Obama is said to be in a rhetorical pickle. If he talks a language of hope and inspiration, it’s too general and ethereal. On the other hand, if he gets too specific, he sounds like a policy wonk. And if he goes for McCain’s throat, he risks being portrayed as too angry.
To this observer, these formulations, repeated over and over by the usual talking heads, are so much baloney. At various times and in various speeches, Obama has come out with superb rhetorical flights that demonstrate his understanding of the situation of America's stressed working families, and he has done well at connecting their plight to the Bush administration’s disastrous policies. He just hasn’t done it quite consistently enough. But after the last three nights he must be feeling pretty pumped.
He needs to do just a bit more of what Joe Biden did last night -- speaking personally of what American families worry about around kitchen tables -- and a little more of what John Kerry did, shaming the McCain campaign and contrasting John McCain the senator with John McCain the candidate, the latter being hopelessly out of touch with what working Americans face.
