"The world would dearly love a vote in this, yes, epic contest, but will content itself with a ringside seat," Philip Stephens closed his June 6 column about the U.S. presidential election. The Financial Times associate editor certainly played the spectator part, cheering for Obama while booing McCain.
Stephens seemed to argue that McCain may well have stooped to outright racist talking points to win the election, but thanks to Clinton partisans creating the elitist meme, he can use that handily as a proxy for the race card:
The primaries took their toll. The Republicans' John McCain will not have to mention his opponent's skin colour to stir old prejudices among some white voters. He can take his cue from Geraldine Ferraro, a former vice-presidential candidate and supporter of Mrs Clinton. "If you're white you can't open your mouth without being accused of being a racist," she said last week. "They [working class whites] don't identify with someone who has gone to Harvard and Columbia Law School and is married to a Harvard-Princeton graduate".
The FT columnist did make clear that Obama is not the flawless Obamessiah many hoped him to be, but the things he found that took the shine off the Illinois senator were focused heavily on matters of style, not substance:
He learnt along the way that middle America has more pressing concerns than the price of arugula; that he had better learn to bowl before staging photo-opportunities in a bowling alley; and that it is unwise to denigrate the cultural conservatism of small-town America. As for inspiration, it does not pay the bills. Casting himself as the candidate who transcended old divisions, he has been forced to dump the less temperate black pastor who had been almost a surrogate father. He has found it much tougher to win over white blue-collar workers than to impress the latte-drinking intelligentsia. Mr Obama, the rest of us now know, has his blemishes.
Much like a sports fan who in a charitable moment may fish up at least one compliment for a well-respected but rival team's star player, Stephens found one compliment for McCain: a "worthy opponent" to "once-in-a-generation" Obama.
Yet for all his joy at the prospect of a "ringside seat," Stephens made it clear that he hopes the November contest between the designated party champions is more croquet game than boxing match:
The circumstances of their primary victories mean that Mr Obama and Mr McCain are both obliged to fight a different sort of general election. They must reach voters well beyond traditional party lines rather than, as did Mr Bush, rely on mobilising their political bases. Mr Obama needs the millions of voters he has brought into politics for the first time; Mr McCain independents and Reagan Democrats. America, with luck, can say goodbye to the crude culture wars that have scarred its politics since the 1960s.
Photo of Philip Stephens via his bio page at Financial Times Web site, FT.com.
—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters
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Comments Policy
......but the things he
June 6, 2008 - 16:30 ET by MidAmerica......but the things he found that took the shine off the Illinois senator were focused heavily on matters of style, not substance:
Well yeah.... because he's all style and has no substance.
Kinda like
June 6, 2008 - 16:43 ET by Eileen RightAll attitude, no ass.
OR VICE VERSA
June 6, 2008 - 19:27 ET by CTNOBAMA!!!
Am I hearing him correctly?
June 6, 2008 - 21:03 ET by Hero SquadAm I hearing him correctly? Is he blaming McCain for Democratic prejudices that were exposed in the primary?
That's rich.
*****
"People only insist that a debate stop when they are afraid of what might be learned if it continues." - George Will
Personally, I could care
June 6, 2008 - 16:37 ET by Clear thinkerPersonally, I could care less what this Brit thinks about our elections.
Sadly, he does point out what may be an eventual event (not while I'm alive).... the United Nations trying to force the USA to allow the rest of the world to pick our leaders.
"Abstain from McCain"
Where's That Wayback Machine When You Need It?
June 6, 2008 - 17:38 ET by geoff.galeAgreed - there's been too much chatter this election cycle about Europeans having a vote in our elections lately for this to be random. The seed has been planted for the attempted slow, agonising takeover of the US by the UN crowd.
We all need a Wayback Machine to go back to prior to the founding of the UN and change that little piece of history. Maybe there would be a nice apartment block on that land in New York. And maybe the clinging wannabes from lands big and small would have to find legitimate work.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
- Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)
www.conservativeboot...
"The world would dearly
June 6, 2008 - 16:38 ET by MidAmerica"The world would dearly love a vote in this,.....
