(Note: This is a reprised, amended, and expanded presentation of my original blog post)
HAPPY 17th ANNIVERSARY “BREAK IT DOWN!” Today, in acknowledgement of another anniversary of this publication, as I have done occasionally in the past, I am revisiting my inaugural post).
Before launching into the post, it’s certainly appropriate to contextualize my original blog. To do that, I note that post was about a young lion, Barack Obama, coming into what would become his era.
Tempus fugit (Time Flies)! Yesterday marked a significant milestone in the life and development of “Break It Down!” I initiated this blog August 20, 2007, on a lark…almost a dare. That was seventeen years (and 886 editions) ago. Having related the story several times over past years, I will not repeat the complete details today.
I will note, however, that on that summer’s eve, I contemplated and discussed, in five paragraphs, the experience, or in reality the lack thereof, of then Senator Barack Obama, as he navigated the early stages of his historic Presidential Campaign.
So, this was the message in Post #1; five brisk paragraphs and a sign-off:
In an apparent calculated act of derring-do, Obama declares the virtue of inexperience. Gotta love it!
Personal footnote of recollection: I recall Jimmy Carter running the classic “anti-Washington” (i.e., lack of Capitol Hill experience) campaign in ’75-76. You know what, it worked.
The problem was, once JC sent all the reigning bureaucrats & policy wonks home, he was left with an assembly of newbies who didn’t understand how to get things done in DC. The result was that a very smart guy, genuine humanitarian, and erstwhile successful leader presided over what was widely perceived at the time, as a disastrous presidency. President Carter’s solitary term was fraught with innumerable policy failures (see the Shah of Iran, double-digit inflation, runaway gas prices, & the outrageous Interest/Mortgage rate morass) and public relations gaffes (remember the killer rabbit, and the failed helicopter gambit).
Fortunately for former President Carter, he was able to live long enough and subsequently do enough good deeds to distance himself from most of an unremarkable tenure as a one-term president, followed by a resounding defeat by that cowboy actor Teflon guy.
Of course, none of that has anything to do with Obama…except in the unlikely event he prevails. If he does, let’s hope he doesn’t take that inexperience thing too far. As W constantly reminds us, getting to the White House is one thing (after all, he’s done it twice), providing prudent and effective leadership once there is quite another. (Of course, in hindsight, we know President Obama not only prevailed, but went on to win re-election, and serve a second term).
Posted on Mon, Aug. 20, 2007
“Obama Plays the Inexperience Card Redux ’23!”
So, transition/fast forward to present day. Ironically, not only do we find ourselves amid the Democratic National Convention, but last night, former President Obama, and his wife, former First Lady Michelle Obama were featured speakers at the Convention. Both were charged with making the case for Vice President Kamala Harris, in her quest to succeed President Biden in the coming November Election.
Barack Obama, who many Democrats, and even some Republicans consider a sterling orator, won wide acclaim two decades ago in 2004, when he addressed the Convention in Boston, an aspiring Senatorial candidate at the time. Fresh off an unexpected landslide victory in the March 2004 Illinois U.S. Senate Democratic Primary, he was catapulted into rising star status within Democratic Party Circles, and he went on to leverage his newfound celebrity into a speaking role at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, which he crushed. He would go on to successfully vie for and win in his race to become a U.S. Senator from the State of Illinois, where he served four years, before his successful 2008 Presidential run.
In addition to the Obamas, last night’s cavalcade of luminaries included Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Vermont Senior Senator Bernie Sanders, Senate Majority Leader, and New York Senior Senator Chuck Schumer, Junior Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker, and former Trump White House Press Secretary, and Communications Director Stephanie Grisham. Not bad for night 2 of 4.
A word about Vice President Harris, whom Former President Trump has denigrated by calling her dumb, claimed she couldn’t pass the Bar, referred to her as a communist, Comrade Kamala, crazy, fascist, lunatic, antisemitic, mocked her laugh, consistently butchers her name, said she is not a very good wordsmith, declared himself better looking, and in front of an audience of Black journalists, declared he was surprised to learn that Harris had “turned Black.”. Moreover, quite a few of his surrogates have gone a step further and labeled her a DEI hire, in effect, weaponizing the term.
The low blows may be an indication that Trump actually rues Biden having left the race and is having a hard time figuring out the best way to effectively attack Harris on the campaign trail. For the record, she was elected San Francisco District Attorney. Twice. She was also elected California Attorney General. Twice. She then ran for and was elected to the United States Senate from California, the nation’s most populous state. Finally, she ran for Vice President alongside Joe Biden, and won, defeating Donald Trump and Mike Pence. In the simplest of terms, she has more experience than Donald Trump and JD combined. Add Tim Walz 10 years in Congress, and two wins as Minnesota Governor, and the Trump-Vance Ticket pales in comparison to Harris Walz. All things considered, Trump’s ill-tempered behavior, even if it weren’t his norm, is understandable.
For her part, Vice President Harris has largely stayed above the fray of personal attacks and has concentrated on contrasts with Trump on the issues. She has cast herself as the clear underdog and is both leaning into the great start her campaign has had, while simultaneously urging her supporters to embrace the fight ahead, because, as she likes to say, when we fight, we win. “Obama Played the Inexperience Card: Kamala's Got Next!”
I’m done; holla back!
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