Posted by
Bill Crawford on Thursday, July 10, 2008 1:26:32 PM
I flew back from visiting relatives in New York recently, back to home in North Carolina.
Waiting for a connecting flight, I sat near a few Obama campaign workers. They spent some time going over schedules and logistics, and then went into some banter that started with an article in that Sunday's Washington Post Style section. It compared the candidates to Hollywood stars, concentrating on Obama and Will Smith and McCain and John Wayne.
It was an entertaining article that tried to be complimentary to both. The Obama staffers went on at length about McCain being ancient and doddering and how John Wayne was too good for him.
It was rude and surly. They showed me the same generational disrespect that did so much damage to Clinton and his ilk over the years.
When I sat next to two of them on the short plane flight, I introduced myself as a McCain volunteer, hoping they would lose both nationally and in the state they were headed for- but it was nice to meet them. They seemed surpised at first by the lack of animosity, but soon corrected themselves, as most humans do when faced with kindness.
Of course they disagreed with my premises and analysis on how close this election will be- in Electoral votes and in fund raising. That is the other odd thing- the Obama people are convinced they are going to run away with this thing. They seem to be riding the wave of Obama's enthusiasm and oratory and translating it into a modern version of the French knowing they were going to trash the Kaiser in 1914- crushing the superior German armaments with their elan and esprit de corps.
I hope for their candidate's sake that they grow up a bit this fall. He can't afford for them not to.