Obama: Out of The Mainstream

The war between image and substance in American politics has a long, if somewhat checkered history, and the image that surrounded many presidents stood in stark contrast to the truth.  Writing in Newsweek, Howard Fineman argues that Senator Obama's central electoral challenge is his image, which he predictably interchanges with 'brand.'

Politicians are already notorious for being innately disingenuous, by using 'brand' as a proxy for improving image Fineman perpetuates the odious notion that a marketing makeover is all that Obama really needs.

But looking beneath those superficial observations, he bastardizes the idea of 'mainstream' by arguing that Ronald Reagan's assertion that our urban, academic elites aren't in the mainstream, was a political tactic the left must counter:

But the whole point of America is that there are many mainstreams, and it is un-American to say otherwise.

It has the ring of a credible Madison Avenue marketing campaign, but is it true?  The idea of a mainstream is thoroughly self-defining, which is to say there are a set of precpts, values, and principles that are so fundamental to the issue at hand--in this case America--that if you don't have them, you aren't in it. 

Those include a love of country, support for a strong military presence in the world, economic freedoms, bi-laterally fair trade agreements, and the rule of law.  How do the urban elitists fare against that metric?  Regarding love of country, there were many academic elites after 9/11 that reflexively looked at American foreign policy to justify the attacks, and you'd sooner find an investment banker in rural Kentucky than a flag pin on their lapel.  With respect to our military, it's been a long, if unsavory tradition among our urban liberals that our military is over-funded and an embarrassing intrusion into the affairs of the nations which house them; moreover, the projection of American military power makes them queasy.

Concerning trade, you must have noticed the reanimation of the protectionist instinct the left favored in the past in the presidential debates, not to mention the Democratically controlled Congress, which nixed the agreement with Venezuela, our staunchest ally in South America.

The rule of law covers a vast civic and judicial territory, and suffice it to say that many of urbanites are far more likely to consider perpetrators victims than the real victims.  That's why they decry our incarceration rates, playing the race card at every turn.  As we've argued, there are clear steps we can take to mitigate that rate, but it begins at the spigot:  Pass strong legislation at the federal and local level that disincents single parenthood and that provides strong criminal justice consequences for those who break the law.  Stop stigmatizing guns and go after the criminals. Again, that has the ring of common sense which means it's dismissed as prejudicial.

Indeed, what Fineman is actually arguing for in his 'multi-mainstream' model is recognition of what are really cultural splinter groups.  His goal, along with that of the left generally, is to, if you will, 'mainstream' them through a kind of cultural bracket creep, and, frankly, it's working.  Imagine the shock of those in the mid-50s if they knew we would be arguing about whether a 15 year old should be allowed to have an abortion without notifying her parents.  And, what would they say about the fact that our school teachers and administrators have no authority whatsoever to discipline problem students?

To immunize himself against a counter-argument, he instructs us that it's "un-American" to suggest there is, in fact, a single 'mainstream.'  That's called making up the rules as you go.

The list is as endless as it is counter to the traditions that made our Republic great.  If image--or 'brand'--were all that's necessary for Obama to remake himself, there would be more people on the eligibility list for high office, not to mention at the highest levels of corporate business.

But, American voters expect more and they can smell a phony a football field away, and that's Obama's real problem.  The old saw about 'You never get a second chance to make a first impression' is doubly true for presidential candidates, and he's had his chance.  If he's the nominee, you can be sure the McCain campaign will run commercials across America, and they will simply tell the truth about this man, a man who is completely out of the mainstream.