Obama profile by MacFarquhar

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"There are three things that Democratic political candidates tend to do when talking with constituents: they display an impressive grasp of the minutiae of their constituents' problems, particularly money problems; they rouse indignation by explaining how those problems are caused by powerful groups getting rich on the backs of ordinary people; and they present well-worked-out policy proposals that, if passed, would solve the problems and put the powerful groups in their place.

"Barack Obama seldom does any of these things. He tends to underplay his knowledge, acting less informed than he is. He rarely accuses, preferring to talk about problems in the passive voice, as things that are amiss with us rather than as wrongs that have been perpetrated by them. And the solutions he offers generally sound small and local rather than deep-reaching and systemic." -- from a very wise, thorough and well-written New Yorker profile of Obama, dated 5.7.07 and called "The Conciliator." The author is Larissa MacFarquhar.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on May 6, 2007 at 9:04 PM

comment #1

D.Z. says ...

"There are three things that Democratic political candidates tend to do when talking with constituents: they display an impressive grasp of the minutiae of their constituents' problems,"

If they did that, we'd be out of Iraq, and Bush would be in jail, and China would have to improve its human rights before it'd be allowed to steal any more jobs.

"they rouse indignation by explaining how those problems are caused by powerful groups getting rich on the backs of ordinary people"

More like they rouse indignation by supporting the de-regulation of laws which would keep those groups in check.

"He tends to underplay his knowledge, acting less informed than he is."

I'd rather he act uninformed than see him vote knowing he's uninformed, like Hillary did with the Iraq war.

"He rarely accuses, preferring to talk about problems in the passive voice, as things that are amiss with us rather than as wrongs that have been perpetrated by them."

The majority of people who fall into the category of "us" sided with "them" the last six years, so you do have yourselves to blame, since "we" warned you about "them", but you wouldn't listen.

"And the solutions he offers generally sound small and local rather than deep-reaching and systemic."

And what's wrong with that? Carter was able to reach a treaty with Israel and Egypt, and he was a peanut farmer.

Posted by D.Z. at May 6, 2007 9:33 PM

comment #2

Larry says ...

The opposite of everything D.Z. just said.

Posted by Larry at May 6, 2007 9:43 PM

comment #3

Balthazar says ...

Can't we focus on more important issues, such as:

1. What is Alec Baldwin and Jane Fonda had swapped roles and allowed Baldwin to star in "Georgia Rule" and Fonda to star in "Brooklyn Rules"? How would the world be different?

2. I wonder if there are any scenes in Brooklyn Rules in which Baldwin erupts and screams: "I'm going to fly out there for the day just to straighten you out on this issue. I'm going to let you know just how disappointed in you I am and how angry I am with you that you've done this to me again. You've made me feel like shit and you've made me feel like a fool over and over and over again. ... I am going to get on a plane and I am going to come out there for the day and I am going to straighten your ass out when I see you. Do you understand me? ... I'm going to let you know just how I feel about what a rude little pig you really are. You are a rude, thoughtless little pig, OK?" That would be cool.

Posted by Balthazar at May 6, 2007 10:09 PM

comment #4

Noah says ...

What is Larissa smoking? I'm a liberal through and through, but the Dems don't do any of that. If they did that, we wouldn't have had two terms of George W.

Posted by Noah at May 6, 2007 11:14 PM

comment #5

jeffmcm says ...

DZ's post is proof above and beyond anything he's ever written that he is a huge, head-stuck-up-his-ass jerk. DZ, you're arguing, but for or against what exactly? It seems pretty clear that you're angry, or at least you think you're angry, but you don't _do_ anything except rant and rail. You are what is wrong with America.

Posted by jeffmcm at May 7, 2007 1:27 AM

comment #6

le corbeau says ...

I don't know about the rest of the country, but in Illinois all Democratic pols ever do is 1) promise that they're going to fix something terrible that has been happening to seniors (that this has happened under the last 1000 years of Illinois Democratic rule is never mentioned), and 2) follow that by endorsing some third-generation machine hack who's already under indictment.

See: Stroger, Todd, endorsement of by Barack Obama...

Posted by le corbeau at May 7, 2007 5:16 AM

comment #7

George Prager says ...

Sara Jean Underwood was just named Playmate of the Year. I just thought you guys might want to know.

Posted by George Prager at May 7, 2007 7:02 AM

comment #8

le corbeau says ...

That's great, I'm glad she's getting her life back together after shooting Gerald Ford.

Posted by le corbeau at May 7, 2007 8:46 AM

comment #9

le corbeau says ...

"Carter was able to reach a treaty with Israel and Egypt, and he was a peanut farmer."

Ah, D.Z., always making excuses for when the US cuts a deal with some repressive dictator to gain regional strategic advantage over the USSR.

