The Other Kennedys

I Love Elections.

Specifically, I love presidential elections. More theater than substance it is said, but I contend that the theater is the substance. National elections are, after all, the way we sort out for ourselves the image we have of ourselves as a people. (Or, how else did you think we did this?) These huge personalities stalk our screens, made up of the real personalities of those running plus the thick accumulation of media narrative and popular fairy tales we associate with them. Each candidate portrays a particular dream image, a myth of who we are and where we are collectively headed. All around them are the professional media handlers whose job it is to wrestle with the media beast, striving to keep control of the story that is told, and sometimes losing control through missteps or poor timing, helplessly watching the narrative wind out away and out of control (see 'Willy Horton'; see 'Swift Boats'). You don't want the 'fifth estate' to wrest control of your message, because the news is an entertainment, and entertainment is based on conflicts, polarities, dramas and gossip more than on substance or truth.

Specifically, I love presidential elections. More theater than substance it is said, but I contend that the theater is the substance. National elections are, after all, the way we sort out for ourselves the image we have of ourselves as a people. (Or, how else did you think we did this?) These huge personalities stalk our screens, made up of the real personalities of those running plus the thick accumulation of media narrative and popular fairy tales we associate with them. Each candidate portrays a particular dream image, a myth of who we are and where we are collectively headed. All around them are the professional media handlers whose job it is to wrestle with the media beast, striving to keep control of the story that is told, and sometimes losing control through missteps or poor timing, helplessly watching the narrative wind out away and out of control (see 'Willy Horton'; see 'Swift Boats'). You don't want the 'fifth estate' to wrest control of your message, because the news is an entertainment, and entertainment is based on conflicts, polarities, dramas and gossip more than on substance or truth.

I admire politicians for their hutzpah in engaging the beast of the popular imagination. In the media sphere they are the equivalent of magicians, wizards, or sacrificial lambs. In the end the winds prevail and the people end up with a picture they themselves have painted, only then to find out if it's anything close to accurate.

So, it looks like Rudy miscalculated BIG TIME by waiting around until Florida to make a move. All that this wound up exhibiting was his New York provincial arrogance in assuming that the whole world revolves around that one city and the people and money it retires to the southland. As much as people may have liked or disliked any of the other candidates, at least they bothered to get down in the midwestern dirt and shake some hands. Rudy relied on a reputation for his past performance as the fatherly cop in a situation that's long been dwarfed by the history of all the further atrocities it has spawned. The obsessive "9/11 always" ploy dragged us through the horrors of the past eight years, so why do we want to continue in that fear hallucination for another four?

It looks like John McCain will finally get the benefit of his former independence, to be the final refuge of all of those Republicans and Democrats who can't get on the Democrat bandwagon, whoever might lead it. The bottom line with Romney is that no one really likes him, and those who do don't really believe anything he says, they would vote for him simply because he 'looks' presidential and isn't of the generation of our grandfathers.

The Hillary/Obama race will no doubt in the next weeks dwell more and more on social and economic issues, specifically the unjust disparities between those on the top and the so-called middle classes, as both campaigns attempt to feed on the dying corpse of the Edwards campaign. Edwards will not get the nomination, but he and his delegates will hold a lot of power to push the race toward one or another of the front runners.

Obama's win in South Carolina is topped by Hillary's even bigger one in Florida. Although no delegates are gained in the later race, it certainly helps with the momentum and media narrative going into Super Tuesday.

Personally I keep wondering when all of the "Obama is another Kennedy" hype will wear thin. When I look at the candidate I still don't see much 'there' there. I subscribe to the Al Swearengen school of politics (see Deadwood) which takes the unsentimental route toward winning and losing. Everybody talks about 'change' and talk is very thin. In the big picture I think a woman president in this, the richest patriarchal nation on earth, is out of the gate an indication of more earthshaking change than is represented by a male of any color.

Two more things. First is an analysis of the 'numbers' as they stand by National review columnist Charlie Cook:  

On the Democratic side, it is coming down to arithmetic; Obama has to change the math if he is going to win his party's presidential nomination.

Since his impressive victory in the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses, exit polls show he has not been able to run up big numbers among white voters. Obama garnered about a third of the white vote in New Hampshire and Nevada and about a quarter in South Carolina.

Obama has done well among black voters, winning by overwhelming margins in Nevada and South Carolina. But that won't be enough to offset his deficit among whites. There are also signs that Obama's strong support among blacks might be at least partially offset by fairly substantial support for Clinton among Hispanics.

- Charlie Cook, National Journal.com

(more at: http://nationaljournal.com/...

...and for those in ecstasy about the Kennedy endorsement of Obama, here's one from the 'other' Kennedys, including prominent environmentalist, Robert:

Kennedys for Clinton

Los Angeles Times

By Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Kerry Kennedy

January 29, 2008

(Kathleen Kennedy Townsend is the former lieutenant governor of Maryland, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is an environmental advocate and Kerry Kennedy is a human rights activist.)

This is a wonderful year for Democrats. Our party is blessed with the most impressive array of primary candidates in modern history. All would make superb presidents.

By now you may have read or heard that our cousin, Caroline Kennedy, and our uncle, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, have come out in favor of Sen. Barack Obama. We, however, are supporting Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton because we believe that she is the strongest candidate for our party and our country.

While talk of unity and compromise are inspiring to a nation wary of divisiveness, America stands at a historic crossroads where real issues divide our political landscapes. Democrats believe that America should not be torturing people, eavesdropping on our citizens or imprisoning them without habeas corpus or other constitutional rights. We should not be an imperial power. We need healthcare for all and a clean, safe environment.

The loftiest poetry will not solve these issues. We need a president willing to engage in a fistfight to safeguard and restore our national virtues.

We have worked with Hillary Clinton for 15 years (and in Kathleen's case, 25 years) and witnessed the power and depth of her convictions firsthand. We've seen her formidable work ethic, courage in the face of adversity and her dignity and clear head in crisis. We've also seen her two-fisted willingness to enter the brawl when America's principles are challenged. Her measured rhetoric, political savvy and pragmatism shield the heart of our nation's most determined and most democratic warrior.

She has been an uncompromising and loyal ally for each of us in our battles to protect the environment and to promote human rights around the world and juvenile justice in America. Hillary is a problem-solver, listening to people and then achieving solutions by changing attitudes.

(more at: http://www.latimes.com/...