Obama: Style vs. Substance ...
Half-term Illinois Senator Barack Obama's (D) sudden rise to political stardom is a somewhat fishy ascendancy that Obama himself should be wary of. This blog frowns on politicians as "rock stars" or "celebrities" - even though it's easy to get excited due to the first real prospect for a first Black President. When a politician's substance is overshadowed by his/her "celebrity" appeal, the transparency is about as thick as polluting smog choking a city. That person soon loses the civil servant edge so desperately needed in a government wracked by scandal, corruption and greed.
Obama's rise is no sudden thing. Democrats, while stuffing money into the coffers of Sen. Clinton (D-NY), fear that their nominees for '08 may prove more divisive than electable. A Kerry or Gore re-run will look just like that - a re-run done for the sake of saving face after embarrasingly close defeats in '00 and '04. So, operatives quietly push Obama on ...
We're not saying that Obama shouldn't run because of a perceived lack of national policy experience. An Obama run, in fact, might be quite a refreshing thing. We're saying that if he does run, we hope so because be truly believes it's in the best interest of the country rather than in the best interests of Oprah or the New York Times bestseller list. There is nothing wrong with a little feel-good style to encourage the electorate or motivate the citizenry into action. But reasoned policy ultimately rests with serious, accountable and substantive work. The Senator should be able to draw many lessons in good governance from the African American experience. Because we need a lot more in Washington than just a fresh face.
Obama's rise is no sudden thing. Democrats, while stuffing money into the coffers of Sen. Clinton (D-NY), fear that their nominees for '08 may prove more divisive than electable. A Kerry or Gore re-run will look just like that - a re-run done for the sake of saving face after embarrasingly close defeats in '00 and '04. So, operatives quietly push Obama on ...
We're not saying that Obama shouldn't run because of a perceived lack of national policy experience. An Obama run, in fact, might be quite a refreshing thing. We're saying that if he does run, we hope so because be truly believes it's in the best interest of the country rather than in the best interests of Oprah or the New York Times bestseller list. There is nothing wrong with a little feel-good style to encourage the electorate or motivate the citizenry into action. But reasoned policy ultimately rests with serious, accountable and substantive work. The Senator should be able to draw many lessons in good governance from the African American experience. Because we need a lot more in Washington than just a fresh face.
posted by BPblogger at 7:13 AM
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