“We have been told that we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics. They will only grow louder and more dissonant” – Barack Obama, January 8, 2008
So it was then and so it still is as we move into the general election. The hue and cry of the status quo as it dies a slow public death by a thousand cuts can be seen all around us.
The volume will increase. The rancor will swell. The wing-nuts will come forth in their hundreds of thousands. The Limbaugh crowd will explode in fits of blubbery rage. The primary campaign we just waged against an establishment democrat will be mirrored by the coming battle with an establishment republican, but with much less civility amongst remaining die-hards of all stripes.
How can anything the Chorus of Cynics trots out between now and November be different from what we have already seen? Will these aggressive, Old School tactics that somehow failed Hillary become more useful in the hands of neocons? Can John McCain really catch up to the organization Barack has built in every single state? Will he have the resources to compete in places republicans haven’t had to worry about for a generation? Can a demoralized republican party hope to compete with the enthusiasm and turn-out seen so far for democrats in the primary?
It’s hard for me to worry too much about the republicans given the successful campaign Barack ran against a formidable democratic challenger.
Obama has run that successful campaign precisely because he and his strategists have been worrying about their formidable democratic challenger, and I’m sure they’re also worrying about the Republican opposition. I’m not saying we should run around like chicken little and proclaim doom is coming, but a little worry about the opposition can be a very healthy thing. Especially to the extent it helps you focus on what you can do to counter their tactics.
Agreed, a campaign is left to run. Still, I think we can be cognizant of what tactics will be used without necessarily being worried about them. Probably more a semantical difference than anything else.
Where do you live, Jason? Right in DC? My band used to play at the 930 Club (930 at F St). God, I miss the East Coast so much, the pain is nearly physical.