Some 11th-Hour Advice to the Harvard Power Couple (Victor Davis Hanson on the Obamas)

The Corner at NRO ^ | 19 February 2008 | Victor Davis Hanson

[SE Mom]

Re: Michelle Obama's astounding admission that she hitherto had no reason to feel pride in the U.S., and Obama's supposed Biden-like lifting of a campaign refrain from someone else.

The problem is deeper than occasional slips. For most of the last 25 years the Obamas' contacts have been largely confined to universities (Occidental, Columbia, Princeton, Harvard, Chicago) as both students and employees, or to government-sponsored social agencies, or to the incestuous world of Chicago minority politics. These landscapes have proven liberal, sympathetic, and non-confrontational. I doubt very seriously in those environments that the Obamas have had any of their sometimes bewildering statements seriously cross-examined or questioned.

Michelle Obama, true, recites a litany of slights and grievances, but more likely she encountered highly educated white liberal audiences that were not about to cross her or challenge her assertions-a world away from steelworkers in Ohio, the Nascar crowd, the Mexican Americans in LA, the hungry wolves of the D.C. press corps for whom controversy trumps even shared liberal ideology — or Clinton, Inc. for whom power, status, and adulation outweigh everything, including liberal head-nodding, white guilt, and identity politics.

The result is that finally out on the campaign trail both are beginning to enter an arena where most of America does not faint at an Obama rally, but resents deeply a candidate's spouse suggesting that she previously had no pride in her own country, and would think that generous college admission practices, scholarships, and loans were cause more for gratitude rather than resentment.

Some old cynical campaign veteran, cigar in mouth-a Tip O'Neill-type, with the more scars the better-should sit the two kids down, explain the no-holds-barred rules of the arena outside the university and liberal government agency, remind them that African Americans and elite white liberals probably make up about at most a fourth of the electorate, and emphasize to them that by the public's own standard of living, the Obamas have been very privileged and done quite well-and that Michelle and Barack should start to say something uplifting other than the current mantra that the U.S. is a depressing and unfair place and has only one chance of 'hope" and "change" and "redemption" by allowing Barack and Michelle to lead us out of our collective ignorance.

02/19 08:59 PM

[Octar]

For YEARS “we” have talked about the youth vote, the college kids,

When 18 year olds became eligible to vote, I was with a lot of young people in a university setting. They were almost all liberal, as such people tend to be. Nixon was running for his second term. The young people hated him. They made signs, held protests and marches, etc.

After Nixon won, I asked as many of them as I could how they voted and almost none of them voted. They "knew" that he would lose because they didn't know anybody who liked him.

In elections that have followed, they don't vote.

All their rhetoric about the current contest notwithstanding, I suspect their behavior will run true to form and they go to the party or something and forget to vote.

Again.

[Comparative Advantage]

I don’t care for McCain frankly, but I will hold my nose and vote for him in Nov. I fully appreciate and understand why there are many who want to stay home, but these two Dem candidates make George McGovern almost seem moderate. I’ve decided that 2/3 of the pie is better than none. the stakes are too high for me and my family’s future.

[SE Mom]

I look forward (not using the word hope at the present time!) to you being correct in November. I also keep in mind that much can happen between now and November.

I’d simply be more at ease if we were going against Hillary..

[Seajay]

Baltimore MD - F!#$ ‘em and the horse they came in on ...

[Octar]

I’d simply be more at ease if we were going against Hillary..

I fully expect Hillary to do everything possible to screw Obama out of the nomination.

Oh, please let that happen.

With the combination of pissed off Obama supporters coupled with the vast army of Hillary haters, she will get her ass handed to her in the general.

The young people will still be too busy to vote.

Just sayin'.

[arthurus]

McCain has said nothing to alter his previously ardent promotion of Amnesty. He has more recently said he will build the fence. He can’t build the fence. He will have a very Democrat House and probably a Democrat Senate. The congress we have now defunded the fence that was already enacted. There will be no additional fence. Once he does get Amnesty, the flood will rapidly swell.

[jimmer49]

Michele Obama is beginning to remind me of Geraldine.

[SE Mom]

Best bumper sticker of the year (with or without the Alinsky ref)

[Nonstatist]

I don’t know about that.

