Posted on 07/23/2008 4:03:35 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
As I suggested a few weeks ago, Sen. Barack H. Obama is not going to have an easy time of it. For one thing, Sen. John McCain is a much tougher candidate than has been suspected. Looking over his career, one will note that McCain learned politics before ever entering politics. As a young Navy liaison to the Senate in the 1970s, he worked effectively with Democratic and Republican hawks to reverse the post-Vietnam military decline. He, having managed the largest fighter squadron in the Navy, has management skills of which he can boast, as Sen. Obama cannot -- despite the junior senator from Illinois' prodigious capacity to boast. McCain's budget for his squadron was more than $1 billion. Finally, in this inhospitable year for Republicans, McCain's record of independent conservatism positions him so that he is difficult to attack and poised to pounce.
Thus, I am not surprised to see the likely Democratic presidential standard-bearer slip into a dead heat this week with the likely Republican presidential standard-bearer. What is more, readers of this column might recall that weeks ago, I spotted the darkest of dark clouds glowering down on the unctuous young senator's halo. In a word, he seems to be victimized by the bizarre. As befell Jimmy Carter years ago, perfectly commonplace phenomena suddenly haunt the candidate's campaign. A waffle appears on his breakfast plate while he is waffling. He laments the price of arugula at his upscale Whole Foods store while campaigning in rural Iowa. His speech becomes a series of gaffes, allowing us to rechristen the affable senator the gaffable senator. Soon all civilized members of the electorate begin to snicker every time the Prophet Obama steps toward a microphone -- nose raised heavenward, eyes glistening -- to pontificate on the metaphysics of "hope," the imminence of "change," and the glories of "tomorrow" or "the day after tomorrow" or anytime in the future -- just get us through this god-awful vacuous speech.
Yes, I think the Prophet Obama is in trouble. Thus, members of the Obama cult within the media are striving to ever-higher levels of inventiveness to maintain their oracle's exulted presence in the presidential race. One tactic they tried this week was to claim that Obama haters on the fringes of the blogosphere have been planting slanderous misinformation about the prophet among members of the moron vote. Some claim that he is a covert Muslim. Others insist he attended Islamic schools in a faraway country. Still others spread the rumor that he smokes cigarettes, possibly even indoors. None of this is true, cult members in the press insist. So he should be elected president.
An even more inventive tactic was tried by a reporter for The New York Times, Bill Carter. His thesis is that it is almost impossible to get a laugh off the suave, erudite, eloquent, highly intelligent, incomparably gifted Prophet Obama. Yes, the same Obama who had so much difficulty several months back with the waffle and the gaffability, and was he attacked by that amphibious rabbit, or was it Jimmy Carter who was ambushed? The Times reporter looked everywhere for drolleries or witticisms about Obama and came up empty-handed.
He sifted through the late-night humor of the talk shows. He interviewed writers for the late-night comics. What he came up with were lines such as this: "The thing is he (the Prophet Obama) is not buffoonish in any way." That is the judgment of Mike Barry, "who," according to the Times, "started writing political jokes for Johnny Carson" and "has lambasted every presidential candidate since." Or savor this observation from ABC's late-night host, Jimmy Kimmel: "I think it's more a problem (writing jokes about the prophet) because he's so polished he doesn't seem to have any flaws."
What we, of course, see here is surreptitious praise of the prophet by a cult member who assumes a high level of stupidity among his readers. He also assumes they never listen to talk radio, especially talk radio's Rush Limbaugh. Limbaugh has been laughing it up at Obama's expense for months. He has his own funny lines. He airs skits by the amusing political impersonator Paul Shanklin. Then, too, Rush has enlisted his longtime colleague Bo Snerdly to serve as "Official Obama Criticizer." Anyone familiar with Limbaugh's work -- and there are many millions -- knows that you can get an avalanche of laughter working the Obama persona. My only complaint is that Rush calls him "The Messiah." To my mind, Obama is The Prophet -- only I am not quite certain of what he is prophesying. He is so famously vague.
I have been emailing and calling Rush Limbaugh all month, asking him to use the term “false Messiah” rather than “Messiah” for Obama.
Messiah gives Barry waaay to much respect. ‘False Messiah’ is a much better descriptor.
LLS
I think Saturday Night Live is going to have a field day with Obama in the coming weeks.
It sounds like Obama is talking about the gestation period of a walrus.
Two popular things that will soon crash and burn: Senator Brack Obama and the theory of Global Warming.
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Aye, they almost certainly will, but all that crashing and burning will surely produce heat, resulting in...global warming! Ye canna win, ye know.
Just noticed R. Emmett Tyrrell of the Am. Spectator feels the same way.
Except he urges Limbaugh to use the name "The Prophet" ....
"My only complaint is that Rush calls him "The Messiah." To my mind, Obama is The Prophet -- only I am not quite certain of what he is prophesying. He is so famously vague."
Guess great minds think alike (sarc/)
Don’t count on it. They only know bush derangement syndrome humor, as all the left leaning late night shows and so called “comedians”. Same old boring unfunny crap.
OK, fair enough.
Actually, I like the term "The Pied Piper" even better.
Messiah gives Barry waaay to much respect. ‘False Messiah’ is a much better descriptor.
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You apparently do not understand sarcasm! In the context of the Limbaugh show “False Messiah” would give him too much respect, “The Messiah” as Rush says it gives him zero respect.
“Two popular things that will soon crash and burn: Senator Brack Obama and the theory of Global Warming. “
They will crash and burn but I disagree about the ‘soon’ part. The momentum is still on his side.
“I think Saturday Night Live is going to have a field day with Obama in the coming weeks.”
Where would they find a writer in Hollyweird who is willing to write a sarcastic sketch about him?
When Hillary was The Annointed One it was fine to joke about BHO but now that he’s taken her place it won’t be acceptable.
Seems that BO made a little speech at the Holocaust Museum in Israel.....asserting that it was a place of hope........
At least proving that he is willing to use any opportunity as a prop for his message, as opposed to allowing his experience to influence his thinking.
I’ve been referring to his followers as “Obama Cultists”. That seems to irritate them sufficiently.
Obama Sandwich: white bread on one side, brown bread on the other; nothing inside. Best when toasted.
I don't know a single "highly intelligent" person who can't tell you the number of states in the U.S.
Bambi is smart. Highly intelligent, not in my book.
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