I have been a supporter of Obama for awhile. Yet there was always one big thing Hillary had going for her. It was the immense amount of irrational, visceral disgust for Hillary that came from the right. People like Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck would go on about how Hillary was the worst person in history, how she would never be elected because "Real Americans" all hated her, etc. I figured that if she pissed of those people so much, there must be something good about her. Glenn Beck called her a b*tch, not just as a passing comment but as a major segment on the show; he later called her the anti-Christ as well.
However, since Obama started to take a clear lead in the primaries, the right's seemingly endless animosity slowly shifted over to Obama. With the Jeremiah Wright stuff in the media, the coverage from the right has finally reverted to the visceral, snarling hatred once reserved for Hillary. And with that, I have yet another reason to support Obama.
Now, before I go on I want to lay out what I think is the basic Republican argument, because it is important to my thinking. It is that the majority of the nation is pro-flag, pro-guns, Bible-thumping, God-fearing, pro-family Red-state types. They all support the troops and their country, are religious, want only to be left alone by the government, hate hippies, etc. (I have even heard them referred to as "pro-male," but I must say I am fine with being on the pro-female side of things.) And that they are a large majority of the country, so should have their way with every election. And as long as they get their way, everyone lives happily ever after. We will call this group "ordinary Americans."
However, the rhetoric goes, they are opposed by a small contingent of people, living in New York and Hollywood, who hate everything America stands for. They make up for their lack of numbers with their money, influence, and clandestine connections. They are also anti-troops, want to take your guns, destroy America by letting in too many Mexicans, implement Socialism, etc. They control the media, Hollywood, and academia. They are all former hippies, the ones who brought about all the stuff that happened in the 60s and 70s before causing a backlash from the "ordinary Americans," and have now retreated to their strongholds. And, of course, they all hate Christianity and want to see it destroyed, either through taking prayer out of schools or surrendering in this war, which according to the rhetoric is against Islam itself. We could call this group "Jews," as that is the stereotype that the rhetoric seems to be attacking. But so as to not be too incendiary, and so as to not imply that Republicans are all anti-Semitic (they are not) we can simply call them Liberals.
This argument is not laid out in full by most Republicans, but many Republicans use many small parts of the argument, and it builds up over time. It evolves, and it is not the exact same to every Republican, but it is always there. Politicians make a less extreme version of the argument, and party foot soldiers a more extreme version, and so what happens is that politicians make the argument without making the argument. This is why it is said that Republican aims can more easily be summed up in a few words (low taxes, strong military, family values, tough on crime): the few words is really a reference to this argument, which everyone has heard many times in many different forms. I think Democrats should do a better job in building up a similar rhetoric; if we do then we too can easily sum up the party in ~10 words.
I want to quickly note that part of the problem with Dems over the past maybe 20 years, IMO, is that we do not attack this rhetoric well. Instead of saying "that argument is totally wrong" we say "okay, we will nominate an 'ordinary American'". That person is then attacked for being a "Liberal" anyway. The best example of this is Kerry in 04, but another is Harold Ford Jr., in 2006. I cringed when I saw him on TV Election Day, wearing a hunting cap, so as to convey "don't worry, I am an "ordinary American," I am not one of those Liberals." This strategy inevitably leads to defeat, and I see Hillary trying to implement it as well. By being hawkish, taking some moderate positions, attacking people who go to Starbucks, and even declining to call herself "Liberal", she is trying to convince people she is an "ordinary American." But in the eyes of those on the right that'll never work, she will always be a Liberal. And when Democrats buy into this rhetoric, they do not make their own.
The other important thing is the motif in the Conservative Mythos of "The Great Backlash." This is when the Liberals somehow cross the line and cause the Silent Majority of "ordinary Americans" to rise up and take back their government, causing the sniveling Liberals to retreat to their hideouts in New York. This is, to Conservatives, the big story of the last 30-40 years.
Now, the problem is, the backlash is such a part of the conservative thinking that it is hard to make the argument without it. So, a backlash must be invented. In 2004 the backlash was against John Kerry and his hippy-ness, being all against Vietnam and such. In 2006, the backlash was against John Kerry, with the "botched joke." Here is an example from RedState from the time, where a writer thinks that what Kerry said will cause such a backlash:
How revealing is Kerry's remarks? Very! It shows the entire country that the Democratic Party and it's leaders are not fit to lead our country. Many voters are now wondering if they can trust Democratic Party leaders like John Kerry with our nation's security? Many now realize, based that the Democratic Party's hunger for political power is undermining our brave troops and our war effort.
In other words, now that Kerry botched some line about the President, the great backlash to save the Republicans will begin as "ordinary Americans" see the Liberals' true colors.
To bring the discussion back to 2008, remember how people used to say that what would unify the Republicans and lead them to victory would be Hillary on the ballot? This was an attempt to create another such "Great Backlash" against someone the right hates, Hillary. But as Obama did better and better, that argument disappeared and conservatives looked for something else. Now, they are trying to make Jeremiah Wright's comments the cause of the "Great Backlash." Rather than do what Dems often do, to say "hey, I am also an ordinary American" and 'denounce and reject' Wright, he gave a speech that is very much at odds with this construct. And thus, the conservatives are trying to whip up the next Great Backlash against Obama, in which all the pro-male ordinary Americans rise up in rage at Jeremiah Wright and vote in McCain. This will continue for awhile, and soon Obama will be as hated in the conservative base as Hillary.
So, to sum up, Obama now causes the same visceral hatred on the right as Hillary. Glenn Beck even called him the anti-Christ recently. And, just like with Hillary, even more so than Hillary, his election will fly in the face of the Conservative mythos of ordinary Americans vs Liberals, backlashes, and the rest. That whole line of thinking, which Democrats are too timid in attacking, and which the media loves to turn to, will be discredited and its influenced reduced. And that is a good thing for the Democratic Party. So now, more than ever, I want to see Obama make it, despite the inevitable attacks and visceral disgust from the right, and become President of the United States.
This is my first diary ever on Daily Kos, I hope you enjoyed it. And I hope you answer the poll.