Obama on the street in Bloomington, IN

[tristano's ghost]

Barack Obama made a surprise visit yesterday to Bloomington on his way to Terre Haute. He dropped in at the Little 500 bike race at Armstrong Stadium and then took a walk along our main street to Nick's, a venerable Bloomington drinking institution much-loved by students, alumnis, and townies alike. I was tipped off and showed up along with several hundred other people, although the street was a mob scene anyway (world's greatest college weekend and all that). A friend of mine got some good video and posted it on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blIHPMiAZ6Y

His bus is parked between my wife's church and the restaurant that provides production support for my jazz show. I was about 20 feet away from the door at Nick's when he walked in... people were screaming and shouting exuberantly. There was so much excitement and hope and positive energy in that crowd--and most people had no idea he was coming, or didn't know until the last moment, but the town was already flooded with students and visitors for the weekend. A really incredible moment--people who've lived here a long time said they hadn't seen anything like it since the last time IU won the NCAA (and I was here the last time they did, 1987).

[Gary Sisco]

Ah, they're all dupes insulted by Obama's dangerous class prejudice against da woiking class.

[Jason Bivins]

Nice one, David!

[patricia]

Originally Posted by Gary Sisco

Ah, they're all dupes insulted by Obama's dangerous class prejudice against da woiking class.

The thing that I find interesting is the attempt by the Clinton campaign to paint Obama as a latte-drinking elitist.
This from a candidate who just reported income of over 100 million dollars in the last six years!!!
I don't know about you, Gary, but I would want somebody who is smarter than I am, which Obama is, running the country, over someone who is pretending to be just like me, which is the image Clinton is attempting to project.
I'm a terrific person and reasonably bright, but I sure wouldn't want me running a country, any country.
The Clintons [and you will get both if Clinton is the nominee] are not like you at all. They haven't been for decades.
McCain is presenting himself as a "maverick" and I wonder in what sense. He has no new ideas about how to extrigate the country from the mess it's in, or to handle the problem of withdrawing from the ill-advised invasion of Iraq.

[Gary Sisco]

Obama has to stop going on the defensive on issues like these. There are very few workingclass Americans who'd have any major differences over the content of what he said. He has nothing to defend himself about.

If you go on the defensive every time someone comes at you, you end up with a campaign like Clinton's, that feels like it has to react to every remark, even if it means dishonesty, in her case.

That's one thing, albeit in a negative context, that American pols can learn from Lon Cheney: shrug. "So?"

It disarms the opponent because so unexpected.

I did the same for many years when redbaited.

He has to raise his tactical skills to the level of his strategic skills.

[patricia]

I agree. I think that there is an automatic tendancy to try to be all things to all people by not just Obama, but all the candidates.
Nobody is, or can be.
But, what they must be is honest and straighforward, as well as exceptional.
They must have the ability to lead and to manage their advisors, considering all sides of an issue before making a decision.
They are not a monarch, despite the powers that have been given to the office of President since Bush took office.

Which brings me to the question of whether either Clinton, or Obama are likely to re-visit, or roll back the granting of unlimited and absolute power to the President?

[Jeffrey Wozniak]

Originally Posted by patricia

Which brings me to the question of whether either Clinton, or Obama are likely to re-visit, or roll back the granting of unlimited and absolute power to the President?

If the President has unlimited and absolute power than the 2008 election is a sham. Emperor George will still be in the White House.

[patricia]

Originally Posted by Jeffrey Wozniak

If the President has unlimited and absolute power than the 2008 election is a sham. Emperor George will still be in the White House.

Explain please.

[Gary Sisco]

Woz can't be explained.

[patricia]

Originally Posted by Gary Sisco

Woz can't be explained.

[Ron Thorne]

Originally Posted by Gary Sisco

Obama has to stop going on the defensive on issues like these. There are very few workingclass Americans who'd have any major differences over the content of what he said. He has nothing to defend himself about.

If you go on the defensive every time someone comes at you, you end up with a campaign like Clinton's, that feels like it has to react to every remark, even if it means dishonesty, in her case.

That's one thing, albeit in a negative context, that American pols can learn from Lon Cheney: shrug. "So?"

It disarms the opponent because so unexpected.

I did the same for many years when redbaited.

He has to raise his tactical skills to the level of his strategic skills.

Those are excellent points, Gary! You could do us all a favor and forward those thoughts to Obama's campaign.

Man, can you imagine what an anxious time this kind of stop must be for his Secret Service detail and local law enforcement.

[Gary Sisco]

You can't let others set the agenda or define the issues for you.

I'd have just responded that it's for the working class to decide, come November, and left it at that.

When people red-baited me, the best response was always "So what?" They never had a rejoinder because they always expected me to deny my own politics. Not.

One time my barber invited me to address his Lion's Club meeting about Nicaragua. So, I brought a videotape of the results of a contra massacre of a truckful of civilians and showed it to them. Afterward, there was silence for about five minutes. Then someone in the back of the room asked "Who paid for your trip, Gary?"

"Fidel paid for it. Who do you think?" I replied and the whole room cracked up.

After that, it was possible to deal with serious questions.