Obama, small towns, and ‘molehill politics’

[babylonsister]

Obama, small towns, and ‘molehill politics’
Posted April 13th, 2008

snip//

Days before the controversy broke, Elizabeth Drew presciently noted the significance this year of “molehill politics,” which she described as “making a very big deal in the press about something that’s a very small deal.” Drew argued that the Clinton campaign has mastered molehill politics, “pounc(ing) on whatever opportunity presents itself to attack Obama, and try to knock him off his own message, and his stride.”

I can’t help but feel like this “bitter” flap is playing molehill politics to the extreme.

I’ve seen several comparisons between this flap and the controversy surrounding his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright. I think that’s probably the wrong analogy. This story reminds me far more of the “party of ideas” flap from January.

Remember that one? Obama gave an interview with a Nevada newspaper in which he said Reagan and JFK, during their respective eras, put the nation on a “fundamentally different path because the country was ready for it.” He added, “The Republican approach I think has played itself out. I think it’s fair to say the Republicans were the party of ideas for a pretty long chunk of time over the last 10 or 15 years, in the sense that they were challenging conventional wisdom. Now, you’ve heard it all before. You look at the economic policies, when they’re being debated among the presidential candidates, it’s all tax cuts. Well, we’ve done that, we’ve tried it.”

Obama’s critics pounced, saying he preferred Republican ideas to Democratic ideas, and had an affinity for Reagan’s conservative worldview. Bill Clinton announced at one rally, “(Hillary’s) principal opponent said that since 1992, the Republicans have had all the good ideas. I’m not making this up, folks.”

The “controversy” hung around for a few days, but it was based on transparent intellectual dishonesty. Everyone knew what Obama said and meant, but by distorting the comments, and adding a few words that Obama never uttered, his detractors manufactured a controversy, ascribing beliefs to the senator that he didn’t embrace.

I feel like something similar is happening here. In the hopes of making Obama unelectable, Clinton and Republicans insist that he must hate working families and small towns. We’ve reached the very odd point at which the Clinton campaign is distributing talking points from Grover Norquist and Ed Rollins.

more...

http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/15195.html#more-15195

[travelingtypist]

1. And it's all happening with the happy cheerleading of

Russert-ho and his happy band. The Sunday talk shows today were nearly unwatchable for all of the "Gore invented the Internet" flasbacks I was having.

[stillcool]

4. I was thinking earlier about..

how winners are now losers. Al Gore 'won' in 2000, but then 'lost. John Kerry 'won' in 2004, but then 'lost'. And Hillary agrees! There seems to be patterns here. I recall John Kerry windsurfing, and the endless commentary of his preference of drinking green tea. Such truly important issues.

[OhioChick]

2. K&R

:kick:

[Brundle_Fly]

3. K & R AND a "C"

for chart!



It's not working, I think only because its so completely patronizing to the lowest common denominator, and.. um... well calling it like I see it... RETARDED.

Nice post !