re: #304 JacksonTn

AB … imo … Obama was the perfect vehicle for the Progressive (Socialist) … wing of the democrats … he was a total media fabrication … perfect storm … his handlers were and are masters … I hope they are found out before it is too late …

Well, that is certainly one opinion, and was certainly pushed hard on this board.

The other side of the coin is that he may be, in fact, something completely different- a new kind of postmodern pragmatist. I happen to have met the guy back in ‘04 in Austin. I was at a fundraiser (I had never heard of him and did it as a favor to my wife who agreed to sponsor the event as a favor to *her* friend. The request came before the ‘04 Dem convention- no one had ever heard o him and yes it’s complicated). I snuck out to grab a smoke. So did he. We had maybe 10 minutes to chat. My question: (paraphrasing, and based on his speech) “Do you really believe there is common ground between the extremes to make good public policy?” He says, (paraphrasing) “I think there is enough ground in the middle to make it happen.”

Socialist? Never happen here unless Kunstler’s fever dreams come true:

jameshowardkunstler.typepad.com

But then its chaos at a fundamental level.

His handlers? I don’t know. Perhaps you are projecting the previous administration on this one. He certainly appears to be his own guy (for better or for worse).