Posted on 09/12/2008 5:07:53 AM PDT by Tolik
... But Palin is not just a problem for Obama. She is also a symptom of what ails him. Before Palin, Obama was the ultimate celebrity candidate. For no presidential nominee in living memory had the gap between adulation and achievement been so great. Which is why McCain's Paris Hilton ads struck such a nerve. Obama's meteoric rise was based not on issues -- there was not a dime's worth of difference between him and Hillary on issues -- but on narrative, on eloquence, on charisma.
The unease at the Denver convention, the feeling of buyer's remorse, was the Democrats' realization that the arc of Obama's celebrity had peaked -- and had now entered a period of its steepest decline. That Palin could so instantly steal the celebrity spotlight is a reflection of that decline.
It was inevitable. Obama had managed to stay aloft for four full years. But no one can levitate forever.
... The problem is that Obama began believing in his own magical powers -- the chants, the swoons, the "we are the ones" self-infatuation. Like Ronald Reagan, he was leading a movement, but one entirely driven by personality. Reagan's revolution was rooted in concrete political ideas (supply-side economics, welfare-state deregulation, national strength) that transcended one man. For Obama's movement, the man is the transcendence.
Which gave the Obama campaign a cult-like tinge. With every primary and every repetition of the high-flown, self-referential rhetoric, the campaign's insubstantiality became clear.
(Excerpt) Read more at article.nationalreview.com ...
Congressman Billybob
Tenth in the ten-part series, "The Owner's Manual (Part 10) -- The Remaining Amendments"
Excellent, excellent observation!!! I still would like to know who is actually driving the Obamessiah . . Soros? Buffett? Someone else? Burp isn't bright enough to do all this on his own, I'd like to know who the shadow people behind him are.
Krauthammer reveals, again, why he is the best of the best.
He encapsulates the entire arc of the Obama campaign in one column. I defy anybody to read this and not nod their head obvious truths contained. The thing that makes Krauthammer great is that nobody else has done this column this well before.
I know we’re supposed to be hatin’ on Krauthammer these days, but I just can’t do it. The man’s just too good.
Borrowing your favorite term, Charles “Nails It!” Even more delicious, it’s difficult to see how the Messiah comes out of this tailspin.
Keep an eye out on Joe Biden coming down with some serious health issues. It may be time for “Hitlery to the Rescue!”
“When the devil can't get to a good man any other way, he sends a woman after him.”
Now I'm not referring to Obama as being the good man but I'm thinking that McCain would fail once again as always when left to his own devices. Cindy, his wonderful enabler, alone would not have been able to save the little guys ego ever again after the election defeat he would have experienced and we all would have suffered!
But along comes this magnificent entity brought forth that has emotionally touched every involved person and immediately changed our lives forever. Was this by chance? Why now? From what source does she get her energy and abilities?
IMHO, Sarah is our champion, even when she is wrong she is right for us at this time. I say to the Media, bring on your best for she is not ever alone, she has me, you and millions of our closest friends!
> ALMOST always. I agree with [Charles] 98% of the time <
Yes, and don’t forget that when it comes to abortion, Chuck is what the left calls “pro-choice.”
I could not stir But like a comet I was wondered at; That men would tell their children ‘This is he.’
One thing about comets is that they are of short duration. Henry IV was a comet; his son, Henry V, is compared to the sun.
Now is the time for the Palin-sunshine's brilliance to obliterate the puny 0bama comet.
“Magic nail theory”
A celebrity nail? I mean, a really big celebrity.
"Coincidentally, [my wife] and I were in Miami last week, and ended up striking a conversation with an older Cuban couple in the next table. When it emerged that they came from Cuba in 1960, I said: "Right after Fidel." The guy did not miss a beat before responding: "Yes, we know what "change" looks like."
A thought worth pondering . . . .
The Democrats 1st mistake goes all the way back to the primaries.
They could have won it but.....Hillary should have been the top of the ticket and Obama as veep.
I bet they wish they would have pushed this. They can’t un ring the bell even if they dump Biden and put Hillary on the ticket.
If the messiah tries this it will be proof that he is a loser.
Henry V died in his mid-30's, but who's counting ...
Yes, thank you, Charles.
The difference between Palin and Obama’s charisma is that, while of course it has a personal aspect, Palin’s is more like Ronald Reagan’s: rooted, as Charles notes, in concrete political ideas.
The conservative base, unlike the moonbat base, is not one that is energized solely by personal charisma or celebrity. What hooked the conservative base was that it was immediately evident that the source of Palin’s charisma was her committment-—her actual living out-—of some of conservative’s treasured ideals.
That’s why she’ll last in politics and Obambi won’t.
Obambi will become a rich man, writing books, serving on boards, giving speeches. But his political career, for all intents and purposes, is over.
Khammers tepid support for Plain disappointed me but he does write some decent stuff sometime.
Judging by the campaign he's running against Sarah Palin instead of John McCain, one would think Obama is running for VP.
We can't let these petty historical facts like Henry V's death get in the way of a great story.
Personally, I think that's what he was actually looking for when he began his Presidential bid - not to get the actual nomination, but to position himself for the second spot with Clinton. Then, of course, his ego and the Drive-Bys took over and now he finds himself at the top of the ticket instead. It's almost like the Robert Redford character in the movie "The Candidate" - an empty suit that runs for President and when he wins says "NOW what?"
I like Sarah. But I absolutely against making a celebrity out of her. Its corrosive to all involved, including her. She deserve treatment as a serious politician with no punches pulled on one hand and no personality cult on another hand.
“but I’m thinking that McCain would fail once again as always when left to his own devices.”
The following comes from an informed source. I can only tell you that this source ought to know what they are talking about, given their position, and that I did not get this information third hand. I have known this person for years.
Palin was entirely McCain’s decision. Only four people in in total knew about the decision. It had been in the works for a while. Many of his advisors were surprised and upset by the choice—they all had faves they had been campaigning for. This person’s belief is that McCain has a long history of doing best when he is making the decisions, not campaign nomenklatura.
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