tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753195.post1754195731606920050..comments2023-08-08T05:17:58.881-07:00Comments on Raging Newt: Obama: The Feel Good Brandnecrodancerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10542565281366117182noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753195.post-33402572716210277802008-11-21T17:30:00.000-07:002008-11-21T17:30:00.000-07:00C Mac, The mere fact that anyone would go complete...C Mac, The mere fact that anyone would go completely contrary to their political conscience to vote for a candidate completely supports my theories. Emotion, feel good politics. Look, Barack Obama might be able to make good on some of his promises. I doubt we'll see a middle class tax cut. I remember something else from the 1992 campaign, it coincided with the "It's the economy stupid" statement. Mr. Bill Clinton promised a middle class tax cut, too. Just a few months after his inauguration, he admitted there was no possible way to make good on that promise.<BR/><BR/>With all the promises we've heard over the past year, how the middle class tax cut survived scrutiny, I will never know.<BR/><BR/>I know you. I know you didn't vote for Mr. Obama blindly. I know too that most people aren't nearly as intelligent as you. Most people do not make nearly the effort you do or care nearly as much as you do about politics. I also know there were a ton who voted based merely on what the commercials showed them. Seriously, they based their vote on the feel good brand.<BR/><BR/>I didn't like John McCain. Although he is registered republican, he is far more like the bluedog democrats than he will ever be like a republican. If he would have managed his campaign truer to that which is his real life, he might have had a better chance to pull it off. But given the choice between a Democrat and a pretend Democrat, I still think the country would have chosen the true Dem - even without his Feel Good Branding.necrodancerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10542565281366117182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753195.post-91560658318596183552008-11-21T16:25:00.000-07:002008-11-21T16:25:00.000-07:00Frankly I think you are generalizing just a tad. Y...Frankly I think you are generalizing just a tad. Yes, I am sure some people voted for Obama based on a perceived emotional connection. That's true of all campaigns. The Reagan Revolution depended on Reagan's affable and likeable personality to reassure Democrats to cross party lines and vote against their own best interests. All based on emotion. The best candidates depend on simple memes to bring along voters who might not have the time or ability to "do the research". For these people Obama had three messages: Hope, Change, and a Tax Cut for those making less than $250k. It's a simple and brilliant strategy because this tripod insulated Obama from many attacks. It trumped Ayers, White, Joe the Scab(plumber), and "Guns & God". <BR/><BR/>Where I think you are generalizing is in your thinking that most Obama voters chose based purely on emotional standards. The real reason for his large grassroots support was as simple as Bush's approval rating and the job he's done the last 8 years. As the saying goes from 1992 "It's the economy stupid". The worse the economy got, the more people were willing to listen to alternative ideas. I know so many Republicans who voted Democrat for the first time in their lives not based necessarily on their love or emotional bond to Obama, but on the knowledge that they could not stomach what the GOP had become and how much it had lost it's way. Exclusionary; Racist; Imperial Executive; Ignoring the Bill of Rights; Spending like a Drunken Sailor; Scandals; TORTURE. All of these newly adopted GOP policies under Bush were anathema to what the GOP used to stand for. A lot of Republicans pulled the lever for Obama holding their nose. Those swing voters, and an energized Democratic base was how Obama won. People looked at their pocketbooks, and realized they would rather try something new, send the pendulum in a new direction, than continue the policies that got us to the brink.<BR/><BR/>That too may be an emotional decision, but it's one based on the principle of survival. It was a gut check. Stick with the horse, on fire, foaming at the mouth, running over a cliff...or choose rationally to take a chance on a new horse going in another direction.<BR/><BR/>We've had 28 years of deregulation and corporate greed. 28 years of privitizing profits and socializing losses. Socialism for the rich if you will. At some point, the collective will of our remaining middle class was going to look around and decide to swat the ruling cadre. The only question left is if the zeitgeist will remember how bad it is today in 2/4/8 years, or if this is just a minor hiccup on our march towards corporate oligarchy?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753195.post-56309239055712585762008-11-19T10:26:00.000-07:002008-11-19T10:26:00.000-07:00Pallas, Although voting became quite vogue this ye...Pallas, Although voting became quite vogue this year, fewer people actually seemed to take the time necessary to research the candidates. In an informal poll, I asked many of the Barack Obama supporters in my office and among my vendors what policies Barack Obama supported that made them decide he was the best option. Of the 30 people with whom I spoke, only 8 could express more substantial reasoning beyond "change" and "hope". 22 people were simply transfixed by the image that was Barack Obama. Anecdotal at best, it was still surprising to me.<BR/><BR/>Aimyaya, I'm not certain we need to worry about the President-elects chances of hurting the black community or increasing problems with the racial divide. I don't think it is an issue except on the very fringe of the electorate. I think this was pretty well proven on November 4.