Hes only running 5 pts or so ahead of McCain and hes had almost no bad press .. What youre witnessing is a media lovefest which hasnt been countered by a Republican counterattack. Yet.

[WHBates]

Well we obviously don't agree about his position, actually he didn't say he would build a fence anyway, maybe you should read up on it.

You should have have a broader view of what is a stake in this election. There is a lot more issues and on everyone of those issues Obama is 180 degrees away from me.

Maybe he is close to you on all of your other issues and that is your right to feel that way.

[ottbmare]

I heard someone on the radio suggest that if Obama were elected President it would heal our country’s deepest wound, that being slavery. I repeated this to a black co-worker and the look on her face told me that wouldn’t be the case. Will that wound ever heal? How many years of affirmative action will we need? Forever? What would it take for all Americans to be on an equal footing? I’m white, too, and I suspect you are right.

Today I was listening to Washington's WMAL 630-AM radio, the local conservative station, and there was a discussion of Michelle Obama's ingratitude. The host asked a black caller if he would concede that if Obama was elected president, racism would effectively be over in America and no further complaints of racism would be merited. The caller said that No, Obama's election would not mean the end of complaints.

If Obama is not elected president, I fear there will be riots.

[Palladin]

Obama should keep Michelle under wraps during the rest of his campaign.

She comes across as a shrew and an old bat, who will dictate national policy to him when they live in the White House.

She reminds me of Aunt Esther on “Sanford and Son”. A very domineering woman.

[Nonstatist]

Obama has mobilized thousands upon thousands of YOUNG, first-time voters to actually register and get out on primary day.

You must have been born yesterday. We're watchiing LIBERALS competing against LIBERALS , brokered by a LIBERAL Press. LIBERALS are a minority in this country.

People are sick of Bush but they have not assimilated what it would mean to elect the MOST Liberal Senator in the Congress, more liberal than Kennedy, Clinton, Dodd, anybody. He's not going to slip in without this being trumpetted by conservative interest groups. His favorables are going to drop like a rock, wait and see.

[Intolerant in NJ]

...the Obamas have been very privileged and done quite well...she attended Princeton and then Harvard, but has stated: "you wouldn't believe it if you had seen my test scores" - maybe an affirmative action baby grown up.......

[Octar]

Obama should keep Michelle under wraps during the rest of his campaign.

He should keep her under wraps because she is dumb.

Affirmative action, don'cha know.

[Fred Nerks]

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8583.html

On Sunday, Doug Wilder, the mayor of Richmond and a former governor of Virginia, went even further, predicting riots in the streets if the Clinton campaign were to overturn an Obama lead through the use of superdelegates.

“There will be chaos at the convention,” Wilder told Bob Schieffer on “Face the Nation.”

“If you think 1968 was bad, you watch: In 2008, it will be worse.”

Richmond Mayor L. Douglas Wilder predicted riots in the streets if the Clinton campaign were to overturn an Obama lead through the use of superdelegates. Photo: AP

CHANGE!

CHANGE! OBAMA-ODINGA-KENYA-USA

THE OBAMA FILE. Compiled by FReeper Beckwith: LINK.

[Octar]

Richmond Mayor L. Douglas Wilder predicted riots in the streets if the Clinton campaign were to overturn an Obama lead through the use of superdelegates.

I can't wait.

[hosepipe]

Obama is holding the trump card...
Spouting change and not having to answer "change what"..
Because ALL know what he means "Change Presidents"...

YET, implying other changes but not directly offering them..
American women have been dumbed down that much..
Oprah is not stupid, but she is politically dumb..
Most democrats are women but Oprah draws many RINOs also..

Obama is trumping Hillary, and McLaim...
The question, "DO YOU WANT CHANGE?"... Who could say NO..
Even at FR oh! Yes WE want change too.. Its a killer sound bite..

Besides that the democrats are galvaized but the republicans are disappointed and depressed..
Worse that will not CHANGE this cycle..

[SE Mom]

No. I was not born yesterday.

I’m looking at the opposition we face.

[The KG9 Kid]

"... If Obama is not elected president, I fear there will be riots."

I hope it's televised. There won't be any riots here.