Check out this picture from a Boston Globe article on today’s runoff election:
The caption below the photo says, “Jim Martin, the Democrat vying for the US Senate seat in Georgia, posed with rappers (from left) T.I., Young Jeezy, and Ludacris during a campaign rally in Atlanta.”
Here’s a question I have: who in their right mind thought, in a state-wide runoff, it would be a good idea to have Martin appear at public venues with these Kings of Misogyny?
The article is actually pretty good in its opening paragraphs, saying:
Jim Martin, the Democrat trying for the second time in a month to unseat Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss, was standing in one of Barack Obama’s old campaign offices the other day, circled by a staff paid for with Obama’s dollars, facing a large banner bearing Obama’s image.The postcard-sized handbills stacked around the room were old door-knockers printed to promote the Obama-Martin ticket, crudely cut in half for their new purpose. “For President,” some of them still read, in Obama’s familiar Gotham typeface.
“I have a little bit more help than I did before,” Martin said with a little smile. The longtime state legislator and former human resources commissioner, who waged a lackluster campaign for lieutenant governor two years ago, carried the unsettled air of someone who had been pushed by an unexpected inheritance into flashier digs than he ever expected to call his own.
Further, the question that is asked directly after that exerpt — “Is there a sustainable Obama coalition, and is the Obama machine durable? Has Obama created anything greater than himself?” — is one which has a clear and obvious answer, but an answer which Democrats will probably spend anywhere from the next two to eight years avoiding.
The fact is, Obama has always been about moving himself forward, regardless who is advanced or pushed back into oblivion by his tireless self-promotion and self-aggrandizement.
Remember, this is the man who during the general election campaign performed whiplash-inducing 180°s on Iraq, on abortion, on the DC gun ban, on FISA and telecom immunity, on welfare reform, on the death penalty for child rapists, on debating John McCain “anywhere, any time,” on the financing of his campaign, and on too many other issues to recount here (not to mention on Jim Johnson, on Jeremiah Wright, on Wes Clark, on Austan Goolsbee, on Samantha Power, on Tony Rezko, and on Scarlett Johansson, as well as on too many other people to recount).
The constant delusions of grandeur — and constant need, whatever his current level of accomplishment, to make himself feel even more important through false claims of importance and ridiculous iconography (imitation White House Rose Garden, anybody? How about fake Presidential seal? And — even Obama supporters can honestly admit the level of absurdity on this one — holder of the Office of the President-Elect? Perhaps I missed the day that became an actual office, complete with its simultaneous campaign-related requests for money and use of the official-business-only .gov domain) — that Obama insists on enjoying are further signs that this truly is a person who cares only about himself and his own advancement, and who will shed all friends, supporters, and coattail-hangers-on, both in the personal and electoral worlds, for the opportunity to get ahead by just a little bit more.
Barack Obama is carrying those 10 million email addresses and 3 million cell phone numbers into the White House with him to serve his own ends, not to retain a tool for the purpose of making that grassroots army available to other Democrat candidates and issue-advocacy organizations.
He may, at points in the future of his choosing, assign his devoted followers to assist others — like Jim Martin here in Georgia — but the bottom line is, Obama has created an army of activists who are very clearly loyal to him, and to nothing and no one else.
And that’s just the way he wants it.
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I’m surprised that Bob Guccione and Larry Flynt were not on the host committee as well.
Hey, that’s his security detail-they’re all packin’.
It’s too bad that this had to happen the day before the election.
The negative press on using federal convict TI would have been better than the Jim Martin is a child molester ads.
Blah blah blah Jeff Emmanuel tripe, blah blah blah.
I do like this however:
“[Martin] who waged a lackluster campaign for lieutenant governor two years ago, carried the unsettled air of someone who had been pushed by an unexpected inheritance into flashier digs than he ever expected to call his own.”
That’s that liberal MSM!
Yeah he should have used somebody with wholesome lyrics like Ted Nugent or Spacey’s favorite Toby Keith…
I was there. There were a good number of African American women in the audience who obviously very happy to be standing so close to the “Kings of Misogyny.” One who stands out in my mind was blowing kisses to them.
why must you all hate on j to the i to the m, for keeping it real w/ all the peeps in his hood–yo diggity
Jeff,
Seems like you’re being critical for the sake of being critical. Obama will certainly do things that are objectionable to those of us on the right. Harping on him referring to his current position as an office, when it has a taxpayer funded budget and broad access to national security info, seems a bit petty.
Obama has picked relatively centrist economic advisors, and almost right leaning foreign policy team.
I’m still willing to let the man actually try to govern before I ratchet up the criticism. Anyone who doesn’t want to be written off as total white noise should probably do the same.
When in the General Assembly, Martin wanted to lower the age of consent to 13. That would have kept a lot of Brothers out of Jail if it had passed.
The Office of the President-Elect wouldn’t exist if it were not for the Support of the Office of the President of the United States.
That is a total non-issue.
That looks like DeKalb County Sheriff Thomas Brown in the background. Way 2 repazent YO!
This picture reminds me of Dynamite Hack’s cover of Boys in the Hood.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4882756770145200542
Funny points go to Chuck Eaton!
So you want to know whose idea it was to have Jim Martin with T.I., Young Jeezy, and Ludacris during a campaign rally in Atlanta
Can you say, the Obama Staffers that were left in town, I was there at the meeting when it was planned.
It’s a 21st Century version of the Dukakis Tank Ride, except that Martin should have realized that even in theory this was a very bad idea – no hindsight required.
The whole “White Chocolate” deal don’t play well in the hood if you ain’t down for real. (or if you look like Jim Martin)
“I’m still willing to let the man actually try to govern before I ratchet up the criticism. Anyone who doesn’t want to be written off as total white noise should probably do the same.”
Oh you mean like the Supreme Court hearing on his eligibility to become President coming up December 5th (in 2 days)? Not very newsworthy I guess. Or the Full page ad in the Chicago Tribune? That kind of criticism? The kind the MSM and the “intelligent” Republicans are ignoring? The issue that could lead to a Constitutional crisis? I’ll file the “white noise” concept next to the “It’s just a GD piece of paper” theme espoused by the neocons.
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