My dad used to have this old boat my grandfather has used to troll for shrimp. On the back it had a little Johnson 75 hp motor, which is perfect for trolling, but not very great for water skiing. After we would fish or troll, my dad would let me and my brother out the back for some ski time. Because of the little motor, getting up on skis involved being dragged for about 80 yards underwater before the motor had enough power to get you on top. With our media today, let me warn you, that's what this summer is going to be like.
Like anything in life, perspective is important.
If you look at my past posts, I'm no Obama apologist. I'm also someone who is and has been very supportive of his campaign. I'm not crazy about FISA and his other moves to center, mainly b/c I think he is pandering to a crowd whose support for his candidacy is going to be minimal. It's one thing to compromise, but its another to compromise and get nothing in return. I am still going to support him earnestly and help his campaign in any way I can.
Now that I got the qualifieds out of the way that will eliminate about 80% of the guaranteed reactionary comments, let me say this: We need to be very, very wary of the press. (very, very, wary? say that 10 times fast) There are two reasons:
- In the press's warped since of fairness, it is ok to constantly dog the front runner with "he's not so great" stories. They did it to Hillary when she was in front, and then to Obama when he took the lead. We've all seen it. For some reason the press thinks it is ok to dump fairness b/c of the lead that candidate enjoys. So we are going to see a lot of negative stories about Obama.
- The media is lazy and loves a pigeon hole. Gore is a liar, Kerry is a flip-flopper, etc., etc. Remember these. Obama has done a good job slipping these, such as elitism, radical or racist tags, but it has been a constant barrage. The storyline that he deceived the left seems to be an ongoing theme.
So look for any nuance in position to be reported as Obama "breaking" with the left. Other buzzwords like "shift" "evolved" and so on. I know a lot of us are disappointed in some of his positions, but lets not let the media bait us, nor join forces with those who want to see Obama fail (i.e. the Larry Johnsons of the world) A perfect example is the position on Iraq. Maybe you interpret it differently, but I don't see what they are reporting as a "new position" as that at all. Rather, it's an admition that Bush made a mess, and while it will be conducted with a thumb on the scale towards getting out, it is going to be done in an orderly manner, in the best way to help the Iraqi's, and with every attempt to ensure that those who passed died for something. Anything.
It is possible to support a candidate and disagree with him. Part of the beauty of the Obama campaign is the passion he has restored to the populace. Part of that is taking your lumps when the monster you awoke is not happy with what your doing, but in classic fashion Obama accepts that and wouldn't have it any other way.
So let's keep up the pressure, keep up the support, but don't let these fools whip us into a frenzy, it's exactly what the want. For once, let's not give it to them.