Missing the Point

There is so much that Obama's two opponents don't seem to understand about him and the movement fueling his historic ascension. The first, and perhaps paramount issue they are missing, is that this is a true grassroots movement. This is not a campaign, at least not in a traditional sense, and that is the entire point. His two opponents continue a discussion about what they want to do for you, the hapless dupe. They are concerned with how you may or may not fit into a target group. They are the old Al Gore.

His Democratic opponent wants to give you health care and jobs and schools and leadership and jobs and health care and...well, I tend to mentally "check out" at that point, which is the entire point. She is running as Santa Clause in a business suit. Granted, these are necessary and noble pursuits, and she is entirely capable of delivering on half of what she says, but the glass window that exists between her and the people she will be serving remains very much intact.

The methods she employees are right out of a Campaign 101 course and thus, rightfully appear transparent and false. She may be the real deal, but she does not come across that way. On her good days, I see her as a slice of Yellow Fin sashimi packaged in Whopper Jr. wrap. On her bad days she looks like a more capable version of John Kerry after losing a state she was born to win by almost 20 points. Its starting to smell like that raw fish has been sitting on the counter for a few days.

The Republican contender, on the other hand, I think understands that he is about to dive head first into a tidal wave. He has the same look in his eyes as that guy with the cowboy hat in Dr. Strangelove that rides the bomb into the Rooskie's doomsday machine. One can sense it during a press conference/victory party (after another night of beating up on Ned Flanders) when he calls Obama's words empty. For starters, he is using the same textbook as the other Democrat, which has brought her 10 straight defeats. He is playing on the same fear of inexperience that has led to the Clintons scrambling for delegate crumbs like a pack of starved rats. His charge of "empty" is just that, and his success will be no greater than hers.

Obama supporters reflect the sense that things cannot really get much worse. Experience is not an asset in this climate. Every year Bush becomes more experienced and yet, he becomes more of a failure with each passing year. In truth, it seems almost un-American to not roll the dice and go with the candidate that has the most upside.

Obama has tapped into the nerve that feels that the country is sick. His solution, we are the only people that can heel our civic body (whose civic soul has been dying since we put our flags away in October of 2001). This is not a campaign, this is a revival, and a much needed one at that. Obama is more Shamon than politician. He is more like the the new Al Gore. They want to fight for us, and Obama wants us to become warriors.