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| | | Combatting Obama's Creed | |
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< | -- By AdamCarlis - 24 Mar 2008 | >
> | -- By AdamCarlis - 30 Mar 2008 | | |
Introduction | |
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< | This season’s Democratic primary has pitted two gifted politicians against one another, providing insight into how campaigns rise and fall based on their ability to create and maintain a creed that captures the widest possible audience. | >
> | This season's Democratic primary has pitted two gifted politicians against one another, providing insight into how campaigns rise and fall based on their ability to create and maintain a creed that captures the widest possible audience. | | | The Early Campaign
A One-Way Race | |
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< | Early on, there was no Democratic primary. Hillary was running as the inevitable candidate; the one best positioned to beat the Republicans in the fall. Her creed was simply a promise to deliver what democrats most desired: a Democrat in the White House. | >
> | Early on, there was no Democratic primary. Hillary was running as the inevitable candidate; the one best positioned to beat the Republicans in the fall. Her creed was a simple promise to deliver what democrats most desired: a Democrat in the White House. | | | The Emergence of Hope | |
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< | John Edwards and Barak Obama, however, changed the dynamic of the race. By speaking forcefully about change, they pushed Clinton onto the defensive. She pushed back, citing her experience and preparation for the job. For the first time, competing creeds emerged: change v. experience. | >
> | John Edwards and Barak Obama, however, changed the dynamic of the race. By speaking forcefully about change, they pushed Clinton onto the defensive. She pushed back, citing her experience and preparation for the job. For the first time, competing creeds emerged. | | | | |
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< | John Edwards would fight for change, championing the working class who, along with their unions, supported him in droves. That tent, however, wasn’t big enough. While representing a sizable share of Democratic Primary voters, it alienated many others. The party’s Wall Street crowd and many moderates were turned off. Perhaps overestimating American’s animosity towards big business, Edward’s pitched a pop tent and not enough voters could fit inside. | >
> | John Edwards would fight for change, championing the working class who, along with their unions, supported him in droves. That tent, however, wasn't big enough. While representing a sizable share of Democratic Primary voters, it alienated others. Moderates and the Wall Street crowd were turned off. Perhaps overestimating American’s animosity towards big business, Edward’s pitched a pop tent and not enough voters could fit inside. | | | | |
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< | At the same time, Obama pitched the biggest tent of them all. He campaigned for “one America” – a nation where divisions of political party, and, and, most strikingly, race become obsolete. Arguing that change comes from collaboration, he invited everyone in and promised reconciliation. Arnold himself couldn’t have created a broader, more appealing creed. | >
> | Simultaneously, Obama pitched the biggest tent of them all. He campaigned for "one America" – a nation where divisions of political party, and, most strikingly, race become obsolete. Arguing that change comes from collaboration, he invited everyone in and promised reconciliation. Arnold himself couldn’t have created a broader, more appealing creed. | | | | |
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< | The race became Obama’s “One America” against Hillary’s predictable stewardship. | >
> | The race became Obama’s "One America" against Hillary's predictable stewardship. | | | Obamamania | |
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< | One characteristic of Obama’s campaign, highlighted by the media and exalted by his supporters, is that he somehow “transcends race.” He is a black man who is not angry at white America, not demanding or confronting, but rather articulating a message of hope, unity, healing, and moving forward. His creed implies an opportunity for America to move past divisiveness. This message is both necessary to maintain the “One America” creed and what makes it desirable to a broad audience, particularly white voters looking for redemption from historic sins. | >
> | One characteristic of Obama's campaign, highlighted by the media and exalted by his supporters, is that he somehow "transcends race." He is a black man who is not angry at white America, not demanding or confronting, but rather articulating a message of hope, unity, healing, and progress. His creates an opportunity for America to move past divisiveness. This message is both necessary to maintain the "One America" creed and what makes it desirable to a broad audience, particularly white voters looking for redemption from historic sins. | | | Misguided Attacks | |
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< | Clinton’s early attempts to derail Obama were either too ambitious or misinterpreted and therefore failed to directly confront his popularity. Since they didn’t undermine his creed, these attacks failed. | >
> | Clinton's early attempts to derail Obama were either too ambitious or misinterpreted and therefore failed to directly confront his popularity. Since they didn’t undermine his creed, they failed. | | | | |
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< | First, Clinton tried to bring the whole tent down in one blow. She mocked Obama’s creed, arguing that change and hope are just words, which, in the end, don’t get you very far. While perhaps true, the attacks played right into his argument that when you stand for something as powerful as change and a united country, the status quo will reject you out of hand. Clinton was asking voters enamored with possibility and hope to choose between a candidate promising them the world and one who promised a steady hand and more restrained expectations. Because her attacks failed to directly question the veracity of “One America” they were unsuccessful. | >
> | First, Clinton tried to bring the whole tent down in one blow. She mocked Obama's creed, arguing that change and hope are just words, which, in the end, don’t get you very far. While perhaps true, the attacks played right into his argument that standing for change and unity, causes resentment by the status quo. Clinton asked voters enamored with hope to choose a steady hand and restrained expectations over a candidate promising the world. They chose Obama. Because her attacks failed to directly undermine the veracity of "One America," they were unsuccessful. | | | | |
