Are Americans Getting Obama Fatigue?
A writer at Time magazine wonders why Obama’s overseas trip hasn’t brought with it a bump in the polls. Perhaps I can throw out a little theory here of my own. I think that Americans are getting Obama fatigue. The same fawning media machine that helped the DNC crown Obama over Hillary could very well be his undoing. Hype, overdone, leads to backlash.
By trying to turn Obama into the next political messiah, before he’d actually done anything, the media has put Obama into the category of “fad.” Fad, as in, pet rocks, 3D magic eye pictures, and the Backstreet Boys. When was the last time you seriously danced the Macarena?
Equating a presidential candidate to an American Idol is a dangerous campaign model. Most American Idol winners did not see the long-term success of the first winner, Kelly Clarkson. While Clarkson may well follow in Celine Dion’s footsteps and have a lasting career, and Clay Aiken might stay around as a niche singer, the rest may end up one-hit wonders.
Let’s not forget, too, that fad teen singers rely on enthusiastic teeny-boppers to keep the emotions riding high. Obama has his college students, but there won’t be any new college students joining the ride at this point. The rest of the country is made up of moderates who won’t be foaming at the mouth about Obama now or ever.
Obama now has to prove himself to older, more mature voters, who are looking for substance and not style. Obama has not shown himself to be strong on substance. He refuses to debate and prefers to jet around and perform publicity stunts. But playing basketball at a foreign military base is not going to get the mature voter to back him. If anything, it associates him too much with youth and hip-hop culture. Doing the “Jay-Z” sign may work well with college students, but it’s not going to get middle America behind him.
This is not an issue of racism. A white man doing Elvis pelvis moves would likewise not be taken seriously as a presidential candidate.
As a Hillary supporter, I realize I am biased against Obama, but I’ve gotten so tired of Obama coverage that I don’t even turn on the network news channels anymore. I can’t possibly be the only one. Let’s get back to a real campaign that involves actual debates and substance…ooops, that would require a candidate that had some substance. Never mind.
Posted: July 24th, 2008 under Barack Obama.
Comments: 7
Comments
Comment from 30yrdem-not any more
Time: July 24, 2008, 2:06 pm
I think it will backfire…did it not backfire in the primary? The American voters see it happening all over again in the GE.
I don’t watch any news on NBC/MSNBC, CBS, ABC, CNN. I use the internet for all of my news….I do watch Lou Dobbs most days and tune into Fox News to find out what is going on. I still trust Greta on Fox, others have an agenda and always have had… I am just sick of hearing about him (obama), I don’t know anyone who isn’t. Fox news does give more of a balance to their coverage but still covers obama more.
Comment from ERIEZINDIAN
Time: July 25, 2008, 10:04 am
You are not the only one….I don’t watch cable news or even network news either. Only a little of Lou Dobbs. Fox, if I really need to see something. Nothing else…This may go on for at least 3 and a half more months or longer. I am getting other things done……cleaning out closets, pulling weeds, anything done away from TV. Spouse watchs it…….he does the dirty work for me and tells me what has been said. But even he is getting tired of it.
Comment from Janet
Time: July 25, 2008, 11:41 am
And the Media/Press continue to keep Obama in the limelight. They are doing the same they have been doing from the very start of the primaries.
They still find opportunities to criticize Hillary. Now their target is MC Cain.
I don’t support McCain and I still can’t support Obama!!!
I am sick of NBC/MSNBC etc. I avoid them like the plague.
I don’t believe the media would of gone to the Middle East, Europe etc. if it had been McCain doing this trip.
I also feel it will backfire.
I feel Obama already thinks he is President Obama…
It will be interesting to see what happens during the Democratic Convention next month.
Have you all noticed how smugg Obama appears on his photos?
Comment from sara b
Time: July 25, 2008, 11:42 pm
Janet said “I feel Obama already thinks he is President Obama…”
Seems that way. And his staff (and wife and the media and millions around the world) now seem to think so too.
I don’t know the source of this, but I heard about it on the radio today and read this quote from a post July 22 on politico.com:
“But senior aides engaged in a bit of rhetorical gymnastics Tuesday as they faced reporters who questioned their resistance to acknowledging the political aspects of Obama’s week-long, high-profile tour against the backdrop of an intense American presidential campaign.
At a morning background briefing, reporters parried with senior advisers on the characterization of Obama’s speech Thursday in Berlin as a campaign rally……
….’It is not going to be a political speech,’ said a senior foreign policy adviser, who spoke to reporters on background. ‘When the president of the United States goes and gives a speech, it is not a political speech or a political rally.’
‘But he is not president of the United States,’ a reporter reminded the adviser. ”
Yeesh!
Comment from Not Here, Not Now
Time: July 26, 2008, 6:29 pm
Y, they had an exec like that one place I worked. Lots of hype, real inspiring, got everybody excited. Never had an real ideas, though. People got bored with him after a while, then came to dislike and even hate him. Always with the rah-rah crap but nothing ever got done; truth is, people want to succeed, they want to do good work, they don’t just want to stand around every day yelling “Yes We Can” and then don’t. The exec was gone after a few months. Hired somebody dull, boring but reliable, sober and steady. Big improvement for all concerned.
Comment from sullky
Time: August 5, 2008, 10:15 am
I am so tired of it too - I used to watch news religiously, now I turn it off, especially when I see the smug face of BO. The Democrats have blown it, as they have done so often. I knew months and months ago that the media was pushing BO - but I couldn’t figure out why. Maybe it’s because he appeals to the demographic they are trying to reach with their commercials. I never understood why grown ups would take political advise from their children (Caroline Kennedy). And I especially don’t understand how people can be called rascist for not supporting BO - when at the same time 95% of black voters are for him and many support him just because he is black - so why isn’t that also considered rascism? I can’t see any reason under the sun to support him. Is there any chance that he will not be crowned in Denver? Is there any way we can go back to the one person who can pull a landslide for the Democratic party - namely Hillary?
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