Glenn Greenwald (18 March) on Barack Obama’s “A More Perfect Union” address:
The entire premise of Barack Obama’s candidacy is… that Americans are not only able, but eager, to participate in a more elevated and reasoned political discourse… But in Obama’s faith in the average American voter lies one of the greatest weaknesses of his campaign. His faith in the ability and willingness of Americans to rise above manipulative political tactics seems drastically to understate both the efficacy of such tactics and the deafening amplification they receive from our establishment press.
The Times of London (21 March):
Polls show Barack Obama damaged by link to Reverend Jeremiah Wright
Barack Obama has been significantly damaged by the controversy over his pastor’s inflammatory remarks and the issue has become a serious threat to his presidential ambitions, polls suggest.
The surveys released yesterday point to an erosion of Mr Obama’s support among independents, a bloc that has previously backed him in overwhelming numbers, and particular alienation among white, working-class voters who will be critical to the general election in November.
They appear disturbed by the Illinois senator’s refusal to disown the Rev Jeremiah Wright in a keynote speech he delivered on Tuesday…
So, to paraphrase, “people suck, therefore we’re fucked.”
Likewise, McLuhan’s wonderful dictum “there is absolutely no inevitability so long as there is a willingness to contemplate what is happening” falls down somewhat in the absence of that willingness…