Taylor Marsh – TaylorMarsh.com – News, Opinion and Weblog on Progressive Politics

Somebody decided to run an inevitability campaign and because of that they
let Barack Obama off the hook.

So someone needs to explain to me why the first viable female candidate to
have a chance to win the presidency isn’t the very symbol of change in a very
big way.

Someone also needs to explain to me who pulled the “inevitability”
campaign out of whose posterior.

Seriously. I have a feeling it was Mark Penn, and I want an explanation. I
also want change. But not the Obama-lite change of blah-blah-blah,
with no idea what it means besides market-based solutions, partial health care,
and an extended hand to Republicans at a time when we’ve got them on the mat.
It wasn’t until the fall that anyone got around to dissecting Mr. Obama’s record
in public. But according to Penn, letting Mr. Obama coast on his charm, which
is considerable, and his theatrical skills, which is all he’s got was going
to lead everyone to Clinton’s inevitability. Put down the wine bottle. You’re
a litre heavy. Clinton lost to a guy who has no Democratic message behind him.
He’s got two words. Unite. Change. Specifics are nowhere to be found. So Penn
let Obama glide on change and charm all year long, while hoping everyone would
wake up and inevitably see Hillary’s light. She isn’t change? In what U.S. universe
is a woman commander in chief inevitable? How is that not the very
definition of change, not only for America, but for women around the world?
I won’t even get into the cringe factor every time Mark Penn showed up on tv.

If there’s one thing I always had in the race for Iowa it was respect for Barack
Obama’s talent. I saw him saunter into Nevada to the health care forum early
last year and basically offer platitudes minute after minute, thinking his charm
would get him by and it worked. You know why? Nobody challenged his record.
Just listen to the press fawn over him. I feel like I need a shower and after
every commercial during “Hardball” I expect Chris Matthews to come back smoking a cigarette, with
his shirt undone.

Ever heard of a 527? Let them do the job. But somebody do it.

Hillary Clinton is one of the smartest women ever to hit Democratic party politics.
She’s not “inevitable.” She’s formidable. Floating along on a cloud
of positive sweetness and light for nine months? Who in the Democratic party
ever past the torch to a woman? You’ve got to fight for it and call your opponent
out.

What I want to see is a sea of women. Everywhere around Hillary Clinton. Young.
Hip. Older. You name it. Get rid of the trappings. A wall of women. That’s just
for starters. But if you don’t like those ideas pick something else. How about
changing the guy supposedly running the show?

Oh, and another thing. Quit taking this crap from the talking heads. Engage.
Do something. There are a lot of Democrats out here
who listen day after day at the media onslaught targeting Clinton. We can only
hope they’ll now turn their sights on Mr. Obama, who has gotten a pass all year. I’m not holding my breath, because they’re just as likely to fall into a collective swoon.

The Republicans won’t. Mr. Obama has never been put through the national media meat grinder. Somebody better start doing it now before it’s too late and the GOP does it for us.

If Penn had any class he’d resign. If he doesn’t someone needs to fire him,
because whatever he did in Iowa didn’t work and now it’s time to get serious.