This morning a reporter was going over the latest polls and was suprised that Obama’s remark had not significantly affected his numbers. Of course, Obama’s actual middle name is NOT Hussein but “Teflon”…nothing sticks to him.
But who did he actually offend? Democrats oe Republicans? Think of this: Who usually has a thing for guns and for religion. We have a “Christian Right”, not a Left and NRA members worry about the democrats getting to power, not a conservative republican who will defend their right to bear arms.
If John McCain had said what Obama said then you can bet that he would have committed politica-suicide. But the fact that Obama, a democrat, said it only reinforces his democratic credentials, in the eyes of democrats. Of course there are democrats who do cling to guns and religion but these are marginal, or fringe members of the democratic party and more naturally allied with republicans. It is ill advise to make the republican candidate’s job that much easier, but these democrats do not form the stronghold for the democratic party.
One last thing. Any nominee who ends up President will not, I repeat, WILL NOT be IN TOUCH, as it has been said of Obama, with the ENTIRE AMERICAN PEOPLE, but solely with the voting majority. Obama does not have to worry about being in touch with the “American” people, but with being in touch with the majority of american voters. Now, IF the majority of voters were frusrtrated, “bitter”, who clung to guns and religion, surely they would have felt insulted by Obama and the latest polls would have shown a spike. This did not happen.
The issue in these elections will not be guns or religion, though John McCain will like to reduce it to that, but about Change in course for America’s foreign policy and fiscal policies. I am sure that a few gun-logvers below the Bible Belt of this country will probably give Obama the benefit of the doubt, because they don’t much care about what Obama thinks of their affinities, or if he thinks of them as vices, but that Obama considers the imputed cause an evil to be eradicated, with which they agree. Obama wants what they want: an improvement in unemployement rates, a stronger economy, change, a new direction on the war on “terror” that prefers diplomacy rather than unilateral and pre-emptive strikes and is not saddled with the defense of a nuclear state from non-nuclear states in the region, etc, etc, etc…
…being of mixed heritage would mean that one would have everyone’s interests at heart, so wouldn’t it lead to a win win situation?
If the major issue was race relations. It is an important issue, and Obama knows this and profits from it, but his virtue lies in ignoring it-- If Obama wins this election it will not be solely on the fact that he has a mixed ancestry but by what he represents: Change, or the Future.
Sure, if he represents a glimmer of hope to the maximum amount of voters: then he has majority appeal - let’s hope he does good by those who vote for him!
I don’t think there is any merit that Obama holds, that earns him the term elite. It’s a serious overstatement.