They Just Fans Like De Niero and Wesley

John Hinderaker:

Throughout the campaign, when Obama talked about "change" what he mostly meant was having an African-American in the White House.

Sigh. What's most frustrating reading this quote is simply the knee-jerk white resentment on display. But I want to talk about the laziness. The laziness is a very close second. First, "Change," obviously to most of us, was first and foremost a marketing slogan. You know, try to sum up what you want your candidacy to represent in one word and put it on a sign. And Obama even, and often, explicitly said what he meant by "change." Excerpts from his nomination speech:

"...change is a foreign policy that doesn't begin and end with a war that should've never been authorized and never been waged."

"It's time to refocus our efforts on Al Qaida's leadership and Afghanistan, and rally the world against the common threats of the 21st century: terrorism and nuclear weapons; climate change and poverty; genocide and disease. That's what change is."

"We must once again have the courage and the conviction to lead the free world. That is the legacy of Roosevelt and Truman and Kennedy. That's what the American people demand. That's what change is."

"Change is building an economy that rewards not just wealth, but the work and the workers who created it."

And so on and so on. If you look at all these points, "Change," in the general election at least, simply meant "not Republican policies." This shouldn't be difficult to understand. Obama thinks to self: Historically unpopular President is a Republican... I am a Democrat... blast! How to capitalize on this difference of party?" But Hinderaker thinks, it seems, that when the black guy wins it must be because his campaign slogan was "pick the black guy," because 1) that's always worked for everything in America and 2) the blacks get everything.

But what's truly most frustrating about Hinderaker's blathering ignorance is that though Obama didn't run as "the black candidate," he gave plently of examples of his race as being a significant motivator in his election. "They said this day would never come..." in Iowa, "If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible..." in Grant Park. Symbolically atoning for the original sin of this country is a powerful motivator to vote for somebody and because Obama didn't have to tell people he was black he never had to address it. But he did, and though this should be the fodder for the Lowry's and Hinderaker's of the world - self-obsessed! pretentious! - they don't criticize Obama for thing's he's actually said, they just make stuff up.