgment).

The latest of which is to dismiss the energy crises as just "under inflated tires and a tune up".

Also, this was not a dismissal, only a recommendation. Inflated tires get better gas mileage. Sure inflating all the tires in America will not actually yield as strong a result as proclaimed as "probable", but it is something individuals can do to save on energy consumption (which was the point of his response).

Anthony R

on Aug 10, 2008

u are ridiculous, Anthony.

We'll see in Nov. how rediculous I am. If Hussein gets at least as much support as Kerry then I was wrong, but if his numbers are far lower than that then I was right. I don't have too much confidence in polling either. If I was to believe in polls, Ron Paul would now be the ruler of all time, space, and dimension.

Bahu Virupaksha

on Aug 10, 2008

It will be tough to elect a guy who shares the same name as the dictator of a regime we just toppled.

And there I was thinking that Bill Clinton was the first black President

I think Toni Morrison has already explained that comment.

Obama is a Christain and there is no point in fear mongering over a name. He is not responsible for his given name.

Dr Guy

on Aug 11, 2008

It may not be a dismissal, but he is using it as one. Obama does want higher prices - to reduce consumption. He is honest in that regard (and one of the reasons I do respect him). But when he tries to explain it away with his "air and tune up", he is betraying his core beliefs and being made to look the fool. It would be better if he was honest about it, and came out and said "this will cost you less money, but the plan is to keep prices high so that alternatives have a chance to grow and become feasible". For that is what he really believes.

The problem is he would probably not get elected saying that (He would most definitely get my vote). Or maybe he would. Honesty is the one thing that no politician has tried yet. In the end, by trying to equate tire pressure with drilling, he is being dishonest. They are not the same, nor should he even try to equate them.

CharlesCS

on Aug 11, 2008

Yea well tell that to those who have a hard time filling up their tanks to get to work, to the store or to simply go to the park. But I will leave DrGuy's comments as a better explanation. BSing people to get votes basically makes Obama just another politician, not someo special as he is portrayed to be. The only real change Obama offers is the kind where people can't see that "the more things change, the more they stay the same". That is what Obama is all about.

maudlin27

on Aug 11, 2008

Yea well tell that to those who have a hard time filling up their tanks to get to work, to the store or to simply go to the park

Several cheaper alternatives there: Walk, Cycle, Bus/Coach, Train/Tram/other public transport

The price of oil in the US is also about half that of the UK, and I don't think UK incomes are twice that of the US's, so it's not like people would be unable to cope. Furthermore, if the government was to increase the price on oil via a tax, that would generate revenue which could then be used to provide benefits/assistance to those people on the lowest income who would then be struggling. Alternatively the revenue could be used to subsidise more energy efficient methods of transport (hybrid cars, or public transport), or to subsidise renewable energy.

Re: Obama's message of change though, the good/bad (depending on who you are) thing about it is that it doesn't specify just what that change would be, but rather leaves it to the listener. So you can end up with lots of different people all thinking things will change (in a way that would be good for them) - it makes it an effective message, but could lead to some disappointment post-election (at least for those who simply vote based on that message, rather than looking into more detail about what policies that change might entail)

CharlesCS

on Aug 11, 2008

Several cheaper alternatives there: Walk, Cycle, Bus/Coach, Train/Tram/other public transport

Yea, and they are all so convenient aren't they? Anyways.

The price of oil in the US is also about half that of the UK, and I don't think UK incomes are twice that of the US's, so it's not like people would be unable to cope. Furthermore, if the government was to increase the price on oil via a tax, that would generate revenue which could then be used to provide benefits/assistance to those people on the lowest income who would then be struggling. Alternatively the revenue could be used to subsidise more energy efficient methods of transport (hybrid cars, or public transport), or to subsidise renewable energy.

Well lets see. Considering that minimum wage is places like France and the UK are almost twice as much as they are here in the US and the gas is pretty much twice as much there as well that would suggest that yes income can be twice as much in the UK thank the US, at least according to the sources below.

http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/eiro/2005/07/study/tn0507101s.htm

Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:

Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting on the forums.
Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
It's simple, and FREE!