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Another glowing article on Barack Obama. This time in the November edition of the Washington Monthly. There’s almost nothing new here, including the warnings about how others who were tagged with the “First Black President” prediction have fizzled. But Benjamin Wallace-Wells does know how to turn a phrase.
What was perhaps most brilliant about Obama’s speech at the convention, and indeed about much of his campaign, was the way in which he revamped his unusual, foreign-seeming biography so that it fit the central American political myth, the ascent from the Log Cabin, with a post-racial 21st-century spin. The half-Kenyan kid became Abe Lincoln. Isn’t it unlikely, Obama tells all his audiences, �that a skinny kid with a funny name from the South Side of Chicago� could be where he is today. (In some ways perhaps not so unlikely: He was the son of a single mother, but he also went to prep school and has degrees from Columbia and Harvard).Looking at Obama, Americans saw a political character that they’d never quite encountered before. He was black, but not quite. He spoke white, with the hand-gestures of a management consultant, but also with the oratorical flourishes of a black preacher.
While I think most Illinoisans are pleased with their choice and proud that we’ve produced such a powerful national figure, lots of us also want him to remember that he is supposed to be our US Senator, not a political showpiece for bicoastal liberals, as Carol Moseley-Braun became. He has a much better head on his shoulders than CM-B, but the Beltway can tempt like almost nothing else.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Nov 11, 04 @ 1:51 pm
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If he’s smart, he’ll cut a deal with Bush on Social Security reform (like the Paul Ryan’s plan with a removal of the cap for the wealthy - to fund the transition costs)
If he’s dumb, he’ll march in lockstep with the Senator from People for the American Way - Dick Durbin.
Obama’s best bet is to yank his party back to reality. If he stays left, he’ll just be another hack from IL.
Beating two exploding millionaires, mouthing a flowery speech, and ignoring a Preacher with tourettes doth not a “saviour” make.
But then, it’s better to be lucky than be good. If he shifts right, he’ll be both.
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Nov 11, 04 @ 10:59 pm
That’s not a bad phrase yourself: the Beltway can tempt like almost nothing else
Comment by Dan Johnson-Weinberger Friday, Nov 12, 04 @ 12:12 am