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DEL.ICIO.USThe voice, but not the image, of Obama
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
While we wait for the returns that will determine the outcome of the U.S. Senate race in Georgia, it’s worthwhile to ponder the limited involvement of President-elect Barack Obama.
He lent his Georgia organization to Democrat Jim Martin, and his voice — in the form of a radio ad, and a robo-call recording presumably played on hundreds of thousands of phones owned by Democrat-leaning voters.
But Obama specifically drew the line at a visual image of himself. No TV commercial, no personal visit. You can argue that Obama had no time to come to Georgia, that it would have been a diversion from the critical issue of rebuilding the federal government in the face of two wars, the most severe recession since World War II, and — now — an act of terror on a nuclear fault line.
But Martin would have been entirely happy to fly up to Chicago for a 15-second meeting with Obama that would have resulted in a paired photograph — the kind that DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones tried so hard to create during the primary.
Possibly, Martin asked. And was refused. In which case you’d have to assume that Obama’s reluctance arose from a desire to remain above partisan fray for as long as possible, while crucial legislation is at stake.
There is another possibility. And that’s the cold calculation that an appearance — on TV, in person, or in flyers — by Obama in Georgia would spark a backlash of white, Republican-leaning voters.
The evidence for that is in the auditory versions of Obama’s endorsement of Martin. In today’s technological climate, a videotape is no more difficult than a mere audio recording.
But audio can fly under the radar, piped directly into homes or played on radio airwaves that are as nearly segregated in the South as any church. This harkens back to old-style Southern politics — speaking directly but exclusively to African-Americans, so as not to upset the white majority.
The problem for Martin remains — at least until 7 p.m. this evening — the lack of a visual image that cements the Atlanta attorney to the president-elect. The vacuum was filled last night by a technically terrific AJC photograph from last night, of Martin, U.S. Rep. John Lewis, and a chorus of hip-hop stars in front of a darkened state Capitol.
The image is dramatic and challenging — but it carries none of the inviting optimism that a simple photograph of Martin and Obama might have contained. And it’s not something that the Martin campaign would choose as the definitive portrait of itself.
Photo credit: Mikki K. Harris/AJC
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Comments
By Political Therapy
December 2, 2008 6:43 PM | Link to this
THE WORST ECONOMY SINCE 1929 thanks to corrupt Chambliss and the incompetent Republicans.-Too bad the Democrats are’nt any better. Martin is a lame candidate, but the choice of the lesser of two goof-balls.-At least he was man enough to serve in the Armed Forces.-The main reason Saxby is in a run-off is because he is such a repugnant deceitful person, surely not because Martin is Mr. Popularity.
By Zachary Joseph Aghion
December 4, 2008 3:04 PM | Link to this
This Georgia race has fallen off of the Obama campaign’s national radar for one reason: to preserve the much needed bipartisan political clout derived from winning the presidency by withdrawing from congressional partisan contests. In order to realize his anticipated legislative impact in Washington Obama will need moderates from both parties and their constituents to maintain an impression of him as (at least partially) transcending party squabbles. After all, Obama’s landslide electoral victory is largely due to his grasp of moderates in the South (and independents nationwide).
To attribute Obama’s weakened support for Jim Martin to a fear of upsetting a racial majority is presumptuous: If this were indeed the case, then Obama’s initial support for Martin in the general election would also have polarized whites in Georgia.