Mike Allen demonstrating the vacuousness of the DC press.
Now, Obama’s about to endure a going-over that would make a proctologist blush. Why has he sometimes said his first name is Arabic, and other times Swahili? Why did he make up names in his first book, as the introduction acknowledges? Why did he say two years ago that he would “absolutely” serve out his Senate term, which ends in 2011, and that the idea of him running for president this cycle was “silly” and hype “that’s been a little overblown”?
In interviews, strategists in both parties pointed to four big vulnerabilities: Obama’s inexperience, the thinness of his policy record, his frank liberalism in a time when the party needs centrist voters and the wealth of targets that are provided by the personal recollections in his first book, from past drug use to conversations that cannot be documented.
The first two are rather odd. The introduction to the book explains why he did it. I understand when Lynn Sweet brought this up, but it isn’t exactly an interesting story to say he had a hard time writing it and so he used composite characters. Secondly, the whole thing about claiming his name has different origins isn’t quite right since his name actually does its roots in two different origins–or at least it isn’t an issue of controversy as Mike Allen being too stupid to understand how words develop.
How does a class of people become so vapid? Seriously, his story is not shedding any light, but gossiping about the cool kids are thinking he’s doing too well so they’ll start being hard on him on such issues, even though some are demonstrably false.
a little more from Brother Tosser:
At the DNC meeting, Obama surprised some in the audience by seeming to scoff at the intricacy of public policy. “There are those who don’t believe in talking about hope,” he said. “They say, well, we want specifics, we want details, we want white papers, we want plans. We’ve had a lot of plans, Democrats. What we’ve had is a shortage of hope.”
A former Democratic official in close touch with several of the campaigns said: “Downplaying the importance of specific plans and ideas seems like a really strange strategy from somebody who is clearly very smart, policy-wise, but hasn’t established that with the broader public yet.”
He just wrote a book. It’s fine for the average guy on the street saying they haven’t heard the details of his plans, but for a member of the press to bitch about him not having ideas or specifics, I think you can get on Amazon and buy the damn book.
“Why has he sometimes said his first name is Arabic, and other times Swahili?”
Mr. Pundit,
Haven’t you sometimes said that your first name is “Larry” and other times “Lawrence”? And many of your conversations also cannot be documented. And didn’t you say the idea of Obama running for president this cycle was “silly” and hype “that’s been a little overblown”?
Boy, you sure do have some explaining to do.
— SCAM
Actually, no, I have never said my name is Lawrence, because it’s not. And my middle name isn’t Benjamin either.
However, if I were to explain the root of the names, both would have to be through their meaning in say Irish and then Latin which is the ultimate root.
Shoot, is my moniker more north or west??? Oh the agony!
Are you sure Mike Allen isn’t really jsut a gossip columnist?
If Obama supporters think, “Read the damn book” is going to fly with the terminally lazy DC press corps, they can satisfy themselves with a righteous loss in the primaries.
Obama needs to start force-feeding this stuff down the press throat with major speeches or the “Obama lacks ideas” meme will continue.
ZC–I’m not disagreeing with you about what the campaign has to do, my point has to do with how lazy the press corps is.