That explains so much

[baxil]

George W. Bush clearly grew up on a diet of endless John Wayne movies.

Then he became president, and put us in oneMission accomplished

Comments

[packbat]

...I'm not even going to try to read that. What is with people dismissing the possibility of non-supernatural prowess?

[baxil]

I know that was a rhetorical question, but: It's the result of overapplying a single frame of reference beyond its explanatory powers.

It can be hard sometimes to tell what the line is between magic and Story and consequence and plain old chance, but that doesn't mean the lines don't exist. And reality is too big and to wonderful, anyway, to be completely contained by a single set of simple narrative explanations.

[packbat]

Hm ... I suppose I can't argue with that.

[paka]

I'd argue that any young politician is going to have to sell themselves as "my age gives me a new perspective on things contrary to an older view which is clearly not working" basically because they cannot sell themselves on experience and a long litany of past accomplishments; similarly, a minority politician will have to sell themselves on "I have a wide variety of experiences and a broader view" and so on. There just isn't much choice in the matter.

And, when your campaign is taking on an establishment which very clearly has failed to work, the "new dynamic whatever" is both the only and probably the best tactic anyone can take. This isn't posthuman whatever, this is political savvy.

[dragonzuela]

One thing I really like about Obama is that (at least in February) his website had a video in which he discussed faith, and his desire to unite people of all faiths and lack thereof with a common morality. However, he also did call himself Christian, and whether it's true or just a statement to help him appeal to a large number of people, I don't get the impression that he and I would be on the same page in terms of worldviews - he's probably not into energy work and all that.

But I do think that belief is powerful. All of us who are believing in him so strongly as an agent of positive change, are sending lots of light his way so that he can do that, I think. Hopefully the momentum could last without the man, who knows...

I know personally that attractive and charismatic people tend to get my attention, so I know that this could affect how I feel about Obama. But anyway, he's got the nomination now, and even without the charisma I think he's a much better choice than McCain...

[frameacloud]

"Focusing too much energy, too much credibility, into a single source means that if that source is disabled, the entire buildup can be wasted. Structures united around a cause have longevity far beyond those united around a person."

Ah... so that's why the Guerrilla Girls wear masks and maintain their anonymity. They said that they wanted their focus to be on their cause (exposing racist and sexist prejudices in the arts) and not on the individual members of their group. I hadn't quite understood why that defense was necessary. I think I get it now.

[kistaro]

Which also brings to mind thoughts on the power of symbols; focusing that energy on a symbol of a cause is likely to be as stable as that symbol moving onward, something that can easily outlive people. But aiming for just the target concept itself seems better, as a symbol can generally be taken and misused for an end that was not its original intent, nor what the people dumping energy into it might hope for. Consider the rather thorough religious disputes around these parts- and how many of them have overlapping and/or conflicting religious symbols. The Protestant view of anti-iconoclasm makes more sense like that- when it is more clear that the symbol is not the thing.

[hafoc]

I see a lot of The Usual Suspects on the political TV talking about how brilliantly Obama took away Clinton's nomination (or the one to which she and the political establishment assumed she was Entitled). They talk about how Obama built a movement, but ignore the fact that things were just the other way around. The movement built Obama