Arianna Huffington offered an interesting perspective on the presidential campaign in her blogsite article: Microtrends vs. Macrotrends: Why Obama Is Winning (2/28/08). In this writing, she constructs a compelling case as to why the vaunted Clinton juggernaut unexpectedly ran up on the rocks while the dynamic Barack Attack lopes to the nomination finish line.
Hillary Clinton's chief political strategist is Mark Penn. Despite the Titanic founderings of her campaign flotilla, she has steadfastly stood by him. During her string of primary and caucus losses, Hillary made a few rearrangements of the deck chairs on her sinking campaign ship. Yet, she still refuses to accept the most important fact facing her:
The Clinton election effort was structured upon the wrong method and the wrong message for this particular point in time. Arianna Huffington informs us: "Penn and the Clintons set about slicing up the electorate into the 'small forces behind tomorrow's big changes' that Penn described in his 2007 book Microtrends. They then devised policies and personas to try to appeal to each one -- only to watch dumbfounded as their microtrend sandcastles were washed away by the macrotrend tidal wave of the Obama campaign." This writer refers to it as the Obama Tsunami. Ms. Huffington's excellent observation could be whittled down further.
It's a classic case of the Me-Worlders vs. the We-Worlders.
Here are glaring examples of the differences between the Clinton Disconnection and the Obama Inspiration: Recently, Hillary appeared before a packed audience at an African American church. It was obvious she did her microtrend homework. She came prepared to wow the churchgoers with her knowledge of "black" issues. And she was going to end her speech with a rallying litany of tried and true preacher applause lines. After she finished her stolid sermon, she woodenly delivered her prepared applause lines. As the audience responded, it was clear she was enjoying the moment. But, the only thing this writer felt was a growing sense of revulsion and disgust at this canned spectacle. It was evident Hillary Clinton didn't have a clue what she was talking about. Yet, she was totally oblivious to the ignorance of her actions. If I came away from this event feeling seriously troubled, I'm sure many in the audience endured the same sickening sensation.
Barack Obama makes no such microtrend distinction when he speaks. The Barack Attack has one, solid message for each and every audience: "Yes, we can!" David Axelrod, Obama's chief strategist, said: "Hillary Clinton's campaign model is a very tired Washington model: 'I'll do these things for you.' Barack's model is: 'Let's do these things together.'" Obama took his community organizing skills and simply applied them to the entire nation. Hillary Clinton and Kool-Aid Penn have a hard time countering Barack's message because it's not based on a specially contrived election game plan but on his heart-felt, personal experiences.
And the voters are able to distinguish the dud from the real deal.
Furthermore, Penn's microtrend method is only the latest version of the antiquated, divide-and-conquer strategies from the feudalist Middle Ages. It's specifically designed to keep political power away from the people and in the hands of an elite few. Ronald Reagan, the Bushes and the Clintons are all Me-Worlder types. They come in office to wield power, not to share it. This is why Ronald Reagan copped an Alzheimer's plea when he was caught with his keister bare in the Iran/contra conspiracy. This is why Bill Clinton sings Kumbayah with Poppy Bush in TV ads even after the former CIA director rifled his passport files during the 1992 presidential campaign. This is why Hillary Clinton waltzes around with Rupert Murdoch to the abject consternation of many of her supporters.
This is why John McCain kisses and makes up with Dubya after the Shrub buried his 2004 campaign in South Carolina using some of the dirtiest tricks in political history.
The American people are finally catching on to the Me-Worlder witchcraft. Thirty years of royal rule under the Reagan/Bush/Clinton regime hasn't benefited them at all. The ultimate impotence of the Dubya Debacle should've been expected. When Bush said he was a uniter, not a divider, the handwriting was plainly etched on the wall. Anyone, who has trouble eating pretzels and watching TV at the same time, is totally bereft of the skills necessary to unite anything. He can barely put two words together and form a sentence. Yet, this cretinous creature can claim he's the "leader" of the Free World. Dubya's insane reign is the woeful product of decades of monumental corruption in high places. America has been microtrended, macrotrended and mismanaged to the edge of complete collapse.
The We-Worlders are ascendant because the Me-Worlders wasted the time, energy and resources of this great land, rather than using these tools to better our nation. The greedy Me-Worlders have to be replaced with wise and productive We-Worlders. The youthful exuberance of the Barack Attack is fueled by a very simple energizer: There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come. Unfortunately, the Hillary Futility is reaping the whirlwind from the destructive policies of the Reagan/Bush/Clinton era. This election cycle is all about change. The Barack Attack sharply represents that change. And no matter how often Hillary decorates her campaign with a change motif, her message is falling on deaf ears. History is invariably destiny. Hillary may have one last chance. It appears George Bush is coming to the rescue of both her campaign and the creaking crusade of grandpa John McCain. Dubya conveniently forgot to appoint enough members to the board of the Federal Election Commission. This means the FEC won't have enough members to convene a quorum to ensure everyone is playing honestly by the rules during this election cycle. In this Wild West atmosphere, we can expect record money machinations through to Election Day. These shenanigans don't even include the incipient Florida and Michigan delegate fiascoes and the festering superdelegate scenarios.
If Barack Obama survives this convoluted primary and caucus season to win the Democratic nomination, he will give his acceptance address at the convention exactly 45 years to the day when Dr. Martin Luther King gave his legendary I Have A Dream speech (Aug. 28, 2008). How dramatically appropriate will that moment be as Obama marks his date with destiny? On that hallowed occasion, the We-Worlders will rejoice while the Me-Worlders will wonder what happened. Well, the answer to that question isn't too profound. What will happen on that sultry summer night is an idea whose time has finally come.
Franklin L. Johnson http://weareseers.blogspot.com starhelix@aol.com
http://weareseers.blogspot.com
I spend most of my days engaged in reading, writing and research.
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