Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Is America ready for a smart President?


Im voting for Barack Obama because he’s brilliant!-Oprah Winfrey


With all the chatter about whether or not the country is ready for a black/female/elderly-psychotic chief executive, the thought has crossed my mind that we may be asking the wrong question. Americans are paying 4 dollars a gallon for gas and talking about Barack Obama's pastor.

Shell and BP are reporting over 17 billion in profits (yes profits- this is money left over after research and development) and we are concerned about Barack Obama's pastor.

We have had over 4,000 of our own killed in a grossly illegal war and occupation and we are concerned about Barack Obama's pastor.

Perhaps Oprah has got it right, and that might just be the problem. Is brilliance a political liability? Professors and students love the guy and he is widely condemned for it. The charge that he is not "ma and pa" enough for far too many has me frightened.

Check out this video of his response to some of this nonsense:


Remember, Obama is the anti-Bush. He is as far from Bush as one can be on many things related to both policy and character, and yet, this is seen as elitism. Why don't we want an elite running our country? Watching the NFL draft this past weekend I was hoping my team would draft some elite players when they were up. I was not hoping they would draft some beer drinking short guy that I could relate too. And I assume most people are like me on that point.

So why don't we want the same from out President?

If this is our criteria we should just make Bush the King.

PS- I know that Nixon does not really tie into this post in any meaningful way, but him bowling makes for one hell of a photo.

2 comments:

BD said...

Historically, brilliance has been a liability for candidates--see Adlai Stevenson. A large portion of the country wants someone similar to him or herself, rather than a person who can actually lead. Or when a smart person utters an uncomfortable truth, he or she is lambasted for it--is Obama's comment about guns and god really that far off the mark?

And that wallpaper in the Nixon photo is sick!

Anonymous said...

It’s a good think for Hillary Oprah isn’t running against her herself (facebook Poll last night):

http://www.tomhcanderson.com/2008/05/01/oprah-for-president-%e2%80%93-how-important-is-gender-segmentation-these-days/