Why I would now put money on Obama

A friend and former coworker of mine told me a story about political correctness (or lack thereof) and cognitive dissonance. My friend (I'll call him T) is a talented mechanical engineer who has worked for a number of companies. T was sent down as a consultant to a large chemical plant in Texas. Now, T's last name is uncommon, and one that you couldn't peg as to origin without a web search. When he introduced himself to the plant manager, the manager asked about his name. T told him that his ancestors were Polish Jews, getting a noncommittal “Oh” in reply. Later, T was in a meeting with the manager and a maintenance foreman. T started listing all the ripping a tearing that needed to be done and the foreman said “No way!” The manager got mad. “Goddammit, Cleetus! I'm payin' top dollar for this New York City Jew boy (no offense, son), and you're gonna do every damn thing he says!” And Cleetus did.

I heard an interview on All Things Considered the other day that reminded me of T's story. An ATC reporter was doing the classic set of small town diner interviews in Bloomer, Wisconsin, just before the primary. One of the people she interviewed was a retired trucker who was a life long Republican. He had decided to vote Democratic this year, for the first time ever. The reporter asked him which of the Democrats was he considering, Clinton or Obama? “I'm leaning towards the black boy now. Just a little bit...Seemed like he's got it up here...Somebody who could straighten it out, the mess we're in.”

Here you have a dedicated blue collar Republican. From his reference to Obama as the “black boy” you can tell that he wouldn't recognize political correctness if it landed on his front lawn in a space ship and shut down the planet for half an hour. And yet he acknowledges Obama's brains and infers that he has the ability to solve the nation's problems. If Barack Obama can win the vote of this guy, he can win the vote of anybody this side of David Duke. The GOP should be worried.

We're seeing a combination of factors here. One is the long overdue realization among many blue collar Republicans that their party has completely blown it, fiscally, morally, and politically. Another is the white hot, deep, abiding, misogynistic hatred of Hillary Clinton. Love or hate her politics, but Hillary Clinton is an intelligent, well educated, successful, opinionated woman, and that frightens and angers many Americans. We can't discount the creeping progress we have made towards the acceptance of African Americans in prominent roles in government. Condoleeza Rice and Colin Powell have made it commonplace. Obama himself deserves much credit. It isn't so much his policy positions as his vital understanding that campaigning is an emotional process, not an intellectual one. In his speeches he hits the hortatory notes as if he is playing a set of bells, every one tuned and true.

As it turned out, Obama won Wisconsin with 58% of the vote. He's ahead in the delegate count at the moment, and seems to be encroaching on Clinton's key demographic groups. The all-but-anointed GOP contender, John McCain, is vulnerable. Obama could start off by quoting him on the subject of keeping troops in Iraq for a hundred years. When it comes down to issues, Obama can take a walk on the wonk side, just for a moment, and let McCain do his Miss Teen South Carolina imitation. The Republican strategy for campaigning against Obama was openly laid out by Karl Rove himself. It almost seems unfair. But then, as a military savant once wrote, “If you find yourself in a fair fight it means that you didn't prepare your mission well enough.” Obama seems prepared.

Comments

[Flabbergasted Hammerhandle]

Heretic-
Toward the end, you use the term "Anointed" to describe the Republicans' support of McCain, though the conservative Republicans are holding their noses, not anointing. W was anointed, if memory serves me. Such a bad way to pick a winner.

To witness another body oil smear, follow your link in the same paragraph "Miss Teen South Carolina...", which leads to this well crafted Youtube video, a tribute t0 Obama:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fZHou18Cdk

titled "Yes We Can!"

It is hard to know what to make of this; It seems sincere, but such a satire of his success. I hope this isn't the reason he is gaining so much support. Oil that god down.

Hortatory notes and emotional processes are great for preachers. If that is what the presidency has mulched down to... um... God save us, I guess.
-Major Lemming