One of my favorite themes from Michelle Obama's stump speeches during the primaries was the notion of the "moving bar". The phrase referred to the standards that are set for "regular folks" as Chris Matthews was fond of saying (and which never failed to have me screaming at the TV), and how when those goals are achieved, or the standard is met, the bar shifts once again.
Michelle also used that metaphor to refer to Barack, of course, and all the challenges he's had throughout his life--and how he met each challenge head on and then often exceeded expectations.
We remember that as he waged his primary campaign, keeping his eye on the prize of winning the most delegates--the standard set by the Democratic Party to select the Presidential nominee--there were some who attempted to move the bar.
It sounded a little something like this:
**Yeah, you can win in the caucus states, but they really don't count. I'm really not sure caucuses are all that democratic, actually.
**I see you're winning primaries in several of the "red states." That's kind of a waste of time because we all know that a Democrat can't win those states in November.
**You need money to win, Barack, and no little known former state legislator, and current junior United States Senator, can raise the totals necessary to mount a truly effective campaign.
**You've raised so much money, Barack--what are you going to do with it all? It seems a little excessive.
**Yeah, you give great speeches and lots of people come to see you, but it's mostly because you're a novelty. Like a circus act, really. And, by the way, there doesn't seem to be much substance in those big speeches. Enough with the big speeches.
**Okay, I see you're doing town halls. That's good, but, you seem a little too professorial in those meetings. Your answers seem too detailed. And there's quite a bit of nuance in your explanations. Stop doing that. And besides, nuance is a French word, isn't it?
And, then, he actually becomes the Democratic nominee:
**Barack, you have no foreign policy experience. Your opponent wipes the floor with you on that score. You need to take a trip overseas. Shore up those credentials a bit.
**I don't know--that trip to all those foreign countries won't play very well to the "regular folks" back home. 200,000 people coming to see you in Germany? It just makes you look like a vapid celebrity. I'll just bet McCain uses that against you in an ad of some sort. You're way too popular for your own good. Stop being so popular.
**You know it's ridiculous not to accept public financing. You can't keep up these huge fundraising totals. Oh, you can? Huh.
**You really have to choose [insert your favorite] for your running mate. Otherwise we're doomed. And the convention will be a nightwmare.
**You're having your acceptance speech where? Oh, on all that is holy, you really can't do that, Barack.
And then, the Democrats have their convention--an uplifting, thrilling, historic moment in time, and the Republicans panic. So they not only shift the bar, they deconstruct it so much it's like we're living in an alternate universe.
**Introducing the next Vice President of the United States, Sarah Palin! I know you don't know a thing about her, and actually, we don't know that much either, but she's the only thing that can help us win this thing. And that's all that matters.
**This election is not about issues, it's about personalities!
**Palin as supercelebrity is groovy! Wow--these big crowds are fantastic!
**Nope, she's not giving interviews. Well, maybe just one. And you're a sexist, misogynist Neanderthal if you insist that she should do others.
**Yes, we believe that women are equal. We chose a woman, didn't we? But that doesn't mean she should actually be subjected to the same level of scrutiny as Joe Biden. That's just crazy talk.
**Being for it before you're against it is okay if you're a Republican. Must we go over the rules again? Okay, one last time--everything is okay if you're a Republican. And in this alternate universe we've created that everyone is too afraid to call us on, there's no such thing as lies. Everything we say is the absolute truth.
**We've already told you that issues aren't going to matter now, so Barack can talk until he's blue in the face about issues. We're much more interested in how many snarky remarks we can get Sarah to use in all her appearances. That community organizer line? Great stuff.
**And, we're so brilliant at this, we're going to ensure that the traditional media doesn't care about issues either! Heh, like they ever did, really. We're going to get them to focus on lipstick, and how it looks on pitbulls and pigs. And how Barack is in favor of detailed sex education for your toddlers.
Good Lord.
Enough.
Let's get to work. We don't have time to waste on moving bars, and cowardly journalists, and opponents utterly devoid of honor.