Hillary And Obama Battle Over Legacy Of ... Magic Johnson

[sniffa]

We could all use a bit of comic relief while we wait for today's results. So here goes: The Obama and Hillary campaigns are now battling over who has the better interpretation of the career of ... basketball great Magic Johnson.

Hillary kicked things off with a radio ad on black radio in South Carolina in which Hillary supporter Johnson suggested that Obama is a hyped rookie, just as he himself was -- and that we need a seasoned player in the White House:

My rookie year, we won our first game on a last-second shot. I was so hyped. But the captain of my team said, “take it easy rookie, it’s a long season, it’s a long road to the championship.” He was right. Winning comes from years of hard work and preparation. Whether it’s winning championships or a president who can lead us back to greatness, I’ll always want the most prepared and experienced person leading my team.

The Obama campaign pushed back on the ad by pointing out that Magic himself was a really terrific rookie indeed who went on to accomplish magical things. The Obama camp actually supplied statistics and video clips to make this case (you can't cede an inch of ground anywhere in modern campaigns, clearly).

Now, let's parse this. Magic, on behalf of Clinton, is saying: "Yeah, a rookie can have a really attention grabbing first year -- but nonetheless, what we really need in a President is someone who's proven him or herself over the long term." Also, there seems to be a suggestion here that Magic sees Hillary as the equivalent of his captain at the time -- the leader of the team (or the country). In other words, Magic as Obama; Hillary as Magic's captain.

The Obama camp's reply is that this particular rookie in fact went on to greatness -- proving that a rookie needn't be dismissed as an overhyped flash in the pan. Rather, we should see a rookie's awesomeness not as something random or arbitrary, but as a harbinger of future greatness.

Kind of dovetails neatly with the campaign's larger argument.

http://tpmelectioncentral.com/2008/01/hillary_and_obama_battle_over_legacy_of_magic_johnson.php

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. So how much more trivial can this stupid catfight get?

Maybe Obama and Hillary will just tear each other apart, leaving Edwards with a shot, but that's not the way this process ought to work. I wish they'd just STFU about Magic Johnson and Reagan and who said something nasty about somebody else and address the things that matter, like there's a damn war going on and a recession coming up and what the hell do they propose to do about it?

[MADem]

2. It's a backhanded slap at MJ, too. NT

[ellacott]

4. He put it out there

He was the master of trash talking when he played basketball. He knows if he puts something out there to be prepared for the comeback.

Magic, secretly, probably had to admit that was a good comeback.

[MADem]

5. Nope. Obama's staff made a "rookie mistake"

This whole show was aimed at CALIFORNIA.

Obama carping about MJ in SC isn't going to make much difference there. But his "elite" staff (this is public PERCEPTION, mind you, I'm not advocating, so don't you dare come back at me with whining) dissing MJ will resonate .... IN CALIFORNIA.

California voters, especially those in underserved central city locations who have benefitted ENORMOUSLY (jobs, neighborhood improvements, services) from MJ's business acumen, are going to take UMBRAGE at the fact that Obama insulted their hero of the boards (the basketball boards, and the boardrooms) who has personally improved their quality of life enormously.

The response ad writes itself: "Hey, Barack, what have you done for US lately?? My son works at TGIF down the street, my daughter works at STARBUCKS in the neighborhood, and I'm a ticket taker at Magic Johnson Theatres...and all these businesses are here because Magic Johnson invested in our community....if Magic endorses Hillary, that's good enough for me!"

All politics is local. Obama's people did make a rookie mistake, and they took the bait.

[ellacott]

7. He didn't diss him

He pointed out his record. A very good record. No one is taking away anything that Magic has done for the community. It is not even logical to try to tie those things together.

[MADem]

8. No, that is NOT the way it played out. And if you weren't being disingenuous, you'd acknowledge it.

BO's staff "put down" MJ as though he didn't know his own mind.

A great rookie year doesn't guarantee admission to the Hall of Fame. Len Bias was one helluva ballplayer too. Sadly, he didn't go the distance, did he?

The reason those two things "go together" is because plenty of people ADMIRE MJ. He's responsible for neighborhood improvements and THOUSANDS of jobs, and when an elitist bunch of 'staffers' treat him dismissively, as though he's STUPID and cannot make an analogy, well, there's likely to be blowback. MJ has CHANGED LIVES for the better. He has a track record that people who live in those formerly 'underserved' neighborhoods can relate to.

You point out the "record" of OPPONENTS. Not of sports figures who endorse opponents. That's just....SMALL. And a "rookie mistake."

[Yael]

3. ...

:popcorn:

[Hart2008]

6. Magic Johnson and the Lakers won the NBA championship in his rookie year...

In the 1980 NBA Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers, Johnson's performance in the series-clinching sixth game was the stuff of legend. Abdul-Jabbar was sidelined with a badly sprained ankle sustained during his 40-point effort in Game 5. Up 3-2, the Lakers could wrap things up on the 76ers' home court.

Enter Johnson, the 20-year-old rookie. Assuming Abdul-Jabbar's position at center, Johnson sky-hooked and rebounded the Lakers to victory with 42 points, 15 boards, seven assists and three steals. He even jumped for the opening tap. Johnson became the first rookie ever to win the Finals MVP Award. The stunning effort exemplified his uncanny ability to do whatever the Lakers needed in order to win.


Magic Johnson was always driving ahead of the competition.

In the Los Angeles Times, Westhead said of his amazing rookie: "We all thought he was a movie-star player, but we found out he wears a hard hat. It's like finding a great orthopedic surgeon who can also operate a bulldozer."

http://aol.nba.com/history/players/johnsonm_bio.html

Earvin should know better than to say that!
;)

[MADem]

9. And Len Bias was poised to be the greatest ballplayer in history.

Do you see him in the Hall of Fame?

Doing great right out of the gate doesn't mean you can keep it up over the long haul.