Obama using passages from Patrick speeches was bad form and probably just a little lazy.
But Michelle Obama's comments about being proud of the country for the first time in her adult life could have more long term negative impact should her husband win the nomination.
If it can be done, forget who Bill Kristol is just long enough to consider that his review here might be right.
"...they're running against the status quo ... You have to be careful not to let that slide into a kind of indictment of America. Because I don't think the American people think on the whole that the last 25 years of American history is a narrative of despair and nothing to be proud of."
I'm a pretty solid liberal, but even I read Michelle Obama's words and within a few seconds thought of several things in my adult life that made me proud of my country. And I'm almost a decade younger than Michelle Obama.
I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and wait to hear what she really meant by this. And why what seems a pretty straight forward comment might really be more nuanced and complex. But again, I'm a solid liberal.
You can go too far in running down not just politicians and specific groups, but America as a whole. The truth of the matter is there is a lot to be proud of in our country. And a person in her position has certainly had occasion to see some things worthy of pride. I dare say she and her husband could've done several things to create pride in our country, given their ages, talents and positions of influence.
Doesn't this run the risk of becoming "I invented the internet/Mission Accomplished" kind of fodder for Republicans in the fall?
And before you say this isn't an important enough issue to turn an election, remember the picture of Dukakis in the tank and his reaction to a hypothetical about an attack on his wife. Remember John Kerry being tied to windsurfing and swift boated.
I'm not talking about what "should" be important, but what could actually end up being important.
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