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Slowtwitch Forums: Lavender Room:
Obamamania - Even Barak might not be immune

 
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parkito

Jul 30, 08 15:47

Post #1 of 8 (137 views)
Obamamania - Even Barak might not be immune Can't Post
Somebody needs to make sure that Barack keeps at least one foot on the ground. It seems like he is starting to believe his own rhetoric:

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/...olic_importance.html Barack Obama Obama's Symbolic Importance
Updated 10:59 a.m. 7/30/08
By Jonathan Weisman
In his closed door meeting with House Democrats Tuesday night, presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama delivered a real zinger, according to a witness, suggesting that he was beginning to believe his own hype.

Obama was waxing lyrical about last week's trip to Europe, when he concluded, according to the meeting attendee, "this is the moment, as Nancy [Pelosi] noted, that the world is waiting for."

The 200,000 souls who thronged to his speech in Berlin came not just for him, he told the enthralled audience of congressional representatives. "I have become a symbol of the possibility of America returning to our best traditions," he said, according to the source.

On Wednesday morning, House leadership aides pushed back against interpretations of this comment as self-aggrandizing, saying that when the presumptive Democratic nominee said, "I have become a symbol of the possibility of America," he was actually trying to deflect attention from himself.

No tape of the event exists and no one is denying the quote.

But one leadership aide said the full quote put it into a different context. According to that aide, Obama said, "It has become increasingly clear in my travel, the campaign -- that the crowds, the enthusiasm, 200,000 people in Berlin, is not about me at all. It's about America. I have just become a symbol."

Posted at 10:15 PM ET on Jul 29, 2008 | Category: Barack Obama

It's like he has already instituted change even though he has done anything yet. Amazing.

Behold the turtle! He makes progess only when he sticks his neck out. (James Bryant Conant)
GET OFF THE F*%KING WALL!!!!!!! (Doug Stern)
Brevity is the soul of wit. (William Shakespeare)


MattinSF

Jul 30, 08 16:13

Post #2 of 8 (121 views)
Re: Obamamania - Even Barak might not be immune [parkito] [In reply to] Can't Post
thats exactly what I said in an earlier post on the Germany speech. They weren't there for him, they were there because they have great affection for this country and they want to be able to show it again.
----------------------------------------------------------
HOPE is a plan that worked. CHANGE is a plan that worked. BELIEVE is a plan that worked.


sphere

Jul 30, 08 16:23

Post #3 of 8 (117 views)
Re: Obamamania - Even Barak might not be immune [parkito] [In reply to] Can't Post
It was only a matter of time until someone posted this.

The guy tries to explain that it isn't all about him, and accurately describes how people (his supporters, anyway) view his candidacy and what it means to them, and how they veiw its meaning for the country, and now he's making it all about him. Really, is there a response to such a question that couldn't be used against him?

Nevermind the fact that it's a true statement, probably for the majority of his supporters. If you think his fans aren't projecting their political hopes onto his mostly blank screen, you haven't been paying attention much. That's the beauty of being the tabula-rasa-in-chief; you are whatever you need to be to retain their support.



"The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised." - George F. Will


(This post was edited by sphere on Jul 30, 08 16:34)


blueraider_mike

Jul 30, 08 17:08

Post #4 of 8 (95 views)
Re: Obamamania - Even Barak might not be immune [sphere] [In reply to] Can't Post
And specifically, which values or traditions does Obama reflect the most...

Could it be capitalism....No
Or is is rugged individualism...No
Maybe its leading the world by talking softly but carrying a big stick...No


So when he says he is a symbol for America, which symbol is he talking about...part of me hopes he does win, this could be an interesting few years.


MJuric

Jul 30, 08 17:49

Post #5 of 8 (89 views)
Re: Obamamania - Even Barak might not be immune [MattinSF] [In reply to] Can't Post
They weren't there for him, they were there because they have great affection for this country and they want to be able to show it again.

Ok color me jaded, but really, why would any country have "Affection" for another country that isn't there home country or one they live in? It's not like we put ourselves on the line for Germany in the last week or so and I doubt most of the younger crowd even gives that much thought.

Maybe it's different in other countries, but most people in this country can't even find Germany on the map, not sure many have "Affection" for them.

~Matt



Mike Lamb

Jul 30, 08 18:06

Post #6 of 8 (81 views)
Re: Obamamania - Even Barak might not be immune [blueraider_mike] [In reply to] Can't Post
Ya, a mixed-race man that didn't have any particular head start from family relations that works his way to being a step away from being the leader of the free-world--what some might call a rags-to-riches story--doesn't symbolize any aspect of America at all...



f/k/a mclamb6


dave_w

Jul 30, 08 18:12

Post #7 of 8 (79 views)
Re: Obamamania - Even Barak might not be immune [parkito] [In reply to] Can't Post
   Well I don't know what Obama is really thinking, but I can see how those outside (and many inside) the US could think this. It's why I surmise that he gains as many votes as he loses because of his race. The deal is that many see the election of a black man as huge. 140 yrs ago life here as slaves, only 40 yrs since the voting rights act, to show such rapid change, growth, evolution of thought, this could ONLY happen in America. In a sense he IS the fulfillment of the American promise. If Obama was somewhat toward the middle politically, He'd probably get my vote, with the above reasons making the tilt go his way. Sadly, he's a hard leftist. Interesting short piece in the current Black Enterprise magazine on how black republicans are dealing with this conundrum.

"It's all about self-esteem"


Al P Duez

Jul 30, 08 18:23

Post #8 of 8 (76 views)
Re: Obamamania - Even Barak might not be immune [Mike Lamb] [In reply to] Can't Post
where's the rags? he grew up running on the beach in waikiki and lived in indonesia while his mom worked at the us embassy. he went to elite schools and was clearly middle class. this isn't some kid from the hood. his childhood background was diverse with a brilliant mom and well grounded grandparents. he's an impressive guy, which is attributable to his maternal family, so you don't need to make his story something it is not.