Monday, April 14, 2008

Reconstructing the Obama Image on MSNBC

Until Congress passes legislation outlawing television torture, I turn occasionally to the Chris Matthew’s show to see how the smug, smarmy pro-Obama pundits are dealing with the issue du jour. It’s a very dismal business to watch the Chris Matthews show with so many other fine choices. I still haven’t quite got why Matthews calls his show “Hardball” or why he introduces his prospective guests and then, in a way that’s supposed to be sly, he says “Let’s play hardball.” I suppose it is an attempt to persuade people that he will get down to business and ask really hard questions but that rarely, if ever, happens.

The issue du jour today, of course, was Barack Obama’s elitist remarks at a closed and very private San Francisco fund-raiser where the candidate felt licensed to unburden himself of the rancor and distaste he had for Pennsylvania and the people who live here. MSNBC and Matthews are clearly in the tank for Obama so Hardball guests are never fully oppositional to the host (Matthews) who says he felt “a shiver running down my leg when I hear Obama speak.”

One of the guests today deflected attention from Obama’s “bitter” remarks and pointed to Hillary Clinton. How could she call anyone elitist when her family made 106 million dollars in the 8 years since Bill Clinton was president? One would find that an unbelievably stupid remark, yet a commonplace on “Hardball.” It was all so pathetic, boring, inane and fawning.

How could a guy who worked for a major American newspaper be so confused as to make no distinction between mere earnings and the academic and condescending political and social elitism which is part of Obama’s character? There are many people of great wealth who have not lost the common touch, and who could speak with the gardener without condescension, as they would to a rival board chairman.

So, to show that I am a good though somewhat bitter sport and can let go of both gun and bible in the interest of helping my fellow man, I will make some suggestions as to how Obama might use image manipulation to countermand what the mainstream media has just learned. Obama enthusiastically and wholeheartedly believes that what he learned in college is vastly superior to what a farmer learns from livestock, from hunting, from tilling the earth and providing food to the nation.

Obama might go to a horse ranch, put on a cowboy hat, and have someone lead him around on a horse.

Obama might forego his armed secret service guard for an evening of streetside chats with the good citizens of Kensington or Olney in the north-center of Philadelphia.

Obama might visit the Amish country in his shirtsleeves and wield a hoe or drive some plough horses while sowing corn.

Obama might be filmed changing the spark plugs on one of his fleet limousines or perhaps his Cadillac Escalade.

Obama might be filmed attending a stock car race at Pocono raceway.


I will think upon it for another fortnight and come up with other suggestions as the mood strikes me. Also, my readers are welcome to suggest other photo ops with which Obama might again beguile the non-Pennsylvania public and the mainstream media. Remember though, Obama’s elitism is embedded and a profound part of his character. The idea is not to change that, (which will be impossible) but rather to convince others that it is not so.

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