After John Edwards suspended his campaign, I started looking at Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama as candidates. I gave serious consideration to both. What I saw in far too many pro-Obama threads was a strong anti-"How to Win Friends and Influence People" tone. There seemed to be an eagerness to throttle any perceived dissent and to forcefully steer the discussion. I attributed this to overly-eager youthful supporters. And I found myself thinking, "If only the Obama campaign knew about this." I'm now convinced that this style is not only being tolerated, but encouraged by the Obama campaign.
Why the hip & trendy insults (unrebuked by the campaign)? Why the gratuitous anti-boomer rants (unrebuked by the campaign)? Why the 'post-a-tip-jar-so-we-can-give-you-a-don ut threats over at the big-orange (unrebuked by the campaign)? Why would a campaign want to allow its most active and visible online supporters to alienate a large and usually dependable portion of the electorate?
Then it came to me. An old man will buy a youthful automobile; a young man would not want to be caught dead in a geezer-wagon. That's why GM killed the Oldsmobile brand. And that's what I see the Obama campaign gearing up to do in the general election: run against John He-Is-Your-Father's-Oldsmobile McCain.
What about Hillary Clinton? I'd say she's a mini-van with side-impact airbags. Practical? Yes. Sporty? No.
So that brings my next question. If McCain is an Oldsmobile, and if Clinton is a mini-van, what model is Senator Barack Obama?
I drew one in fifth grade. I've updated it some, but the new model is every bit as realistic and practical as my fifth grade effort. So here goes:
Presenting the 2008 Obama! Imagine a car so nimble and compact that it can squeeze into the tightest Whole Foods parking space - with the hauling capacity of a hundred-car freight train! Imagine a top-end speed capable of passing traffic on the Autobahn - with the torque of a full-size Caterpillar bulldozer! Imagine a gas-sipper with mileage that puts a Prius to shame - able to do 0 to 60 in 2 1/2 seconds! Priced below a Yugo - with more prestige than a Bentley! Yes you can! The new Obama 2008!!!
A car like that just has to beat an Oldsmobile or a mini-van. Doesn't it? Even if the mini-van comes with side-impact airbags. Who needs those? So revel in the rudeness, Obama supporters! Snap your rhetorical fingers in a geezer's face today! It's trendy! It's kool! It's youthy! It's Obama!
Of course Senator Obama or an official campaign representative could register online and publicly rebuke the name-calling and dismissive tone from the campaign's more fevered supporters. The questions are: will this happen, and if so, when and where?
This is my first diary here: and my first multi-selection poll anywhere.
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