Solipsism of the Week:
And most of all, I would wake up every single day, every single day and spend every waking hour thinking about you. Fighting as hard as I knew how for you. Because I see myself in you.
— President Obama, speaking in Florida
Let me get this straight: President Obama is fighting for Florida because he sees himself in the people? Gosh, what if he couldn’t identify with them? Would that mean he would go fight for some more Obamalike populace in another state? (Actually, one can imagine that what he sees in Florida is really electoral college votes.)
Americans want presidents who are virtuous and decent, but I can’t help thinking that the Obama presidency has become a wee bit too biographical. Take this fundraising pitch that many of us found in our email boxes:
When I decided to run for president, I had significantly fewer gray hairs than I do today.
Michelle says I've earned them, which is the nicest possible way to say I'm getting older.
In fact, I'm turning 51 in a couple weeks, and to celebrate I'm heading home to Chicago for a get-together at my house.
I'd love for you to be one of my guests.
Note to President Obama: A LOT of people have more gray hair than when you were elected. A lousy economy will do that to people.
PS. You have to send $3 “or what you can” to get your name in a drawing to be one of the president’s “guests.”
Then there is this from a similar pitch for a dinner with the president (hat tip: Weekly Standard):
Exciting news: You won't be the only one bringing a guest to the next Dinner with Barack.
The President has decided to bring a date: First Lady Michelle Obama.
It should be a great night.
Cross your fingers that your name is drawn from the hat!
Oh, and POTUS might just be willing to poke his nose into your family album for a small campaign contribution:
Maybe you’re already thinking about which family photo you’ll use in your next holiday card — or maybe your Facebook photo is due for an update.
I’ve got a once-in-a-lifetime solution: President Obama is coming to New York City for an event in a few weeks — and you could get to meet him.
Chip in $25 or whatever you can today and you’ll be automatically entered for a chance to get your family photo taken with the President.
Here’s what will happen: You and up to five of your family members will get to your reserved spot at the event, where a photographer will be waiting. You’ll all meet the President of the United States, and we’ll take the picture to prove it.
So comb your hair, put on a clean shirt, and start practicing your camera-ready smile in the mirror.
Okay, all politicians do things like this. (I think I have some dinner with Mitt email, too) But the Obama campaign has been particularly aggressive and personal. Their pitches (who writes this awful copy?) show that they don't have a sense of the boundary between the personal and political. Flinty Americans have ever wanted to elect good men and women to lead us. Then they get back to their lives (unless the economy is so bad that this isn't possible).
The Obama’s campaign’s emphasis on charisma and celebrity is creepy. It is especially disconcerting coming at a time when we as a nation are confronted with so many serious things that really matter.
What most people want to remember in their family photo albums is not that Barack Obama (and his gray hairs) intruded into a personal moment but that the picture reflects a happy time when the economy was humming and mom and dad weren't worried sick about jobs or the high cost of gasoline.