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HAGATNA,
Guam—There goes Barack Obama, almost, but not quite,
dominating the Democratic race for presidential
nomination, smiling amid the Obamarama-chanting crowds
while poor Hillary Clinton frowns but is still hoping.
Ho-hum.
Obama. Big deal?
I won’t
claim to have any rational argument or sophisticated
opinion to explain why I am not infatuated with Obama,
other than my utter abhorrence for clichés. Worse, he
says “change” and “hope” as if he coined those words and
invented those concepts.
The US
media’s reference to Obama’s overrated speeches as
“inspirational” is an indication of the American
people’s desperation for “change” and “hope.” They are
so desperate they created a political figure to whom
they attach their dreams, making the spin doctors’ job a
lot easier.
I can
fully understand, though, why the previously obscure
Obama has become a wonder hit, like a sensational rock
star who shot up into the pop- culture scene overnight.
For one,
chanting “Obama” has more rhythmic sound to it than
“Clinton.” Say it: “Oba-MA! Oba-MA!” As opposed to
“Clin-TON! Clin-TON!” Nah! Sounds out-of-sync.
Another
reason for the bandwagon is the fact that Obama has sob
stories to tell about himself, the kind that appeal to
the Oprah crowd. Obama is the son of a white mother and
a black father. His father neglected him and his mother,
so he grew up without a father. He engaged in some
nefarious activity that he’s now ashamed of, like using
cocaine.
He fixed
his life, went to law school, ran for the Senate and
wrote a bestseller with—I must admit—a great title,
The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the
American Dream. And—voila!—you got the “hope” of
America.
People
like to hear stories about struggles and survival,
addiction and redemption. Americans like stories that
they can personally relate to. Their own lives are so
boring that they seek “inspirations.” That’s why
political strategists give them highlights. They’re
great pop-culture material.
Hillary,
on the other hand, is too nice to excite political
emotion and commotion. She had a very structured life
and scholarly lifestyle.
Sure,
her story about being cheated on with a size-6 intern is
Oprah material, too. But that story will cater mostly to
We and Lifetime viewers. Plus, it has lost its magic
because it wasn’t a mystery that needed to be uncovered.
It was a story that was forced down our throats when it
made headlines.
Her
story lacks the mass appeal of one’s account about drug
rehabilitation and fatherless childhood.
Hillary
sounds anything but dumb. She has a perfectly predebated
healthcare plan. She reminds you of your class
valedictorian who didn’t party.
She
personifies Reese Witherspoon’s character in the movie
Election, the overachiever who—to quote LA Times
columnist Joel Stein—is “far less annoying whiny than
self-satisfied.” You remember hating those personalities
in school.
I’m not
hating Obama or Hillary. They just happen to strike me
as blah. As blah as John McCain.
But
McCain is out of the question. After all, kicking
Republicans out of the White House is in order.
So, who
cares, it can be anybody but a Bush clone. |
