posted
I had a feeling I should have added a preemptive apology if it'd already been posted somewhere else. He's not my candidate either, but kudos to Ron Howard nonetheless!
Posts: 3149 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Let me be more specific-- the argument that "The last eight years have been awful. Therefore, vote Obama!" is not one I find convincing.
Posts: 14554 | Registered: Dec 1999
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What about "The last eight years have been awful due to this administration's policies. One of the two candidates has said he's committed to many of the worst of those policies. Therefore, vote for the one who says he's committed to changing them."
quote:bama has conducted much of his campaign like a revival meeting. His cadence and his delivery when speaking is very reminiscent of the type of preaching most people in America associate with charismatic black churches. It’s extremely effective– on a level deeper than intellectual, Obama has connected to many voters in a way that is comforting, uplifting, and empowering. He’s been ribbed for having a bit of a Messiah complex; and certainly, his campaign has practically nominated itself as the One, True, Way out of This Mess.
I may be risking a rift in the space time continuum by admitting that for the second time today, ScottR and I are in full agreement.
I haven't heard anyone mention it , but I think some very interesting parallels can be drawn between Reagan's 1980 campaign and Obama's campaign. In 1980, the nation was reeling from a decade of failures from Vietnam to Iran and we were in the midst of a serious economic crisis. At that point, Reagan's optimistic message to "Make America Great Again" resonated with a lot of people and I think people voted for him and continue to revere him because of his ability to make people feel good much more than anything else.
I personally have never understood exactly how Reagan was able to connect to so many people, it gave me the heebeegeebees whenever I heard him speak. But its pretty unquestionable that he did connect with the majority of Americans. And at the risk of invoking Godwin's law, I will point out that these strategy is exactly how Hitler rose to power.
So here I am. I know that if Obama wins the election it will be largely because his charismatic message resonates with people in difficult times and I think this is a very dangerous way to choose leaders. Nonetheless I think that there are valid reasons to support Obama and I want him to win. Its creating a certain amount of cognitive dissonance.
[ October 29, 2008, 01:54 PM: Message edited by: The Rabbit ]
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I also think that human-influenced global climate change is a real and valid concern, and that changing our consumption (read: daily living habits) is an important part of solving the problem.
Rip that continuum wide, baby! Let spill the quantum beans!
Posts: 14554 | Registered: Dec 1999
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I just found it amusing that Reagan could win on a mistake made by Ford. (Effectively setting up the replacement of the Shah by the Ayatollah through pressuring SaudiArabia to break OPEC) And when his policies lead to oil prices going even higher, reelecting him.
Posts: 8501 | Registered: Jul 2001
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quote:Originally posted by aspectre: That's Godwin's Law.
I just found it amusing that Reagan could win on a mistake made by Ford. (Effectively setting up the replacement of the Shah by the Ayatollah through pressuring SaudiArabia to break OPEC) And when his policies lead to oil prices going even higher, reelecting him.
*sigh* A mistake which continues to haunt us to this day.
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