Politics is great sport. There are winners and losers, those who watch, those who participate, those who provide commentary and perspective.
There’s also a crowd in politics which relishes a good old fashioned political fist fight, and a smaller number who dig into the aftermath of a campaign with an almost religious fervor. They’re Post Mortemites.
When a political campaign or candidate begins to falter, fade, flail, or fail, either in the polls, or as the result of an election gone bad, the ranks of the Post Mortemites begins to swell.
So it is with the Barrack Obama campaign. However you describe it, falter or fade or flail or fail, the shine is off the shoe. So, if it’s over, and it is, where are the Post Mortemites? They’re just late. They’ll show up soon. Remember, this was supposed to be a dead heat heading into the first votes early next year. It turned into a 10 round fight that only went 3 rounds.
What happened?
Bill described it to me this way: “Not enough finger pointing and too much corner painting.”
That’s what Obama did wrong. As the candidate for joy and happiness and change of a different color, he had a chance to do some damage early on. Instead, all he did was talk about the future, the need for a change and he forgot to point a finger at the past and present. Sure, voters want to look forward to the future, but they want blame assessed on those who got us where we are today.
What an opportunity Obama missed. He started strong, collected a lot of money, and then forgot who to point at, and probably how to point. It’s not as though the causes of our political morass are hiding or exclusive to one party or the other. Had Obama decided to assert his God-given right to point a finger at a mess, he would have come across as a leader. Point the damn finger. It’s what we do. Then talk about change and hope and blah blah.
Instead, Obama devoted his campaign to corner painting. He painted himself as a kind of National Public Radio candidate for change at a time when voters really want leadership and toughness and change. In that order. Anything he does now that smacks of finger wagging makes him looks desperate.
When necessary, a good politician wags the finger of accountability, and stirs the paint of hopes and dreams, all the while never pointing, and never painting.
Tough break, kid. Now you’re just fodder for the Post Mortemites.
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