Obama: Darling of the Left, Darling of the Right

Obama is more than a candidate for the left, he personifies the ideal of progressive thought. Obama is young, attractive, intelligent, he portrays himself a defender of the Robin Hood school of social justice, he is ambitious and best of all, he is not white (sort of). Not only does he talk the talk of the left, he "looks the look" of the left. In a country where image is everything, the message of "change" is not enough. Here is lies Obama's gift...his very likeness, his demeanor, his voice is change incarnate, change from any candidate come before. Not only is he not some rich, old, white guy, he's not Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton either. His fresh face and lack of record on the national political scene falls right in line with the myth of the man of the people rising up, ridding the government of the old guard ways that defile our nation, cleansing it of the muck and mire that submerges its people in suppression. Obama is the package the left has been waiting on like a messiah, a secular, socialist messiah, of course.

But what about all of this Jeremiah Wright controversy? Will the left abandon Obama due to this troublesome association? In the spirit of Jeremiah Wright, the answer is, "hell no, you roosting chickens!". Even the most idealistic socialist acknowledges less than ideal associations are necessary to reach "the people", especially the clinging kind. For the Left, the only problem with Wright is his religious fetish, not his rhetoric. Wright's stances on America read straight from the Moveon.org playbook, so what's the beef anyway? The fact is, Jeremiah Wright is a stepping stone on Obama's mythic journey to the White House, nothing more, nothing less. The left loves Obama and ain't love what it's all about?

But is the left fatally blind with love? Are they seeing what the middle of the road Democrats see? That Wright is a problem and a 20 year association ended only now after bad press does not seem genuine, even to the uneducated masses? "But Obama is different", they cry. He'll change everything. Is all change a positive? Changing underwear daily, good idea. Changing the social mores of America, not so fast. Yes, Washington politics is not ideal like the left's image of Obama is. Democracy is messy and cut-throat, sometimes corrupt and unjust, causing its citizens discomfort, even pain in certain circumstances. Nothing new, read your history books, same complaints, same misuse of power since the Continental Congress. Only difference, no cable back then. We have to all remember, we're talking the government of the most advanced, powerful, diverse nation on earth, a government of complexity, one of interwoven interests and conflicts that requires dealings of human with humans to make it work. This is the reality. Obama's mythic image is not enough.

The middle of the road Democrat does not expect a hero to change everything overnight. Not only do they not expect that, the promise of such a thing is suspect in and of itself. These are the Democrats supporting Hillary. These are the Democrats who don't see themselves better than others or worse off than others. They are the 9 to 5, paying the bills, feeding the kids, pulling their own weight folks. They simply want a pitbull in their corner. Hillary ain't young, pretty or black but she is a pitbull. Snipers or no snipers, the girl got back...her constituents' back, at least for now. Hillary's real problem...the far left has all the bucks and they are sick of the Clintons. The left wants vitality, idealism, charm and most of all a moldable product. The left can not mold, shape or tailor Hillary Clinton. Her baggage is old, big and bulky. She knows the tricks and won't be lead into puppetdom. She is no candidate for the casting couch of the left.

Here's the rub...the right is reveling in its sideline seat, holding it's breath all the way to the Democrat's convention. The right is well aware of the left's love affair with ideals and they are hoping and praying, in the way only clingers can pray, that the left continues wearing their designer rose-colored glasses and hands Obama the nomination. On paper Obama is the slam dunk. No one in their right or left mind would deny that. Here we are in a political climate that spells certain defeat for the Republicans. To say the country is Bush-weary is an understatement, the Republican message is less than clear regarding immigration and the economy, McCain, the Republican's nominee, garners only luke-warm support from the Republican base. He's old, he's a hot-head, he's pasty-white and he looks like a midget standing next to long, lean, beautiful Barack Obama. Yet when it all gets laid out, McCain will handily win against Obama. How could this be? Simple, the Wright controversy, like it or not, has put Obama's candidacy in a racial realm by none other than Barack himself. This is a no-win whatever tack Obama takes. Obama is not Wright, true but whether he believes what Wright preaches or not, Obama took advantage of this association to endear him to the black base. Even if Obama does not share Wright's political views, Obama then is guilty of perhaps a more troubling act, the use of Wright for political gains and influence. Once Wright's value as an associate was spent, Obama saw Wright for what he is, a rung of a ladder. Obama needed to step up to the next rung, leaving Wright behind.

For all of Wright's disturbing rhetoric, one thing is true, Jeremiah Wright is no dummy. He realized Obama's game and like a jilted lover, was going to make Obama suffer for the break-up. Is this chapter closed? Not likely when dealing with an ego such as Wright's. He's a last word sort of character, to be sure. This looming threat combined with the Ayers and other questionable bedfellows of Obama promise fodder and timing that plays right into the strategy of the Republican's general election game plan. Every political junkie knows once one skeleton sneaks out of a candidate's closet, an assortment of others typically follow. The right is literally licking their chops, laying in wait patiently for the blood letting sure to take place at the Democrat's convention. Obama will be bloodied and weak at the very least. Who better to put up against a bruised and battered politician than a person who really did endure abuse? No matter how much taller and younger and better looking Obama is, he'll look diminished and beaten well before McCain has to step into the ring. McCain will win. Hillary the pitbull will see to that.

Why would Hillary want to see McCain beat Obama? Remember, she was the anointed one well before Obama came on the scene. If Obama thinks the jilting of Wright was tough on him, remember Obama, hell hath no fury like that of a woman scorned. If however, by some miracle, Hillary does emerge from the Democrat's convention the nominee, then we've got a whole new game, a game the Republicans would prefer not to engage in but will. The beauty and strength of Hillary lies in the very fact that all of her negatives are known. The Republicans can not define her. Right wing spin can not paint Hillary any worse than what we all know her to be already. She is who she is and her supporters are going no where. The only person going somewhere would be Hillary and that place would be up. Republicans shudder at this fact. Is Hillary unbeatable? No, but the race would be closer and much more pricey than Republicans would like. The thought of another Clinton presidency is absolutely the worst of all nightmares for the right. For now, they are thinking happy thoughts just like their left-wing counterparts.. their candidate is Obama, Obama the beautiful, Obama the charming, Obama the great unknown.