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< | Next, Clinton argued that she, too, represented change. While obviously true, Clinton had to take a back seat on the issue. Not only was she late to show, but the idea of electing a woman has thus far proven less appealing than the idea of moving beyond racial divisions. Our long history of racial animosity makes the idea of coming together and transcending prior divisions more powerful than a female president: the past and present animosity between men and women in this country and the pain associated with it just does not rise to same level. While this attack have slightly broadened Clinton’s appeal, it, again, failed to undermine the basic premise of Obama’s creed and so didn’t undermine his campaign. | >
> | Next, Clinton argued that she, too, represented change. While obviously true, Clinton had to take a back seat on the issue. Not only was she late to show, but the idea of electing a woman has thus far proven less appealing than the idea of moving beyond racial divisions. Our long history of racial animosity makes the idea of coming together and transcending prior divisions more powerful than a female president: the past and present animosity between men and women in this country and the pain associated with it just does not rise to same level in the minds of voters. While this attack slightly broadened Clinton's appeal, it, again, failed to undermine the basic premise of Obama’s creed and so didn’t undermine his campaign. | | | Holes in the Tent | |
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< | Since Texas and Ohio, however, the Clinton campaign has done a better job undermining the tent posts supporting Obama’s broad creed. | >
> | Since Texas and Ohio, however, the Clinton campaign has done a better job undermining the tent posts supporting Obama's broad creed. | | | | |
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< | First, Clinton publicly discussed Obama as a potential Vice President as if to say, “You can have ‘change,’ feel good about bridging the chasms that separate us, and still vote for me.” Obama, sensing the damage that this would do to the central premise of his campaign, immediately rejected the VP job. Still, the seed was planted that perhaps Clinton could deliver on both her promises of leadership and Obama’s promises of “One America.” | >
> | First, Clinton publicly discussed Obama as a potential Vice President as if to say, "You can have 'change,' feel good about bridging the chasms that separate us, and still vote for me." Obama, sensing the damage that this would do to the central premise of his campaign, immediately rejected the VP job. Still, the seed was planted that perhaps Clinton could deliver on both her promises of leadership and Obama’s promises of "One America." | | | | |
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< | Second, the Clinton campaign directly poked a hole in the idea that Obama is someone above politics. Despite her own shady land deals, Clinton pushed the Tony Rezko story, arguing that Obama is part of the same political muck that plagues Washington. This is a perfect attack on Obama’s creed with little cost to Clinton. Since she had been unable to get Obama dirty by lobbing shots at his campaign, she just grabbed on and dragged him down into the mud with her, basically announcing, “See, he is dirty like the rest of us!” | >
> | Second, the Clinton campaign directly poked a hole in the idea that Obama is someone above politics. Despite her own shady land deals, Clinton pushed the Tony Rezko story, arguing that Obama is part of the same political muck that plagues Washington. This is a perfect attack on Obama's creed with little cost to Clinton. She basically announced, "See, he is dirty like the rest of us!" This was an important move because it had the potential to change the way voter’s viewed Obama. Those in his tent because he represented a departure from politics as usual were left questioning whether Obama truly was what he said he was. | | | | |
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< | Recently, Clinton has shaken the very foundation of Obama’s creed by questioning whether he truly can transcend race. By highlighting his pastor’s divisive words, Clinton has raised the question whether, deep down, Obama is actually an angry black man who can’t look beyond race. For white voters, such a charge brings with it serious misgivings. No longer is Obama the fearless leader poised to move the country beyond its deep divisions. His campaign becomes, as Bill Clinton sought to point out when he sowed the seeds of this argument many weeks ago, in many ways indistinguishable from Jesse Jackson’s. Without racial unity and reconciliation, “One America” quickly becomes many America’s again and the whole in the creed lets votes escape. | >
> | Recently, Clinton has shaken the very foundation of Obama's creed by questioning whether truly transcends race. By highlighting his pastor's divisive words, Clinton raised the question whether, deep down, Obama is actually an angry black man who can't look beyond race. For white voters, such a charge brings with it serious misgivings. No longer is Obama the fearless leader poised to move the country beyond its deep divisions. His campaign becomes, as Bill Clinton argued many weeks ago, in many ways indistinguishable from Jesse Jackson's. Without racial unity and reconciliation, "One America" quickly becomes many America’s again and the whole in the creed lets votes escape. | | | | |
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< | Too Little Too Late? | | | | |
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< | The race isn’t quite over. Obama seems to have stopped the bleeding. If he can get off the defense, he has a great chance of winning the nomination. Either way, the battle between these two politicians, with similar politics and very different creeds has given us some insight into what it takes to cobble together and maintain a creed sufficiently broad enough to win an election. | >
> | Too Little Too Late? | | | | |
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> | The race isn't quite over. Obama seems to have stopped the bleeding. If he can get off the defensive, he has a great chance of winning the nomination. Recent endorsement by Casey and, perhaps more importantly, Richardson, should re-entrench the idea that his appeal crosses racial lines. Regardless, the battle between these two politicians, with similar politics, but quite different politicking, has given us some insight into what it takes to cobble together and maintain a creed sufficiently broad enough to win an election. | | |
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