I read a provocative opinion piece yesterday by David Brooks named “The two Obamas” and and I’d like ya’ll to give me your take on it. Here is a link to the article :
[The Salt Lake Tribune - Utah News, Sports, Religion & Entertainment](David Brooks: The two Obamas)
Linky no worky
Try this one.
I’m not sure this is a fair characterization of Obama (I know it’s based on an unfair characterization of Adlai Stevenson, who only played an intellectual on TV), but if it’s true, it’s not necessarily a bad thing, nor a reason not to vote for him. Lyndon Johnson was able to pass the civil-rights legislation JFK only talked about because LBJ was intimately acquainted with the sleazy processes of real-life legislative decisionmaking. He would be remembered as the best POTUS since FDR if not for getting us into the Vietnam War, and we can expect Obama will leave a truly impressive record if he doesn’t do anything that stupid. And I have not the slightest doubt Obama is, on balance, a better, smarter, and more honest man than LBJ.
BTW, what is this “Scarlett Johansson set”?
David Brooks is a mediocre writer who doe a crappy job of recycling the talking points du jour and cramming them in to a poorly constructed metaphor.
And he never makes eye contact with anybody on the News Hour. Watch him some time. Seriously.
It seems like the same ole inaccurate biased talking points to me. Nothing new.
I don’t know. Maybe the celebrities in this video
“Celebrities featured include: Jesse Dylan, Will.i.am, Common, Scarlett Johansson, Tatyana Ali, John Legend, Herbie Hancock, Kate Walsh, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Adam Rodriquez, Kelly Hu, Amber Valetta, Eric Balfour, Aisha Tyler, Nicole Scherzinger and Nick Cannon”
I think the “Fast Eddie” characterization is mostly in Brooks’ head. He has a kernl of a point in stating that Obama is not the aloof, effete, intellectual naif that he often gets painted as, but neither is he the cynical, calculating operator that Brooks imagines he sees under the surface.
We need to listen to Brooks because he’s like totally in touch with Main Street America and small town values. The real America.
What this article really highlights for me is just how little the conservative side has actually got to throw at Obama.
What’s more is the overt screeching to make many of those into HUGE deals of epic proportions that prove what a slime Obama is.
They’ve got almost nothing so are reduced to making mountains out of mole hills.
[sub]–This message paid for by smart people who want a smart president.[/sub]
Which ultimately reveals their own dishonesty to more voters. I thought that while watching them last night. They mentioned Obama avoiding debates with McCain without any realistic discussion of how that works.
They played a clip of Obama talking about the terrorists from the first Trade center bombing being in prison and then tried to say that meant he expects our soldiers in Afghanistan to gather shell casings for evidence. It was such a glaringly obvious distortion of the truth I couldn’t believe they said it. They might as well run a banner saying “These distortions are brought to you by the RNC and their cooperate partners” They’re making a mistake if they think voters will swallow that shit as easily this time around.
He’s saying what I’ve said for weeks now. Republicans aren’t dealing with John Kerry this year. Obama is no wimp. Good on the Democrats for finally fielding a leader with balls.
Of course it is a caricature but not without any merit. Obama is not a political naif. He was indeed trained in the real world of politics in Chicago where the naive are digested before the rest of the world has even had their morning coffee. And he has a mind that can comprehend ideas, can listen to several sides of the same issue and see where common ground may lie, and knows that getting things done in the real rough and tumble world is oftentimes better accomplished by building from that common ground than by attempting to destroy one side or the other … even if he is capable of putting on the brass knuckles if need be.
Where Brooks is wrong is in thinking that having ideals and noble goals requires one to be naive or that having honest ideals and knowing how to throw a punch in a political street fight are mutually exclusive.
It is true: Obama is no Carter - to come to a Presidency full of noble thoughts but unable to provide the muscle to make it happen. This is a different sort of politician. An effective one.
But Brooks was totally right to point out that Obama wouldn’t “fit in” at Applebee’s salad bar. But then, who does?
Your point, of course, being that Applebee’s doesn’t have salad bars. Indeed.
It’s under the bus, you moron! Under the** BUS**!!
Brooks is a hack. I wish NPR/PBS would find someone better to represent the right.
I’m not impressed with Brooks’ arguments or his grasp on cliches. I think you could write an equally long article on McCain’s “split personality.”
He certainly has done a lot this year to give the lie to his “straight-talking maverick” image.