Posted by
Mikie on Sunday, August 17, 2008 6:43:00 PM
Did I miss something? I think I did... but it took me a month or so to see what it was.
There was a time when Britney Spears was more than just a raw "publicity machine". It was in her youth. She was a budding star and made music (and I suppose... dance) that became very popular. She herself had not yet become the "superstar" she became and so she was giving her best to make what America was willing to pay for. More good stuff.
And there was a time, before the dates with the Judge, when Paris Hilton was a budding TV star... not with me so much, but definitely with people who had never seen cow poop or had never milked a cow. I have done both, more than once, and I know it can seem gross. Paris did a fine job of portraying the substance and Yuk Factor of cows to America.
But then something happened to both these young ladies. In order to stay "on top" they had to go over the top. Well that is not exactly right because both of them became "baser" in order to remain in the limelight. Rather than achieve a higher ground they both went purient... Britney with no underpants and Paris with a porno tape (not to mention "messing" with the Judge and so forth which is more stupid than purient).
While I do not in any way, shape or form suggest that Barack Obama has not worn, or never regularly changed his underpants, and he sure as heck did not make a porno film or tell any Judges to go to hell (except for Clarence Thomas, maybe) he seems to have gone from someone truly earning his credentials to somone "owed" his credentials... or else he'll go "baser" too.
He made a damn good speech at the Democratic Convention. People noticed... and not just Democrats but other people like me who like damn good speeches and who are not necessarily in the Democratic Party camp but are not opposed to it merely because it is the Democratic Party.
From there he seemed to me to go downhill. He became less reliant on our admiration for his skills and more demanding of our admiration for his prior best act to the point of calling any opposition to the rest of his acts... lies.
Granted that is not as bad as Britney's approach, as a girl, to staying in the limelight... but it is just as bad as her approach for a guy that says he believes we should believe he should be our next President.
I think there are at least two other ladies in the mix here. Hillary Clinton pointed out that Obama made a good speech and that was about it. No wonder she has a first class set of supporters.
The other lady is Nancy Pelosi. She promised that within a hundred days we would be dazzled by the progress made by her leadership and her Party's control of Congress. Now we have approaching a thousand days of her Party's control of Congress and there is next to nothing to show for it. Will Speaker Pelosi go "baser" and blame everyone else. Of course. She's already done that.
This cannot help Obama very much... talk is cheap and costs less than air (which in America has been free up to now).
But what may hurt Obama more is the fact that once... some time ago... Britney and Paris actually did some things to earn their fame beyond giving a speech. So to me they have a bit more substance to fall back upon.
When Barack Obama falls back upon his own substance as he wrote it himself and what people write about what he wrote... he attacks it as lies.
Why Obama didn't refute the lies with more fact or more information is something he will have to ask himself.
It did dawn on me that "celebrity" aspect of the Britney, Paris and Obama kind in the McCain ad does indeed have behind it more, or less, substance.
And I think Paris said something like "this is cowshit?"
Mikie