Barack's descent into paranoia

It is rather sad how quickly Barack's commitment to "hope" and "change" has virtually evaporated and now he is totally committed to a path of paranoia. An article on Reuters by Caren Bohan entitled "Obama says Republicans will use race to stoke fear" tells us that:

Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama said on Friday he expects Republicans to highlight the fact that he is black as part of an effort to make voters afraid of him.

"It is going to be very difficult for Republicans to run on their stewardship of the economy or their outstanding foreign policy," Obama told a fundraiser in Jacksonville, Florida. "We know what kind of campaign they're going to run. They're going to try to make you afraid.

"They're going to try to make you afraid of me. He's young and inexperienced and he's got a funny name. And did I mention he's black?"

He said he was also set for Republicans to say "he's got a feisty wife," in trying to attack his wife Michelle.

"We know the strategy because they've already shown their cards. Ultimately I think the American people recognize that old stuff hasn't moved us forward. That old stuff just divides us," he said.

Here he is attributing actions to the opposition before the opposition has taken such actions. So much for his sense of "hope."

A CNN post by Alexander Marquardt entitled "Obama: 'They're going to try to make you afraid of me'" also tells us that:

In similar comments at a Chicago fundraiser last Thursday, Obama told supporters that Republicans would try to portray both him and his wife Michelle as "scary."

"They're going to try to make me into a scary guy," he said last week. "They're even trying to make Michelle into a scary person. Right?" And so that drumbeat – 'we're not sure if he's patriotic or not; we're not sure if he is too black.'

"I don't know, before I wasn't black enough," said Obama. "'Now he might be too black. We don't know whether he's going to socialize – well, who knows what.'"

Last week, the Illinois senator's campaign launched a Web site to directly respond to and discredit Internet rumors about him and his wife that have dogged his presidential effort.

First he complains about rumors and then he traffics in rumors. Sigh.

I always suspected that there was a dark side to his whole "Hope and Change" shtick. It was based on emotion rather than merit. Now he find out that his "other shoe" is fear and paranoia. Maybe that is just par for the course in "The Black Community", something he picked up from his Pastor, but it is very disheartening to hear him so deeply committed to that paranoid fear in public. OTOH, maybe this is a case of the old saying that it isn't paranoia if they really are out to get you. Even so, it is still doubly deeply disheartening that Barack is not able to rise above it all so early in the campaign. Much worse, these people who he claims are out to get him are the same people that he will need to reach out to and work closely with in Washington if he really does want to accomplish anything of substance while he is President. Why is he unable to exhibit a little of his much vanted "community organizer" skillset in the here and now? So much for his commitment to "the urgency of now." Who is advising this guy? I am sure that he can do better. Of course, he has to want to do better.

-- Jack Krupansky