York is writing about the corner into which Obama has painted himself in the run-up to tonight's acceptance speech--I agree with York, and I'm still wondering how/if the Obama campaign can pull off this high-risk event. But what really jumped out at me from the article was a quote from Obama that manifests his perception of what voters need and/or want in a president. I don't want to take these comments out of context, but they seem to betray an overwrought view of (a) how intractable/bad things are in America and (b) how much of a positive, specific role "government" can play in an individual's life:
Speaking to reporters in Illinois this week, he took pains to play down the razzle-dazzle. “I'm not aiming for a lot of high rhetoric,” he said of his upcoming speech. “I'm much more concerned with communicating how I intend to help middle-class families live their lives.”“People know that I can give the kind of speech that I gave four years ago,” Obama continued. “That's not the question on voters' minds. I think they're much more interested in, what am I going to do to help them in their lives?"
(emphasis added). Anyone paying attention knows that the, "I feel your pain," shtick is classic Democratic fare, but should we foster this type of mindset?
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