Quick Comment: Can Obamamania be resurrected?

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After immersing myself in over four hours of the Clinton documentary on PBS, I got to thinking, what if Barack Obama could work the same 'Comeback Kid' rhetoric that Bill Clinton was so talented at? Both are gifted speakers, both can connect themselves with their voters through speech, and like Clinton, Obama has a fiercely strong First Lady at his disposal.

Bill Clinton asked forgiveness time and time again, and the American public would oblige. Throughout the long winded palaver of the Lewinsky scandal and the witch hunt for Clinton's impeachment, the public would forgive him. What if Obama could claim to be the comeback kid? What if optimism in the President would provoke optimism in his voters, and revive passion in an unsettled electorate? This strategy could soon backfire if the economic state worsens or Obama suffers a setback, the GOP candidates would soon be ready to dig their teeth into the vicious rhetoric of failure. Unlike the GOP candidates, who have yet to reach the Presidency, their campaigns are based on promises. Barack Obama's campaign will have to be based on reality, not a hopeful narrative but a record of achievement. I began to wonder, if he admitted to his failings during his first term, would the American people forgive him? Or were the grand expectations that were once thrust upon Barack Obama too great for him to be granted forgiveness?

Imagine my not so surprise when I logged on to see several articles claiming that comeback is the buzzword, that it is a theme which will encapsulate Obama's re election campaign. Clever little campaign workers, I thought. Such a shame, imagine what could have happened if I had written this a few days earlier. C'est la vie, there's always next time.

Shelley-Marie Phillips