So far, it’s only Hillary who’s been nailed to the cross by a host of pundits and columnists who obviously had long running axes to grind with the Clintons. Her laundry has been hung out on the line for the world to see. Interestingly, the other side has not even been to the cleaners.
It has become increasingly disturbing to watch a complacent media participate in the “what a feeling” drumbeat of the Obama campaign. Indeed, it is a powerful message of change, unity coupled with hope filled packed house led by a media darling rock star of politics. But, what might be in order is more reality checking where purveyors of news may need to do some digging despite the danger that it may upset the flow of “smarmy and misleading” rhetoric flowing down this very popular river.
Albeit a cynical observation, the Obama campaign’s message feels increasingly shallow and synthetic, where its advisors and its candidate are in fact, willing participants in the old school ways of dirty politics it likes to point to as “tired”.
As “The Chicago Tribune” reported on February 10, regarding Obama’s message that he is taking the moral high ground when it comes to taking money from lobbyist and special interests.
The “Tribune” report said “those who lobby for a living say it's not that simple, and even Obama's stance shows some flexibility. He won't take money from federal lobbyists but accepts money from employees of firms and corporations that lobby, and he uses lobbyists and other government relations professionals as advisers.”
With the exception of scattered print reporting like this, there has been no real and aggressive vetting of the man who would be President, more, a sense of blind faith in a stated message of hope and change. But, what is this change he speaks of? Who or what anointed this campaign with scrutiny Teflon?
Unfortunately, an appealing and infectious message of change is not the key to unlocking the reality that is the megalithic prickly, interest driven world of Washington DC politics where give and take is necessary to seizing that stubborn bull by its horns.
More importantly for this important moment in the race to the White House, if change is what a candidate offers potential voters on the campaign trail, the candidate might ought to be a willing participant in what he preaches in his own campaign methods and tactics less he be called out as lest than real.
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