2008 Woodie Awards
In politics, what matters is the wordplay
Andrew Zaleski
Issue date: 4/15/08 Section: Opinion
I hate words. At some point in life, they will assuredly guarantee some form of trouble for any person. Words are difficult to spell and have to adhere to nuisances such as grammar rules and proper syntax. And, thanks to George Orwell's "Politics and the English Language," you always have to exercise prudence and reasoned judgment prior to making words appear on paper.
It's no wonder, then, that words breed controversy for politicians from time to time.
For a little more than a month, words have been doing just that - breeding controversy - for Sen. Obama. First, he was forced to confront comments made by his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, in reference to racial relations in America. From a political viewpoint, Obama handled that situation - verbally speaking - quite well. Then, Obama was bombarded with accusations of being an advocate for abortion and Planned Parenthood following remarks he made while campaigning in Pennsylvania; Obama said he didn't want his daughters "punished with a baby" if they happened to make a "mistake" (which was Obama's own mistake; regardless of the amount of favor Obama garners from many Americans, those specific comments he made were awfully improper and misguided).
But now an entirely new conundrum rooted in diabolical diction has presented itself to the senator. Obama is now defending himself against charges of elitism made by Senators Clinton and McCain in the wake of remarks he made referring to working-class Americans.
Obama said, while speaking about such working-class Americans angered by current economic conditions in this country, "It's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."
Yeah, so what?
The Clinton and McCain campaigns have latched onto Obama's comments in the hopes of exploiting them for their own political purposes. Noting that the comments reflect a sense of social elitism, both Clinton and McCain have criticized Obama's supposed verbal snafu as insensitive.
It's no wonder, then, that words breed controversy for politicians from time to time.
For a little more than a month, words have been doing just that - breeding controversy - for Sen. Obama. First, he was forced to confront comments made by his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, in reference to racial relations in America. From a political viewpoint, Obama handled that situation - verbally speaking - quite well. Then, Obama was bombarded with accusations of being an advocate for abortion and Planned Parenthood following remarks he made while campaigning in Pennsylvania; Obama said he didn't want his daughters "punished with a baby" if they happened to make a "mistake" (which was Obama's own mistake; regardless of the amount of favor Obama garners from many Americans, those specific comments he made were awfully improper and misguided).
But now an entirely new conundrum rooted in diabolical diction has presented itself to the senator. Obama is now defending himself against charges of elitism made by Senators Clinton and McCain in the wake of remarks he made referring to working-class Americans.
Obama said, while speaking about such working-class Americans angered by current economic conditions in this country, "It's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."
Yeah, so what?
The Clinton and McCain campaigns have latched onto Obama's comments in the hopes of exploiting them for their own political purposes. Noting that the comments reflect a sense of social elitism, both Clinton and McCain have criticized Obama's supposed verbal snafu as insensitive.
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