Yesterday's over-reaction by McCain/Clinton over bitter-gate shows that if you hold consistent and nuanced positions, you can tell the same message in San Francisco and Pennsylvania. No need to apologize. The Daily Kos rec list sensed the shift to the general election. After reading the hand-wringing over "the gaffe" at pro-Clinton blogs and being reminded of Obama's consistent Iraq War position from a Charlie Rose clip in a JedReport diary, I just went back and watched the entire Nov. 2004 interview...
...and...the guy is freakingly, eerily prescient. His answers just plain make sense. Either he predicted every single bogus scandal (Wright-gate, bitter-gate, latte drinkers, and fairy tale on Iraq) in a 58-minute 2004 interview, when it wasn't even clear he'd be a viable candidate. Or, more likely, he's just being himself and Obama's natural style is to leave out hooks that entice his opponents to change their offense. This lets him plan out his responses ahead of time and the opponent is always fighting on his terms. John McCain and Hillary Clinton are now contorting and coordinating their campaigns to show they're not Washington elites and are more in-touch and more hopeful than Obama? Huh? They were better off running on "experience"...
Here're some quotes, in case you're not able to watch the full hour:
...People's lives, as they experience them, are so much more complex than what our political debate offers them, and I think it frustrates them...
...People are so much more tolerant and complexed in their world-views. The caricatures we have of the Red States are no more true than the caricatures we have of people in New York City, That they're are all wine-sipping...What was the line?...Volvo-driving...
...Harry Reid...said "I didn't have a chance to watch your acceptance speech, Barack, but my wife was watching, and she made an interesting point, she said after you introduced your family, you introduced your pastor. Now you didn't say anything about your religious beliefs, and you didn't talk about these social hot-button issues, but the average person watching would say, 'That's interesting'..."
...I've looked at the evidence. I'm a hawk when it comes to defeating terrorism...I don't think the President's made the case on Iraq ...now, what I also said was, once we go in, then we're committed. I did believe in the Powell theory of 'you break it, you own it'...
The 2004 Convention speech introduced the hyperbole of the Red State/Blue State divide, and this theme has been conspicuous by its absence on the stump so far in the Democratic primary. Now, Obama's ready to use "bitterness" and economic populism as the counterpunch to trditional Republican Party wedge issues like terrorism, immigration, and gay marriage. The narrative just shifted and all three candidates agree that American's NEED hope. I wonder who'll be most credible as the Hope Candidate?
McCain and Clinton got rope-a-doped when they assumed Obama would tell rich Californians something different from Pennsylvanians. But watch carefully...Obama's language changes, and his message stays consistent. And, he doesn't even talk down to the rich people.
This gives me great confidence we can now move on to Economy.Economy.Globalization.Tolerance.Economy.