Monday, February 18, 2008

The next ten months

Allison refers us to The Rev's description of the next ten months in American politics:
. . . we will see Antoin Rezko, a dodgy property developer, inflated into a criminal mastermind on par with Al Capone and be told that because he gave Obama a sweetheart deal on some property, the senator is his amoral meat puppet. We will hear endlessly all about how William Ayers, a domestic terrorist and member of the sinister hippy-communist-veteran hating Weather Underground -- the largest domestic terrorist group EVER ! They bombed the Pentagon before Al-Quaida!-- who has become a sissified America-hating academic "intellectual" (just like Ward Churchill) is practically Obama's foster father. And we will heard how Obama didn't grow up in America and is probably a secret muslim, has fangs, a third eye, eats babies and HAS THE SAME NAMES AS AMERICA'S ENEMIES!!!!
The genuis of the Swiftboat attack is that it isn't just another accusation; rather, it aims squarely at undermining an opponent's greatest strength. Kerry's strength was his demonstrated courage under fire; the swiftboat attacks negated that strength, and made it appear that his military record was actually a liability for him.
Obama's greatest strength is his charisma, his inspirational persona as a different kind of politician with a different approach. So the attack will be that he is just another unethical corrupt politician.
Kerry made the mistake of taking seriously the lies about his military record. Imagine if he had just said "Oh, them. The Republicans have been paying them to lie about me for years. They're nothing but a bunch of ridiculous, jealous old men."
Hillary gets it right -- she just laughs at all the smear attempts.
I hope Obama does the same.

No comments: