Maureen Dowd's critical eye on Obama

CB from DCFeb 15th, 2007 - 06:00:52

Is Maureen Dowd carrying Ms. Clinton's water for Valenties Day? Speaking as a New Yorker who is very impressed with Ms. Clinton I can definitilvely say: -- MAYBE SO!!

But it hardly matters. Obama is actually so well positiioned as a persona that Dowd's surprisingly venemous-yet-shallow attack will likely backfire like all the rest of the recent flurry of anti-Obama jabs that have 'suddenly' emerged now that he has declared. These sorts of attacks won't stop because Obama deeply disturbs both the republican and the democratic establishment even as he impressively transcends them. Yet my sense is that Obamas teflon is apparently so good that not only does nothing stick, attacks and somtimes odd compliments even reflect back and stick on the issuer! I really regret sounding rather crass, obvious, and even a bit neo-racist, but in Obama is suspect we could be - and apparently increasingly are - looking at the emergence of 'The Tiger Woods of American Politics'.

We shold not be surprised by this. It must have utterly shocked and perhaps frightened Ms. Clinton's camp to discover how strongly Obama polls with Clinton's so called 'natural' constiuency - women. While polling of Christians reveals for Obama the best standing of any Democrat. Especially after Clinton lost the last few news cycles to Obama, they HAD to do something. The whole media establishment on BOTH sides will now be lining up to get their 'licks in' as Obama runs the bizzare American gauntlet of media distortion euphemistically referred to as the free press. But Obama has serious advantages to wield that no other candidate has.

Is it a coincidence Dowd's 'hatchety' article seems custom written to undermine Obama with Women - right down to the revealingly obvious line about the 'sliding wedding ring'? On Valentines Day no less? Did Obama forget to send Dowd a card or flowers? Dowd's gossipyness almost reads like a vindictive description of a bad blind date in college. To this reader, there seems something more going on here than Dowd's usual smarmyness.

Perhaps it's unlikely, but it would come as no great surprise to me to discover that the article was 'arranged' or 'encouraged' in some way. Ms. Clinton's organization does not leave many stones unturned, and she has quite a fomidable machine already built up here in the Times home state. I'd be a lot less suspicious if the editorial was in the LA Times or ChiTrib!

Don't ever, ever, ever underestimate any Clinton. She knows (or thinks she knows), what she's doing, and nearly always has her stuff together. Always does her homework, and it gives her great confidence. I've met her and spent time with her personally, and she definitely has that factor that leaves you saying 'wow'. When all the dust settles, don't be too surprised if she's the one who winds up sitting in the White House.

Hillary's as smart as they come, methodical, and tough as nails behind the obviously highly scripted, quite square, 'Miss Conniesque' veneer. I mean real REAL tough like Truman or T.R. or Daley. But she's much smarter and more organized than any of those three. Clinton's weakness? Unlike any of them, and just like many people from her culture, Clinton has deep feelings, but she has major proplems with how to manifest her emotions. All of us men will be waiting until hell freezes over for her to 'let her hair down', 'lighten up' or really dance like she means it. Even this serious problem Clinton is able to paper over pretty well when she remembers to skip all the theatrics, get off the high horse and use her superbly keen and charming wit, especially the self-deprecating side of her sense of humor.

Ome major advantage Obama has over the entire field, is that he is more 'free' than anybody in this campaign and people can sense it and are excited by it. He has little or nothing to lose, and he knows it, but surprisingly, has yet to overplay it. He truly does seem to have a fresh perspective on the divisions in the nation - which gives people hope. No other candidate has the 'hope factor', 'empathy factor', or the 'vision thing' like Obama. He is nimble and fluid and hard to pin, little record, good judgement no baggage, unbeholden, has genuine flair, and just has great phrasing and stage presence which are critical skills for leadership. But Obama will still has to overcome the inevitable 'Howard Dean Scream moment' when the media will amplify some tiny excess of humanity into the entire fiber of his being.

Even here Obama has a bit of a hole card. Everybody - even his most comitted enemies say, the KKK or the Arayan Brotherhood or Maureen Dowd - still have a place in their heart where they are secretly pulling for Obama. Of all the candidates only John McCain has a little of this also, But McCain does not handle it as well as Obama, and has much more old 'baggage' (i.e. experience) to go with it. Therefore, most all of the attacks on Obama - especially the more vicious ones - seem to ultimately rebound and leave the sympathetic public loving him more, because he is so emotionally intellgent and deft. Obama seems not afraid to genuinly show or to say 'that hurt me', and somehow everybody protectively rallies around him. Yet when he says 'that makes me angry' everybody says he's showing dignity pride and strength. 'I inhaled?' Obama wins praise for honesty. And if he says nothing? Everybody just fill in the blanks for themselves. Nobody seems to notice or care much.

Speaking of caring, in the end, I almost don't care who wins the next election - Democrat OR Republican they are all better than what we have now, which is truly the worst Presidential administration ever, in my near half century of life. Any one of the current crop of candidates would be a major improvement.

Don't kid yourself and underestimate Obama either. This Obama candidacy is no fluke and is not by accident - Obama really IS on to something about the contemporary American Psyche. Obama also really IS this skillful in successfully dominating news cycle after news cycle for months on end with no end in sight as well. This is a serious and higly potent combination that lesser candidtes have ridden all the way into the Presidency.

Proof? Neither the great mean Maureen nor the great Clinton machine waste their choicsest scathings on mere 'soon-to-self-destruct-anyway' pretenders. Those two genuine sharpies have just tipped their hand that they have already figured out that Obama is the real thing, and a real threat to be dealt with.

Sure, Obama was lucky, but many people in politics have had Obamas luck, and have not done with that luck anything near what Obama has done so dazzlingly. In fact, hardly anyone ever has. And that is a quite serious matter. Obama has the ability to 'work the clay' of everyday good luck, into an entracing inspiring sculpture of art the just so happens to draw the biggest and most enthusiastic crowds among all the contenders. Once it was luck - now it's real.

Everyone is asking. 'What makes Obama so great?' 'How did he do all this?' Having spent 18 years in Washington D.C. I have a simple answer regarding the Obama magic. As I said above, just like Mr. 'Silent Majority', Obama has tapped into something deep in the contemporary mass American Psyche. He is also a master at what Washington insiders call 'Positioning'. Not so much on issues, but emotionally as a public persona, as a political 'figure', a 'story'. You know: 'The man from a place called Hope' type stuff. Obama is so superbly positioned as a persona that even when Joe Biden was apparently clumsily trying to COMPLIMENT Obama, Obama himself hardly had to lift a finger, and it all backfired on on Biden. The oh-so-experienced, 'articulate and clean' Delawarian Senator basically was put in the position of having his own campaign blown up and very near in complete ruin - by the relection of his own hand! And Obama's finger.

Obama is so superb at political 'positioning' right now that, even if everything Dowd reports-alleges-speculates is true,it doesn't hurt Obama that much, and could very likely help him in the long run. In fact, the Dowd attack may ironically broaden Obamas base and make Obama more legitimate to everyone, as well as more attractive to males, to the center, and to the right. All while making Dowd look pretty speculative and 'hatchety'. Obama's persona positioning - like Ronald Reagan's is very dangerous to attack or even to comment on. Yet Obama himself is already joking about it.

That is truly brilliant positioning on Obamas part, when you have a chance - as Obama now does - to make a Maureen Dowd attack blow right back onto her. Amazingly, the 'inexperienced' Obama has already crafted his image with such ingeniously reflective teflon that he appears well prepared for this sort of inevitable attack contingency. The oft-repeated cry of 'inexperience' helps with those who were looking for an easy excuse not to vote for Obama anyway. To the politically perceptive, Obama's relatively blank slate is really one of the most potent factors that has allowed him to seize the moment to position AND reposition himself, rather than being burdened with a restrictive media pre-postion for him like all his hackneyed rivals. Obama has nearly succeeded in positioning his 'inexperience' as one of his greatest strengths.

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LeoFeb 15th, 2007 - 11:12:41

In my blog A Campaign For Hope at http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/blog/leobottary
I sent a mesaage to both Dowd and Obama

If Barack Obama hasn't had a healthy dose of it already, then Maureen Dowd's column in The New York Times today will be among many opinion pieces (now that he's an announced candidate) that will cover everything BUT his qualifications to be President.

Subjects in today's piece ran from photo shoots, the beach, and smoking to body language, facial expressions, and irritability. Let's just hope Ms. Dowd had a bad hair day, and she'll actually make a positive contribution to helping voters understand which candidate we should send to Washington.

That being said, if Obama is getting irritable in February of '07, he'll be screaming at his own kids by this time next year if he doesn't dial it back a little. I don't care if he's quitting smoking or not, this is a marathon not a sprint. He's out of the gate quickly and positively and that's great. But the lights are only going to get brighter and the power of the microscope more intense. While I can't imagine the rigors of a Presidential campaign, I have run 13 marathons. Staying positive and regarding the pain you feel as simply 'weakness leaving the body' is how you survive the marathon. I suspect it may help Obama prevail in a long political campaign as well. Go Barack!

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howieinseattleforbarackFeb 15th, 2007 - 16:38:04

maureen dowd started out as the 'entertainment/style/gossip' critic for the ny times and she has been consistent about making that her beat since then.

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