I tell you what, if obama doesn't win you can have him.
Heck, we'll even throw in the clinton's that you were all so enamored with. They come as a set you know. One's barely used.
The World Wants a Vote?
June 6, 2008 - 16:44 ET by jefflebowskiHell, it seems like most of them are here already!
I think it speaks volumes when the Presidents of Iran, Venezuela and Cuba endorse Obama. What shame for the DemonRat party to have a communist endorsed by communists as their presidential candidate.
Jeff Lebowski
www.angrywhitedude.c...
...heck MA, I think we
June 6, 2008 - 16:44 ET by bigtimer...heck MA, I think we should throw in the majority of Congress and a handful of RINOs to-boot...
...along with the msm....
LaRaza, Code Pink, the ACLU ...
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Wilson
Yeah, pack up all our
June 6, 2008 - 17:06 ET by MidAmericaYeah, pack up all our leaders who think we need to look to Europe for guidance. The Europeans produce lots of Chamberlains but almost no Churchills.
You're on to something here BT
June 6, 2008 - 19:25 ET by CTNOBAMA!!!
"I tell you what, if obama
June 6, 2008 - 18:42 ET by Indiana Joe"I tell you what, if obama doesn't win you can have him."
Hell, they can have him if he DOES win (as long as he doesn't pick Hillary for VP)!!!
;^D
There is so much wrong
June 6, 2008 - 16:54 ET by mattmThere is so much wrong here, where do you begin??? (Another classic Lib tactic: The Buckshot of Lies)
Yesterday I mentioned how Republicans get blamed for what Democrats are 'guilty' of. Here's confirmation: "McCain will not have to mention his opponent's skin colour to stir old prejudices..." because the Dems already did that.
Another misleading statement: "...Mr Obama and Mr McCain are both obliged to fight a different sort of general election. They must reach voters well beyond traditional party lines..."
If McCain loses it will be because he lost his base. But McCain and the RINOs have fallen for this Liberal trick.
The only people "well beyond" party lines that Obama will get are people who have never voted before, or the Naderites and Green Party types...although McCain could get some of them.
Those "crude culture wars..." he mentions were initiated and exacerbated by the "God damn America" Left. I guess you can be arrogant if your country was wise enough to keep its culture wars on foreign soil.
I wonder if this putz would suggest that the world would like to decide who runs the UK or China, or Russia.... I doubt it.
Thank God we kicked those snobbish, miklsop Brits out of here 200 years ago!
Amen! "Abstain from
June 6, 2008 - 16:57 ET by Clear thinkerAmen!
"Abstain from McCain"
Damn straight!
June 6, 2008 - 18:45 ET by Indiana JoeDamn straight!
Mr. Stephens says "the
June 6, 2008 - 17:02 ET by motherbeltMr. Stephens says "the world would dearly love a vote in November."
You know what, Mr. Stephens?
We don't care!!
To reverse an old quote from the Revolution:
No representation without taxation!!!
I have a message
June 6, 2008 - 17:04 ET by bigpapaFor the rest of the world...
As a US Citizen and Veteran...
The rest of the world can PI$$ OFF!!! when it comes to our elections and politics...
We do enough for them already they should be thankful and mind their own business.
Papa... Two thumbs way
June 6, 2008 - 17:06 ET by Clear thinkerPapa...
Two thumbs way up!
"Abstain from McCain"
bp... Hear!
June 6, 2008 - 17:10 ET by bigtimerbp...
Hear! Hear!
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Wilson
Tell it, brother!
June 6, 2008 - 18:46 ET by Indiana JoeTell it, brother!
Well I don't know...
June 6, 2008 - 19:22 ET by CTI think you are being entirely too polite
Sorry CT
June 6, 2008 - 20:24 ET by bigpapaIt's just my nature to sugar coat it.
Europe is screwed up enough, thank god they can't vote here!
