Posted by
Jud Higgins on Wednesday, June 04, 2008 8:04:34 PM
Obama inspires the masses, us discriminating (not in that way) folks, by saying "We are the change we've been waiting for." But that's not quite on point, to the extent there is one. Rather, I think the new configuration of voters, most of whom have had a Bush or Clinton leading their country for some or all of their adult lives, are the change Obama has been waiting for. A new crop of voters who have not been exposed to the uplifting preacher/messiah candidate that resurfaces just as soon as the majority of voters have forgotten lessons learned from the last messiah elected. Painful lessons, mostly. This resurfacing of old styles happens in all areas of life, although usually with far less drastic consequences. Music comes to mind. Every time my daughter plays a popular song by some rising star with a new style, I find myself saying something like, "hey, she sounds just like Janis Joplin!" And, of course, Joplin's style could be tied to several singers of even earlier generations. Movies, too. Sleepless in Seattle/An Affair to Remember, etc. And so it is in politics. Obama is just the latest iteration in messiah candidates. McCain ought to look back and see how past messiahs were defeated. Part of McCain's task will be to educate a new generation of voters about uplifting but empty rhetoric, and basic truisms, e.g., that there's no such thing as a free lunch -- and remind some of us older folks of lessons learned, and possibly forgotten.