Today, I have been noticing new promo spots on MSNBC featuring some of their notable anchors. Brian Williams, Tim Russert and Chris Matthews have all made short segments promoting their network's political coverage by invoking civics, democracy, and what makes this country great.
I glazed over them without paying much attention but something struck me about the last thing Matthews said in his segment:
"Optimism is America"
This seems notable because it appears to be an affirmation of Barack Obama's candidacy and a refutation of John McCain and Hillary Clinton. Notable because of the timing of the spot with the debate tonight being shown on MSNBC and the statements made by Clinton this weekend.
Everyone by now has heard about Clinton's response to statements made by Matthews and David Shuster and their subsequent apologies. I believe that Matthews is generally a blowhard and was justly criticized for his statements about Hillary Clinton and women in general but the reaction to Shuster was overblown. Don't get me wrong, I don't hold Chris Matthews with a terribly high regard, but he occasionally gets it right. I may be reading too much into this but Matthews seems to have touched on something very prescient. Many voters are turning to Obama because of his optimism. Hillary Clinton has been rightly criticized for her statements on Sunday mocking Obama and his positive message. When John McCain gave a speech after the Potomac Primary, he also mocked Obama's message of hope by calling it a platitude. Running a campaign against hope and optimism is incredibly stupid this year. Frank Rich of the NYT wrote an article about Clinton titled "The Audacity of Hoplessness" because he knows what has been driving so many voters to the polls this year and it is not fear or pessimism.
Say what you want about Chris Matthews or MSNBC but his comment is a perfect encapsulation about what the election will be about in 2008. Parallels can be made to elections in the past. After the country endured a term of one of our worst presidents, James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln was elected and did everything in his power to reunite a torn nation. After Herbert Hoover did nothing to combat the Great Depression, Franklin Roosevelt was elected to rebuild our economy. It has been noted that throughout our country's history, the positive message usually wins. Reagan won by talking about "morning in America." During this election, Obama's message about hope and unity has connected with people. I truly believe that Obama will win because he has been consistently positive and not swayed by negative attacks or wallowing in gutter politics.
Our country is bogged down in a reckless war. The economy is tanking. George W. Bush has flouted the constitution whenever it was expedient. The voters are waking up from this nightmare and turning to the candidate who is bringing a message of hope and the inherent greatness of the American people to right the ship when times are tough.
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I admit that after writing this diary, the cynic in me thinks it may seem a bit naive to see something meta in a promo spot for a cable news network. Chris Matthews is not a great man and his statement may be an attempt to appeal to advertisers, but it does tap into the nature of what I have seen in the past year.
I will update this diary if/when I can either get video or a transcript of Matthews' segment. If you can direct me to either, please help.