The New American Majority
This is the new American majority. This is what change looks like when it happens from the bottom up. And in this election, your voices will be heard.
Sen Barack Obama, in Madison, WI 2/12/08
The backlash to Barack Obama’s momentum is continuing. Paul Krugman accuses Obama supporters of engaging in the ‘politics of hate‘ , a term that has largely been associated with the Nixon/Bush/Rove politicians who tear down, rather than build up. I cannot think of a more gratuitious smear tactic than the one Krugman indulged himself in. Not only is it dishonest, it is an intentional effort to tear down one of the pillars of Barack Obama’s campaign — a different campaign, constructed on issues and hope rather than hate and negativism. A campaign that Bill Clinton wants to characterize as “smoke and mirrors”.
In his 60 Minutes interview with Steve Kroft Sunday night, Obama was asked whether he would “play rough”:
“There’s been nastiness already. There probably gonna be more nastiness. Is there a point at which you go to the closet and pull out Clinton’s skeletons?” Kroft asked.
“No. We don’t play that. Yeah, I mean, one of the rules that I laid down very early in this campaign was that we will be fierce competitors but we will have some ground rules. And one of the ground rules for me is that we battle on policy differences. And that if we draw a contrast between Senator Clinton and myself, then it is based on fact,” Obama said. “That we’re not gonna fabricate things. We’re not gonna try to distort or twist her positions.”
“Not only is it offensive to me personally, but I think it’s bad politics for me. That’s not who I am. That’s not what my supporters are looking for,” he added.
There is no question that many Obama supporters are vocal and even somewhat irrational, particularly on the subject of Hillary Clinton. I am not one of them. I was prepared to support her, but as time went on, I changed my mind. Not because she isn’t smart, and not because she isn’t savvy on the issues, and certainly not because she is a woman. I have a great deal of respect for many of her supporters, who are passionate about her candidacy and had fervently hoped to see a woman in the White House. Ultimately, Hillary changed my mind with her message and her method of delivery.
Hillary Clinton preaches a message of “I”. Her speeches are full of what “I” will do for us, the electorate. They do not invite participation; they don’t invite conversation. They are as absolute as any policy decisions made by the Bush administration, and ultimately, that approach is divisive, not unifying.
In contrast, Barack Obama has been preaching the message of “we”, which he clearly articulated in tonight’s speech where he called the voters, the people affirming his candidacy to take back their nation and begin to sacrifice for one another:
That is our calling in this campaign. To reaffirm that fundamental belief – I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sister’s keeper – that makes us one people, and one nation. It’s time to stand up and reach for what’s possible, because together, people who love their country can change it.
How Krugman can translate that to the “politics of hate” transcends the limit of my intellect.
Tonight’s vote, along with the votes in Maine, Washington, Nebraska, Louisiana & the US Virgin Islands last week, affirm Obama’s ability to unite the electorate behind his invitation to participate. The unprecedented grass-roots movement swelling across the country, young, old, men, women, black, hispanic, straight and gay affirms it further.
Krugman, hear this: The foundation of this movement is NOT a cult of personality. It is the cry of people who have been disenfranchised and disconnected from the governance of this country. We are governed, but not represented. We are spied on and not defended. Our sons and daughters are sent to die or be maimed in Iraq but not cared for and abandoned by the very Administration that sent them there when they return.
We’re tired of what the politicians say “they” will do and are ready to show this country what WE can do as a collective group of energized voices ready to put our wallets, our voices and our feet on the line.
We are the new American majority. We have a voice. We walk streets, we make phone calls, we give what we can, even if it’s just $3.01 at a time. We are speaking for ourselves rather than waiting for someone to speak for us. We want our country back, and we want our standing back in the world. We’re tired of the naysayers who leave our fates in the hands of Wall Street and the Halliburtons, Diebolds and Blackwaters of the world. We are no longer going to stand idly by and have our lives and quality of our lives dictated to us by lobbyists and corporations.
This is not hate. It is democracy.
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