June 6, 2008 - 17:23 ET by happyuscitizenAlthough if the "undocumented immigrants" crowd or ACORN could pull it off they would register voters all throughout the globe for this election. If they could we would probably end up with such winners as Ken Livingston, Gordon Brown, or even a Robert Mugabe.
"I'm just a big fat hairy American Winning Machine!" - Ricky Bobby
I would "dearly" like to kick this guy in the scavoods
June 6, 2008 - 18:08 ET by SickofLibsOh, if only the wise Planet Earth could vote. How about this: let's give every piss ant country a block of votes in our election. (oops, already been suggested, nevermind).
But thanks for pointing out the Obama blemishes: 1) bowls like a 5-yr old and 2) dumped his "less temperate black pastor" (only slightly less temperate than say, Calypso Louie?) Well, that about covers all His blemishes, I'd say.
Next to lastly: "the millions of voters he has brought into politics for the first time", as studies have shown, will mostly never actually make it to the voting booth because the vast majority of them will be on the couch smoking blunts and playing Grand Theft IV.
"Oh shit, YESTERDAY was election day?" Or "Dude, nobody told me I had to register AHEAD of time!"
Lastly, how about this for a deficit-reduction initiative: all you offshore types who are so friggin' fascinated with this, you can watch our election coverage live, but it's gonna be a PAY-PER-VIEW event, and not payable in Euros.
PS: and stay out of those Muslim London neighborhoods as you have been warned, infidel. CHEERS!
"Oh shit, YESTERDAY was
June 6, 2008 - 18:44 ET by red_dragon311"Oh shit, YESTERDAY was election day?" Or "Dude, nobody told me I had to register AHEAD of time!"
the bad thing is you are more right then you know...and when Nov 5th rolls around and the election day IS missed this will lead to the cry of .....you got it RACISM, black voters were not made aware that had to register to vote, so they were turned away from polling places, disenfranchised.
also you will see " GET OUT AND VOTE" bs on all the "hip" channles MVT, Spike, Comedy Central,and such like never before the libs will not be denied the chance to make history ......most ageing libs have waited there whole life to be a part of this just for the sake of being able to say "I voted for the first black president"
A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.
-Gerald Ford
"......most ageing libs
June 6, 2008 - 18:52 ET by Indiana Joe"......most ageing libs have waited there whole life to be a part of this just for the sake of being able to say 'I voted for the first black president'"
I maintain, and always will, that this is the attitude which has garnered Obama many of his votes in the primaries. And it will be equally in play in the general election.
It beat Hillary. Will it be enough to beat McCain? Stay tuned.
Right you are, Red...
June 7, 2008 - 08:56 ET by SickofLibsand wait till they get the really bad news: you can only vote once AND you must be living.
and ya can't be an ex-con!
June 7, 2008 - 18:40 ET by mister josephand ya can't be an ex-con!
bucket of crabs
June 6, 2008 - 18:22 ET by wizardjrMuch like folks in the ghetto don't want any of theirs to move up, the Euroweenies want to keep us from being the world class example of successful while they slog through the mire of redistributionist socialism and PC. It shows that you can do it and so embarasses the losers and dorks that don't put the effort in (except to cry for the whaambulance).
It is much like the bucket of crabs metaphor. If you watch a bucket of crabs, eventually one of them will get a claw on the rim and start to haul his butt out. At that very minute, the rest of the crabs will grab onto him and pull him back down to their level.
I don't want to be French.
Obamamania is soooooo BIG,
June 6, 2008 - 20:10 ET by Chris NormanObamamania is soooooo BIG, it can't be stopped by mere oceans or borders!
NObama 08
June 6, 2008 - 21:33 ET by bigpapaJust immigrate. Problem solved
June 6, 2008 - 21:42 ET by UnsaneSo the world would dearly love to vote in our elections, huh?
The solutions in life are so damn simple!
Immigrate to the United States, become a naturalized citizen, and you can vote!
(Besides, why should I care? It's not as if you whiny Leftists aren't going to do much else than whine and write wistfully about how you wish you could, you wish you could...you losers won't actually DO anything about it...for that will require FORCE.)
Res tantum valet quantum vendi potest.