Edward Luce: It is time for Obama to switch from hope to fear
[Edward Luce is the Washington bureau chief of the Financial Times, London.]
Sarah Palin, America’s most high-profile conservative, attracted some opprobrium earlier this year when she posed the following rhetorical question to Barack Obama’s supporters: “How’s that hopey-changey thing working out for ya?”
In addition to the sarcasm, opposing hope is rarely an advisable path to American hearts. Such traits may explain why Ms Palin got a 22 per cent approval rating in a recent CBS poll. Yet, the more Mr Obama soldiers on, the clearer it is that Ms Palin’s scorn contained an authentic sting.
Having been elected partly on the basis of hope, Mr Obama may have to put the accent on fear in 2012 if he wants to be re-elected – fear, that is, of what the other guy might do. As Bill Galston, the respected US political observer, points out: “Hope is a souffle that never rises twice.”
Anyone sceptical of this should recall the degree of hope Mr Obama offered his swelling army of supporters during his 2008 campaign. It makes for awkward reading. Here is what Mr Obama said in Minnesota on 3 June, 2008, when he finally vanquished Hillary Clinton – the day the Democratic party’s better angels trumped the devil it knew...
Read entire article at Financial Times (UK)
Sarah Palin, America’s most high-profile conservative, attracted some opprobrium earlier this year when she posed the following rhetorical question to Barack Obama’s supporters: “How’s that hopey-changey thing working out for ya?”
In addition to the sarcasm, opposing hope is rarely an advisable path to American hearts. Such traits may explain why Ms Palin got a 22 per cent approval rating in a recent CBS poll. Yet, the more Mr Obama soldiers on, the clearer it is that Ms Palin’s scorn contained an authentic sting.
Having been elected partly on the basis of hope, Mr Obama may have to put the accent on fear in 2012 if he wants to be re-elected – fear, that is, of what the other guy might do. As Bill Galston, the respected US political observer, points out: “Hope is a souffle that never rises twice.”
Anyone sceptical of this should recall the degree of hope Mr Obama offered his swelling army of supporters during his 2008 campaign. It makes for awkward reading. Here is what Mr Obama said in Minnesota on 3 June, 2008, when he finally vanquished Hillary Clinton – the day the Democratic party’s better angels trumped the devil it knew...