BOB HERBERT: Of Hope and Politics

Of Hope and Politics

By BOB HERBERT
Published: January 12, 2008


We’re about to find out how resilient Barack Obama is.

I was not one of those who thought, during those frantic, giddy, sleepless few days leading up to the New Hampshire primary, that Mr. Obama was on his way to a blowout win.

When I mentioned my skepticism to reporters at an Obama rally in Derry on Sunday, everyone insisted he was romping to victory. “Double digits,” said one reporter.

This certainty was based on poll results and the size and enthusiasm of the Obama crowds. But poll results have been unreliable for decades when it comes to black candidates and white voters. And I wrote in a column that ran on election day that whenever Senator Obama would ask how many people in his overflow crowds were still undecided, about a third would raise their hands.

I was not predicting an Obama defeat. I just had a strong sense that the news media, feeding on itself, had lost sight of reality and that the election was bound to be close.

I could also sense how hard the Clinton camp was working to undermine Senator Obama’s main theme, that a campaign based on hope and healing could unify, rather than further polarize, the country.

So there was the former president chastising the press for the way it was covering the Obama campaign and saying of Mr. Obama’s effort: “The whole thing is the biggest fairy tale I’ve ever seen.”

And there was Mrs. Clinton telling the country we don’t need “false hopes,” and taking cheap shots at, of all people, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

We’d already seen Clinton surrogates trying to implant the false idea that Mr. Obama might be a Muslim, and perhaps a drug dealer to boot. It struck me that the prediction of so many commentators that Senator Obama was about to run away with the nomination, and bury the Clintons in the process, was the real fairy tale.

more...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/12/opinion/12herbert.html?_r=2&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

This summarizes the long-term effect of the Clintons' recent campaign strategy-- splitting our coalition after almost 80 years.

K&R

in the sickening mess that this campaign has become.

Why do they insist on promoting his Ronald Reagan-style Madison Avenue advertising campaign, focusing only on image, drama, rhetorical flourishes and anecdotes?

Why do they never talk about issues?

If he's so good on the issues, defend his positions.

War in Iraq/Iran

Health Care Reform

Good paying jobs for Americans

Improving the Economy & Paying down US debt

Restoring the Constitution

Protecting Social Security from Wall Street

There's a quick list - tell us why he's better than Hillary or Edwards based on those issues, not some silly bullshit meme about Hope. WTF is hope? Hope for what? That he gets really rich on this race?

If he's so good on the issues, defend his positions.

War in Iraq/Iran - Forum with Musilm Leaders

Health Care Reform - No fucking Mandate

Good paying jobs for Americans - Raise minimum wage

Improving the Economy & Paying down US debt - pay as you go

Restoring the Constitution - Taught constitutional law

Protecting Social Security from Wall Street - opposes privatization

There's a quick list - tell us why he's better than Hillary or Edwards based on those issues, not some silly bullshit meme about Hope. WTF is hope? Hope for what? That he gets really rich on this race?

1. He didn't vote for the war in the first place and he's not playing to the crowd with appeals for a rushed pull out. Iraqis are human beings too.

2. He delivered health care in Illinois. He doesn't have a mandate and he realizes that the issue is not insurance, but rather the efficiency of the health care system: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/

3. "Provide a Living Wage: Barack Obama believes that people who work full time should not live in poverty. Before the Democrats took back Congress, the minimum wage had not changed in 10 years. Even though the minimum wage will rise to $7.25 an hour by 2009, the minimum wage’s real purchasing power will still be below what it was in 1968. As president, Obama would further raise the minimum wage, index it to inflation and increase the Earned Income Tax Credit to make sure that full-time workers can earn a living wage that allows them to raise their families and pay for basic needs such as food, transportation, and housing -- things so many people take for granted."

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/economy/
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/poverty/

4. “The cost of our debt is one of the fastest growing expenses in the federal budget. This rising debt is a hidden domestic enemy, robbing our cities and states of critical investments in infrastructure like bridges, ports, and levees; robbing our families and our children of critical investments in education and health care reform; robbing our seniors of the retirement and health security they have counted on. . . . If Washington were serious about honest tax relief in this country, we'd see an effort to reduce our national debt by returning to responsible fiscal policies.”
— Barack Obama, Speech in the U.S. Senate, March 13, 2006

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/fiscal/

5. Which part?

I think what you might be getting at is: http://www.barackobama.com/2007/10/04/obama_torture_and_secrecy_betr.php

I would also remind you that Obama was and remains a Senior Lecturer on constitutional law at the University of Chicago.

6. Social Security and Pensions: In the midst of the 2005 debate over Social Security privatization, Obama gave a major speech at the National Press Club forcefully arguing against privatization. He also repeatedly voted against Republican amendments that aimed to privatize Social Security or cut benefits. Obama has also voted to force companies to properly fund their pension plans so taxpayers don't end up footing the bill.

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/socialsecurity/

Obama will eliminate the cap. Edwards wants a gap until 200,000.

OBAMA: I will be very brief on this because, Hillary, I have heard you say this is a trillion-dollar tax cut on the middle class by adjusting the cap. Understand that only 6 percent of Americans make more than $97,000 a year. So 6 percent is not the middle class.

(APPLAUSE)

It is the upper class. You know, this is the kind of thing that I would expect from Mitt Romney or Rudy Giuliani, where we start playing with numbers. We start playing with numbers in order to try to make a point.

(APPLAUSE)

And we can't do that. No, no, no. This is too important -- this is too important for us to pretend that we are using numbers like a trillion dollar tax cut instead of responsibly dealing with the problem that Judy asked for, and she said she wants a specific answer. And she said she wants a specific answer and that's what I provided.

But understand that this is the top 6 percent, and that is not the middle class.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0711/15/se.02.html

P.S. My candidate walks the walk, you're just talks the talk, after he's walked the walk in the other direction. ;)

No, I imagine you already have and that's why you prefer no one talk about the issues.

Here's a sample

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=3H5J1g0xRq4&feature=related

But I think Obama would be a far better President and leader of this Nation.

She can't even tell you what her candidate has done that is progressive.

Guys,

You may not believe me, but here is an interesting story I have about Bob Herbert..

He has always been my favorite columnist... So last year, I was pondering sending him an e-mail for a story idea. I had always had a great interest in Martin Luther King's speeches throughout his fight for civil rights. Many young people do not know that King was also very strongly against the USA in Vietnam. I thought it would be a great idea for Herbert to discuss Martin's "Beyond Vietnam" speech, and to basically talk about how much relevance Martin's statements meant today.. I talked about how it was time for Americans to wake up. His speech has so many similiraties to the current situation in Iraq, that if you just substitute "Iraq" for "Vietnam" in his speech it made almost complete sense..

So what I did was email Bob with the idea, and I got a typical automated response back a second later saying that he recieves many emails a day and doesn't have time to respond to each one...

So, a month later I open the op-ed section of the NYT and what do I see? The exact story idea that I had sent Bob.. Coincidence? not all that likely.. But he never gave me any recognition or credit for the topic.... I am not bitter about it, I am proud that he chose to write about it..

Just thought you guys would find that interesting.
:)

you replied to my post?