Democratic Underground Latest Greatest Lobby Journals Search Options Help Login
Google

Guardian (UK): "Perhaps I should join the cult"

Printer-friendly format Printer-friendly format
Printer-friendly format Email this thread to a friend
Printer-friendly format Bookmark this thread
Home » Discuss » DU Groups » Democrats » Hillary Clinton Supporters Group Donate to DU
 
rodeodance Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-07-08 12:53 AM
Original message
Guardian (UK): "Perhaps I should join the cult"

Forum Name General Discussion: Primaries
Topic subject Guardian (UK): "Perhaps I should join the cult"
Topic URL http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4448476#4448476
4448476, Guardian (UK): "Perhaps I should join the cult"
Posted by bidenista on Wed Feb-06-08 08:44 PM

Buzzmachine.com's Jeff Jarvis, writing in the UK's Guardian, has some remarks about the Obama "movement":



Perhaps I should join the cult

Jeff Jarvis
February 6, 2008 6:10 PM

The contrast in Barack Obama's and Hillary Clinton's campaigns - and their voters - is starkly illustrated in their Super Tuesday speeches. Obama is the orator, Clinton the manager. Obama's crowd behaves like a devoted cult. Clinton's like a well-behaved class. Obama has succeeded - with considerable help from the media - at portraying his campaign as a movement, while Clinton's is, well, a campaign.

My problem with his campaign is also illustrated in this speech. Though he catalogues his issues - Iraq, health care, the standard list - his message is made up of little more than stock marketing taglines. He's not so much running for office as branding himself.

Listen to last night's medley of his greatest hits: "Our time has come... Our movement is real... Change is coming to America... We are more than a collection of red states and blue states. We are and always will be the United States of America... This time can be different.... Not this time. Not this year.... This time we have to seize the moment.... This fall, we owe the American people a real choice.... We have to choose between change and more of the same, we have to choose between looking backwards and looking forward. We have to choose between our future and our past.... We can do this... We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.... Yes we can.... Yes we can...." Cue crowd chanting: "Yes we can..."

His supporters, including many New York friends of mine, buy his image and believe he is less political and that he is indeed different. I think he's more political and his campaign is the greatest example of the selling of the president I've yet seen. To state it harshly, I say that relying on these stock phrases - believing that we are going to swallow empty oratory about "change" punctuated with chants of "yes we can" - is a cynical political act...

More: http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/jeff_jarvis/2008/02/the_power_of_oratory.html


Edited to add:

Here's a cute visual aid...



Refresh | 0 Recommendations Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

Home » Discuss » DU Groups » Democrats » Hillary Clinton Supporters Group Donate to DU

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators


Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.

Home  |  Discussion Forums  |  Journals |  Store  |  Donate

About DU  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy

Got a message for Democratic Underground? Click here to send us a message.

© 2001 - 2011 Democratic Underground, LLC