<BR/><BR/>Please do not conclude from any remarks on this blog that I am rejecting the numbers or that I reject Barack Obama as our next POTUS. His was a decisive victory. I am very hopeful that Barack Obama successfully addresses the big issues our country faces. HOPE is very much a big part of my emotional make-up. . . I don't know, though, if it is strong enough to overwhelm the pessimism that has haunted me since the collapse of the financial markets and the manner in which the government has chosen to react.necrodancerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10542565281366117182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753195.post-69518187813381160522008-11-18T22:05:00.000-07:002008-11-18T22:05:00.000-07:00Like it or not, Barrack Obama is the presidential ...Like it or not, Barrack Obama is the presidential election results in a democracy system. The burden is very large, exceeding John McCain if he becomes president or president of the United States and other previously. <BR/>If Obama fails, it will be more difficult to other black president candidate becoming the next president of the United States. So, the future of the United States and even the world begins at this moment.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753195.post-75119297754271228192008-11-18T19:50:00.000-07:002008-11-18T19:50:00.000-07:00"Most people do not care enough to research...Most..."Most people do not care enough to research...Most people do not care enough to know what they believe. Since they don't know what they believe, they will never know if the candidate shares the same beliefs. They do not, however, care to even know."<BR/><BR/>I would tend to disagree with this statement. With voting becoming "cool" and record numbers turning out to vote, I personally know very few people who do not at least have some grasp on canidates and policies. Not all are poli-sci majors but many are some shade of gray when it comes to politcal activism. Voting is becoming more chic now than it has been in a long time.<BR/><BR/>I think that is where the true problem lies. People think if they find a canidate that <I>"believes"</I> as they do then they will have a proxy voice in what happens in government. Anyone who is familiar with our government will tell you that is a hoax. The people have no voice in government other than who the bus driver will be, but it doesn't matter who drives the bus, it is on the same road, headed towards the same destination.rebhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01881644950298220470noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753195.post-87835216832383493432008-11-18T17:41:00.000-07:002008-11-18T17:41:00.000-07:00My feelings - feelings, you can't argue feelings. ...My feelings - feelings, you can't argue feelings. Give me logic, give me facts, those can be debated.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, my feelings about the political process and the electorate boils down to this. Most people do not care enough to research. Most people do not care enough to know more than what is placed before them on a golden tray. Most people do not care enough to know what they believe. Since they don't know what they believe, they will never know if the candidate shares the same beliefs. They do not, however, care to even know.<BR/><BR/>Most people aren't happy with their work and they find no meaningful relationships in their community - whether that community is their family, their congregation or the schools their kids are attending. Since their life is bereft of any real meaning outside their own little box, they aren't really happy.<BR/><BR/>Most people do not realize the depths to which they have descended. Since they aren't aware of the cause of their drift - they drift in life without any hold on a greater cause - they ultimately feel as though there should be more and are unhappy because they don't know the reasons for their unhappy state.<BR/><BR/>I'd suggest the electorate who placed a vote for Barack Obama could be divided into three broad categories. First, those of liberal mind who truly believe Barack Obama will lead the nation in embracing the tenants on which a better government will be established. Second, those who recognize Barack Obama's policies as flawed but believe them to be superior to what John McCain had to offer. Third, those people voting for nothing more than the symbol that was Barack Obama.<BR/><BR/>I would suggest most of those who voted for Barack Obama would not be capable of describing any of the policies Barack Obama embraced. Additionally, they would be hard pressed to describe how Barack Obama's policies are superior to those stated by the opposing party. The largest block of voters simply cast a ballot for change, not knowing exactly what that meant.<BR/><BR/>Barack Obama's campaign was certainly masterful, using all forms of the media to more fully establish an image the largest segment of voters could embrace. At the end of the day, people felt good for the first time because they voted for Barack Obama's transcendence not for any substance he may or may not have brought to the office.necrodancerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10542565281366117182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753195.post-44416017183611791812008-11-18T16:11:00.000-07:002008-11-18T16:11:00.000-07:00It was indeed realized. However, there's just too...It was indeed realized. However, there's just too much. I think, though, it basically boils down to the fact that it appears as if you have a much darker, more cynical view of the political process and the electorate. I thought I was hard on the voting public, having lived through Illinois elections my whole life. But I think you've trumped me, and even if I proceed point by point for pages and pages, it's doubtful that I could address what appears to be at the core of your beliefs.Craig Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11409623544466567056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753195.post-81938294719680825082008-11-18T14:33:00.000-07:002008-11-18T14:33:00.000-07:00It's best to begin where you are and proceed step ...It's best to begin where you are and proceed step by step. Obviously, this was not a ten sentence post. It was intended to provoke. I hope my intent was fully realized.necrodancerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10542565281366117182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11753195.post-62981675998792508272008-11-18T11:19:00.000-07:002008-11-18T11:19:00.000-07:00I disagree with you on so many different levels, o...I disagree with you on so many different levels, on so many different points, I don't even know where to begin...Craig Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11409623544466567056noreply@blogger.com