Obama’s Grand Tour
Obama’s trip abroad has the trappings of a coronation rather than a visit by a mere Presidential hopeful.
And Obama knows it, treating the European media much as he’s treated our own: with disdain. After all, does the King need to grant interviews? As a German journalist noted:
One of his campaign advisers told me recently: “Why should we take the time for foreign media, since there is Obamania around the world?”
Why, indeed? Our journalists still love him despite the fact that he’s stingy with the interviews—his playing hard to get hasn’t hurt him any.
But now the planned site of his German speech has caused a bit of consternation. Seems it has quite a bit of Nazi symbolism, not to mention the fact that:
Andreas Schockenhoff of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats said, “the Siegessé¤ule in Berlin is dedicated to a victory over neighbors who are today our European friends and allies. It is a problematic symbol.”
Problems, schmoblems.
It’s possible that Obama’s overweening arrogance will finally cause trouble for him some day. I wouldn’t bet on it, though, although I hope for it to happen before the election rather than after.
Oh, it’s not as if they were going to ask him anything of substance anyway.
The Onion has a beautifuly satirical post that’s not very far off the mark.
‘Time’ Publishes Definitive Obama Puff Piece
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/time_publishes_definitive_obama?utm_source=onion_rss_daily
I’m starting to think maybe the Press views this election as the closest thing to them electing themselves. Obama being but the vehicle. A vehicle likely easily manipulated through a favorable wind press.
The same game GWB refused to play for eight years and payed a heavy price in image and public perception for.
This guy just gets creepier and creepier.
Siggy has the French and British reaction on the Grand Tour, and I added a comment on the internal going ons in Germany.
Ryan Lizzie, the author of the New Yorker article on Obama will not be traveling with the press corps on Obama’s plane to Europe. There was not enough space. How convenient! There is no space for those who offend Obamessiah.
My bad: Ryan Lizza.
expat Says:
July 21st, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Siggy has the French and British reaction on the Grand Tour, and I added a comment on the internal going ons in Germany.
Huh? Where did you say one could find this?
Huh? Where did you say one could find this?
http://sigmundcarlandalfred.wordpress.com/
Also bottom right in Neo’s blogroll: Sugmund, Carl & Alfred (Analyzing).
Dang. I wish we had preview. I would have used it.
Funny, after reading this post I’m more convinced then ever Obama is going to be the next president. When I read “It’s possible that Obama’s overweening arrogance will finally cause trouble for him some day,” I thought substitute Clinton or Bush for Obama’s name and the sentence is still true. Hey, it worked for them, they both got two terms, so maybe we better buckle up for the ride.
Check his aircraft for the new emblem you will be saluting instead of the racist American Flag. “If the political winds change I will stand with Islam”. B Hussein O.
Is there any evidence of how all this is playing in the Heartland? Fawning European crowds. BHO acting as if he already is POTUS. I can’t imagine this sort of scene is very appealing to the farmer in Kansas, but maybe that’s just wishful thinking on my part.
physicsguy:
“Is there any evidence of how all this is playing in the Heartland?”
I hear they’re bitter, clinging bigots anyway.
rickl : Dang. I wish we had preview. I would have used it.
What I do is use another blog that DOES have the preview capability, to test what I have. For example, in Neo’s blogroll, Acute Politics at the top of her list has preview capability. ( Just make sure you do not post on the preview blog!)
This trip has been a home run for Obama. Republicans are a bit concerned. Especially about his Iraq trip.
Marc Ambinder writes
(Via e-mail, a prominent Republican strategist who occasionally provides advice to the McCain campaign said, simply, “We’re f*cked.”).
BTW, what Obama has is not arrogance. That’s confidence. People like that and it’s what we need in a president.
No it is definitely arrogance. Only someone with confidence would be unafraid of taking criticism and also partaking in the usual debate of a election.
With BHO stating that he will not allow himself to be a subject of criticism, satire, etc. belies a shallow personality that covers itself in a cloak of arrogance. His reactions remind of a certain 14 year old who resides in my house. Lots of hubris, without much substance.
Just what we need: an adolescent in the White House.
BTW, what Obama has is not arrogance.
That reads differently to different people. To me Obama has been arrogant from the git-go–running for president with almost no experience or accomplishments except a facility for winning elections.
And sure, he could get elected this time too.
I dunno, ModDem. Few people write their memoirs at age 34.
Semi-agree with this. Confidence is among the things we need in a President. Judgment should get a look-in there too, and looking at his wife (and letting her give speeches – oy!), pastor, and terrorist associate, I’m not impressed by Obama’s.
Is someone trying to pretend that Obama is confident? LOL.
The guy is a brittle Marxist… it’s plain to see.
Most people are not buying the Media’s story about Obama:
The idea that reporters are trying to help Obama win in November has grown by five percentage points over the past month. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey, taken just before the new controversy involving the New York Times erupted, found that 49% of voters believe most reporters will try to help the Democrat with their coverage, up from 44% a month ago.
. Just one voter in four (24%) believes that most reporters will try to offer unbiased coverage.
In the latest survey, a plurality of Democrats–37%– say most reporters try to offer unbiased coverage of the campaign. Twenty-seven percent (27%) believe most reporters are trying to help Obama and 21% in Obama’s party think reporters are trying to help the Republican candidate.
Among Republicans, 78% believe reporters are trying to help Obama and 10% see most offering unbiased coverage.
As for unaffiliated voters, 50% see a pro-Obama bias and 21% see unbiased coverage. Just 12% of those not affiliated with either major party believe the reporters are trying to help McCain.
In a more general sense, 45% say that most reporters would hide information if it hurt the candidate they wanted to win. Just 30% disagree and 25% are not sure. Democrats are evenly divided as to whether a reporter would release such information while Republicans and unaffiliated voters have less confidence in the reporters.
Republicans and unaffiliated voters are more likely to trust campaign information from family and friends than from reporters. Democrats are evenly divided as to who they would trust more.
A separate survey released this morning also found that 50% of voters believe most reporters want to make the economy seem worse than it is. A plurality believes that the media has also tried to make the war in Iraq appear worse that it really is.
A survey conducted earlier this year found that 30% of voters believe having a friendly reporter is more valuable than raising a lot of campaign contributions.. Twenty-nine percent (29%) believe contributions are more important and 40% are not sure.
These results are consistent with earlier surveys finding that large segments of the population believe the media is biased It is also clear that voters select their news sources in a partisan manner. During Election 2004, CNN viewers heavily favored John Kerry while Fox Fans preferred George W. Bush.