Thursday, February 14, 2008

WSJ: Obama is a Downer

Daniel Henninger says Obama's underlying message--speaking to people working for low wages, who can't afford health care and have lost their pensions while lobbyists and corporations roll in dough--is too "depressing" to win the election.

"Sen. Obama is selling ... deep grievance over the structure of American society... selling the revolution -- change "from the bottom up."

This is the best argument for Obama I've yet heard. I have felt inherently distrustful of his charms and his rhetoric, but I think Henninger underestimates how many people feel that same grievance.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Henninger's article nicely summed up one of my major concerns with Obama - the idea of mediocrity.
Sure he champions the struggle of the lower class, however he does so at the expense of those in society who are better off. By sending out this message he's essentially telling us that it's ok to be 'successful', but only to a point, that point being middle class status.

Anonymous said...

I agree with you a 100%, and I personnaly would really like to know who are Senator Obama backers and who put him there, he was pretty much a unknown guy not so long ago. Why is there no explanation on who he is exactly, whether we want it or not his name is clearly of muslim heritage, so what's the history on that? Why is everyone so afraid to bring that up, he is Christian obviously but seems to be backed by Muslim group, what's the story? why not get rid of all the doubt; and as President Bush played a lot on fear of terrorism, Senator Obama plays on grievance, is there one better than the other?
Can't people take some responsabily on what their life looks like today? Why do people think they deserve better if they don't try and make the effort to make it better.? I'm sorry, I'm coming from a European country where it's very hard to move forward, and here you really can if you make the effort, and I'm afraid that some long term socialistic politic would bring the same letargic state that we encounter in Europe where banks only lend money to people that don't really need it or can easily show they can reimburse it, and for others it's a dead end with no oppotunity.
I'm afraid Senator Obama's politic will bring us just a bit too close to that, even though many things he says are very appealing.