Obama as father figure (Barf Alert)

Washington ComPost ^ | Delia Lloyd

[Arthurio]

As we careen towards the finish line in this tumultuous electoral season, President Obama is asking voters to renew his contract as a father figure. And with his new, 11th-hour message that this election is all about “trust,” I think the father-thing is going to resonate. Without going all Carl Jung on you, presidential campaigns are often about archetypes. John McCain as warrior. Paul Ryan as super-hero. Joe Biden as the loyal friend.

In 2008, with the whole “hope and change” narrative – not to mention his youthful good looks and energy – Obama was situated somewhere between Jesus Christ and Rock Star in our collective unconscious. But now look at him. After four sobering years of economic crisis and an Arab Spring that just won’t quit, that increasingly-visible graying of the hair above his ears is symbolic. The President has aged, matured, and – like the rest of us parents – seems both wiser and wearier as a result.

It’s evident in the way that he speaks to us. As I’ve watch the presidential debates with my own kids, I’ve been struck by how parental he sounds. Particularly in the third and final debate, where the president could barely mask his disdain for Mitt Romney’s less-than-up-to-date grasp of our military, many pundits – including my colleague, Melinda Henneberger – saw his tone as patronizing, and wondered whether it wouldn’t alienate undecided women voters in particular.

Patronizing? Perhaps. But isn’t that what parents do? They tell us what’s good for us in an “eat your spinach” sort of way and get exasperated, at times, when we just don’t “get it.” And the most annoying part of that schtick, as we all know, is that they’re often right.

[KC_Lion]

That must have been neat going to Uzbekistan.

I know a couple of Russian girls the same age as me (24) and they HATE Communism and everything associated with it.

But then you have my own German Jewish Grandmother, who escaped the Nazi's in the 40's and has acquired a considerable amount of wealth over the years.

She Would do ANYTHING for the Social Democratic Party of Germany.

If I were a German Jew who could remember the 1930's under Hitler, I would stay far away from any party that had "Socialist" in it.

But she would stay on board the Titanic if the S.D.P told her to do so.

I truly don't understand it.

[wtc911]

I know a young woman (25) who was born in Russia of a Russian mother and an Ecuadoran father (in USSR as a 'student').

They moved to NY area in the mid-eighties. Both parents are vehemently anti-left. The daughter is a screaming marxist.

I also know a very bright (but idiotic) woman of 55 whose family lost everything to Castro. Give her a glass of wine and watch the tears and anger flow. She lives in a $1.5 million home on LI's Gold Coast and makes a living day-trading.

One would expect her to be to the right of JR but she actually thinks that obamski let her down because he moved too much to the middle after getting elected.

[wtc911]

She's in the right church but the wrong pew...

Obamski won primarily because he appealed to the various segments in America that were ripe for an "eff-you daddy" rebellion vote.

McCain, old, white haired, hetero, grouchy white guy represented the Euro-patriarch to college students, white women, blacks, queers, latinos and any American who ever felt any degree of powerless resentment.

They voted against "daddy" in favor of "The Leader of the Pack".

Well, the Leader of the Pack got them drunk, stripped them down, took what he wanted and left them without so much as a good-night kiss. Then he went next door and f***ed their sister.

Hopefully they now want "daddy" to pick them up, heal their broken heart and make everything good again.

[SledgeCS]

Obama was situated somewhere between Jesus Christ and Rock Star in our collective unconscious. /p What? I tend to think of bammy situated somewhere between the cheeks of my behind.

[KC_Lion]

They moved to NY area in the mid-eighties. Both parents are vehemently anti-left. The daughter is a screaming Marxist.

The Stupid! It BURNS!

I have learned to truly HATE the communists like my Russian Friends. Mostly because like ALL other leftists, because deep down they want to impose a Holodomor on us.

So truly mislead people like that young Russian/Ecuadoran woman, your Cuban friend and even the author of this article makes me both stark raving angry and at the same time very sad.

They would be the first to the wall and They don't even know it.