When I first read that Barack Obama was going to appear on Bill O'Reilly's cable show, my first impression was "how clever" it was, to cut deeply into McCain's big Thursday moment.
Being a dedicated rabbit eared ruralite, I won't be able to enjoy the verbal ju-jitsu, but will follow along with the conversation here, for I'm sure somebody will liveblog it.
What we all know is, after twenty months of campaigning our candidate is a seasoned pro, how a moderately stern "thats NOT TRUE" is usually enough to stop the meme in it's tracks.
But there is another way this might inform this year's voters in this most important election.....an insta-candidate education.
Howard Zinn observed that IF the middle class whites and the southern blacks ever broke through the bullshit, figured out they actually shared ALL common interests, the powerbroker political structure would be forever smashed.
Us folks stuck in 70% red congressional districts have to rely on irony, satire and head scratching humorous strategies in political debates. I always leave the coffee shop with a zinger, something for them to ponder, possibly research , and hopefully affect their opinion.
For instance, I would make the declaration to a table full of Vietnam Vets a few years older than me, that ALL their military records were available and accessible.
That every piece of paper generated during their service was collected the Army way, in triplicate, especially if they were receiving V.A. benefits. (I would wind this around their heads for a few minutes)....then I would say there was only one ex-service person with missing documents.
George W. Bush, Texas Air National Guard.
This would allow me to make a new point the next coffee shop visit, where I would mention how all corporations have their records warehoused in the outskirts of Washington, DC, it is the law that corporations send these reports. EXCEPT for the Bush family, whose late 1950's-early 1960's records are gone, which was about the time George H.W. Bush started dealing with the Saudis.
Again, leaving them with something to ponder: there are two classes of citizens, two versions of rules.
Back to Thursday's Fox appearance.
Most of the houses on the backroads have satellite dishes, but most of the inhabitants are not interested enough to research the truth about Obama.
What he must do is DIRECT THE INTERESTED, the inquiring, the fence sitters to visit the local Democratic HQ, where conversation can take place, pamphlets obtained.
Many of the 50 year old rural white guys around here are not interested in the internet for political education, if at all. Numbers don't lie and porn is always ahead of the technologies.
They don't go to the library to check out books, bookstores are few and far between. Recreational reading serious non-fiction is another non-starter, which explains Zane Grey, Tom Clancy and Steven King book sales.
BUT THEY DO LIKE TO BULLSHIT.
If they can be convinced to drop by Democratic Party HQ's, where informed and often trained personnel, who are ultra involved in the debate, this white guy could get the two or three dominant questions he has answered.
That might be enough...we can agree that abortions need to be reduced, but that is not the most important question of THIS year, while the manipulations of RoveCo seem to be making it so.
The HQ's in the heavy Red Districts know exactly what I am talking about, addressing small groups in coffeeshops who really want to ask serious questions, but are not allowed to because of "good ol' boy" peer pressure. They have to laugh at the racist jokes because they belong to this group, even though half would admit guilt in private.
I don't presume Obama reads these backroom KOS diaries, but if somebody does, pass along this advise: Point the fence sitters to Democratic HQ's to get TRUE FACTS.
Meanwhile, we independent foot soldiers will just keep doing what we think works for our situation.