Posted by le corbeau at May 7, 2007 8:48 AM

comment #10

BNick says ...

"He tends to underplay his knowledge, acting less informed than he is."

Yes, because what America is looking for right now is a President who isn't directly engaged in policy details.

Do you think he pretends to be dumb for fear of seeming "too white"??

Posted by BNick at May 7, 2007 9:41 AM

comment #11

D.Z. says ...

jeff: "DZ's post is proof above and beyond anything he's ever written that he is a huge, head-stuck-up-his-ass jerk. DZ, you're arguing, but for or against what exactly?"

If you actually read my post, you'd know. But you seem to be confusing my head and ass with your own.

"It seems pretty clear that you're angry, or at least you think you're angry, but you don't _do_ anything except rant and rail. You are what is wrong with America."

What's wrong with America is we have a culture in which shooting people is more acceptable than expressing our grievances.

Mgmax: "Ah, D.Z., always making excuses for when the US cuts a deal with some repressive dictator to gain regional strategic advantage over the USSR."

You mean like what Reagan did with Saddam, Khomeini, and Qadaffi?

Posted by D.Z. at May 7, 2007 10:50 AM

comment #12

joncro says ...

Sara Jean Underwear should run for Pres!

Posted by joncro at May 7, 2007 12:23 PM

comment #13

MovieBob says ...

BNick:
"Do you think he pretends to be dumb for fear of seeming "too white"??"

I'd say it's almost a given, but the overriding theme is hardly exclusive to black candidates or Democrats. Look at Dubya: He and his family are Kennebunkport-vacationing blueblood elites, but HE affects a bigger Texas accent than all of them, goes out dressed up in a shitkicker costume and pretends to be a cowboy. Because he thinks it makes him look more "real."

The Democrats' problem is the same one they always have - they never know the right thing to say once they're talking to a big group. It's not fair, but it's what it is: The Republicans have a pretty solid lock on white, upper-middle class tight-ass 'traditionalist' types, and while that's no longer an all-powerful citizen majority it IS a nearly all-powerful majority of people who actually vote.

The Dems get by by cobbling together loose confederations of "everybody else" groups, which is fine in the micro but problematic in the macro - when you have to deal with "everybody else" not getting along, i.e. "how do we STILL court the gay and jewish vote AND still find room to kiss the ass of anti-semites like Jackson/Sharpton and the homophobe Farrakhan in order to court the black vote?" So they get in front of big crowds and they have to keep it as general, banal and watered-down as possible

Posted by MovieBob at May 7, 2007 12:35 PM

comment #14

christian says ...

if kerry would have systematically pointed out bush's blue blood during the debates, he would have gained a few votes.

Posted by christian at May 7, 2007 12:43 PM

comment #15

BNick says ...

MovieBob:

I was sort of being sarcastic. Obama tends to speak in sweeping generalizations and lofty platitudes because his whole shtick is that he's not bogged down by partisanship, infighting, etc.

I think politicians, regrettably, have to seem more like regular folks than they actually are. Obama edited the Harvard Law Review, I'm fairly certain he can understand nitty-gritty policy stuff.

But if the country was ever going to want an egghead President (like Martin Sheen in the West Wing) I'd say now is the time, given the almost proud detachment Bush has displayed. That was my point, really.

Posted by BNick at May 7, 2007 1:39 PM

comment #16

Joshua Mooney says ...

I think Barack Obama should change his name to LeRoi Jones. It might make all the difference in the world.

Posted by Joshua Mooney at May 7, 2007 3:06 PM

comment #17

D.Z. says ...

What was that again about Obama not questioning the motives of powerful groups? http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070507/ap_on_el_pr/obama_autos

Posted by D.Z. at May 7, 2007 4:34 PM

comment #18

Dave Polands Gut says ...

The only thing you have to know about any Liberal candidate for any office is that they hide who they truly are.

Because they know no one wants to elect a Liberal.

They want higher taxes, less military and more government. Its not brain surgery. But yet not one of them can actually say it.

They have to "nuance" it. How did that work Kerry???

Posted by Dave Polands Gut at May 8, 2007 11:21 AM

comment #19

christian says ...

and after the double disaster of bush, no one will want a Conservative again.

Posted by christian at May 8, 2007 12:03 PM

comment #20

Stephe96 says ...

Barack thinks 10,000 people were killed in the recent Kansas tornado. The actual death toll was 12.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc_WKBymCEY

The man is an idiot.

Posted by Stephe96 at May 9, 2007 11:01 AM

comment #21

Jay T. says ...

Obama is the first Democratic candidate since Bill Clinton who actually seems to know what he's doing. I don't mean politically, I mean in terms of pop culture, which is how you get elected these days. It's frightening how similar a politician winning the White House is to a movie star maintaining popularity.

Posted by Jay T. at May 10, 2007 2:50 PM

comment #22