Obama surfs Sandy Beach. Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Not too long ago, Barack Obama was amongst the glitterati of the election season. Trim, fit and the man for change, he was the guy who was running full-bore towards the White House. He thundered in front of 85,000 people during the Democratic National Convention in Denver. He even took the time to visit his grandmother and body surf at Sandy Beach in Hawaii.
But today, Obama is looking rather vulnerable. He's looking quite petty. In fact, we're looking in the media for him and we can barely find him at all.
It's been known for months now that John McCain would be the Republican candidate for president. Sure, he's a veteran, but he's old, he's slightly grumpy and he's part of the Washington establishment (like Hillary) that has been grinding its' citizens into pulpy bits for the past twenty-five years. The reality is that no one has really paid him much attention other than the most die-hard and grizzly of republicans.
And while the democrats have been handily winning the media frenzy with Battle of the Century between Obama and "it's my presidency by virtue of monarchy" Hillary Clinton, the republicans have been lost in the frenzy. That is, until they took out their bat (or is it golf club?) and smashed the public and the media in the head with Sarah Palin.
In one clean stroke, the republicans tore away the spotlight from Obama and democrats nationwide are more pissed than ever.
Like a puma, those crafty republicans let Obama and Company take the spotlight. Afterall, it's mid-July, election is too far away. Now that we've reached September and the final sprint to the presidency, they've come out of the bushes with guns ablaze. Democrats are pissed.
They really need to be pissed at themselves and their leadership.
Sarah Palin on the election trail to governor. Fox News.
Palin's got everything that Hillary doesn't. Palin actually grew up in the state where she was elected mayor and then governor. She's worked to eliminate corruption. She lowered her own salary by $4,000. She sold the governor's private jet instead of using it. Her expenses as governor were 80% less than her predecessor.
Then, there's the other side: she's pro-life, pro gun, pro religion and pro everything that Democrats hate. She fired those in public office who didn't support her. She got sued for it, but let's be honest - who wants to work with people who would work against you? Think about your own workplace and how much nicer it would be if you could get rid of all the asshats who conspire against you on a daily basis. Nice, isn't it?
TrooperGate chronicles a story about how Palin was trying to get her ex-brother-in-law fired from the Alaska state police. Considering that her sister was getting divorced from him and they were in a bitter custody and divorce battle, who can blame her? If you had that power to influence and screw around with that asshole who fucked over your sister, wouldn't you do the same?
The problem for Obama is that he's barking up the wrong tree. He tells us that McCain is old. Does he not think we watch tv or view images? He tells us that McCain doesn't know how to use the Internet. Neither does my father but do I hate him for it? If anything, I'm thankful that he's not sitting at the computer forwarding me spam messages that his friends sent him.
Once Palin emerged, Obama goes on the offensive about her lack of experience. Really? This kind of attack from the guy 99th on the list of Senate Seniority? Wasn't there a promise for change somewhere? What's with the sudden "change" to old school tactics? Especially when he's challenging a governor making daily decisions while he's out campaigning across America instead of attending to business in session. There's a disconnect here.
And what people are looking for is a connection. With so much going on in the world, can a candidate truly relate to the common person? Hillary couldn't. McCain is still too far removed. Obama once seemed like the man.
Democrats cry about Palin's lack of knowledge on the "Bush Doctrine." Just what is this doctrine anyway? Can anyone tell me what it is? Other than oil and screwing the people, that is.
For all of her faults, Palin comes across as a regular person. Someone who's worked her way up. Her "First Dude" husband works in the field. She's got kids. One is pregnant. At a time when many people would say "get an abortion", she's sticking to her pro-life position. Even though it means her daughter has to carry the child.
Whatever the case, it's September and this is it. The final run for the presidency. Bush will be out in 120 days. Who will be the next president of the United States? For a long time, Obama looked to be the de facto choice of America. Now that Palin's in the running, he's got a lot of work to maintain his momentum.
And democrats whining about Palin won't help Obama.
Besides, she's a veritable hottie riding in on a dog sled with those Tina Fey glasses...