October 8, 2010
THE ABSENCE OF A COHERENT SELF IS A BOON IN A CAMPAIGN...:
Interview with David Remnick: 'Obama Has a Considerable Ego' (Der Spiegel, 10/08/10)
SPIEGEL: So this magic only works once? And Obama will get punished at the ballot in November?Remnick: I think it's intermittent. Even if that happens, it will help Obama in the long run that he is also a "shapeshifter." He speaks in a different way in the Oval Office to the entire nation than he does in Selma, Alabama, speaking directly to the African-American community, or to union workers in Ohio. That is another one of his gifts and I think it will help him find a way to reach out to angry voters.
...but scares the heck out of people once you're governing, because every action seems to define you, which no successful leader can afford.
When W put tariffs on steel, no one but the wingnuts thought he opposed free trade. We knew who he was and what he believed in. No single action could change that image. The UR doesn't have that sort of advantage.
