The Barack Obamarlboro man
My View
Mick Swasko
Issue date: 2/22/07 Section: Viewpoint
Alright, the title of this column is a little bit of a stretch.
But if you, like me, had the linguistic gold of "Obamarama" stolen before you could get a copyright, you would be taking stabs in the dark too.
I know our senator gets a lot of press. In fact, embarrassingly, I had to Google "Illinois Senate" in order to recall Dick Durbin is the other guy in Washington for Illinois. Sorry, Derby.
However, there is one fluff story that has gained particular attention in the past weeks that seems to have the nation absolutely in awe of its relevance.
Barack Obama smokes cigarettes.
What a stunning revelation of the pinnacle of human weakness. The junior senator from Illinois actually is addicted to nicotine. Turn on the cameras and sharpen your investigative journalism skills mass media.
Find out what type of cigarettes he smokes, giving that particular corporation the first political poster boy for "Camel" or "Winston." Snap pictures of him, grab video. Lord knows the American public wants proof of Obama's complete imperfection, not stock footage of random people outside a building on a smoke break.
The media and hype may be fixated on Obama, but he is too busy quenching his oral fixation to notice, right? Wrong.
Why is this, of all things, such a big deal? I mean, we already knew Bill Clinton enjoyed cigars, and did not inhale something else.
Could this be the easiest, most widely viewed weakness the media can dig up on Obama? Does the public feel so wholly comforted that a popular candidate can have a problem so basically human that entire segments and editorials (oops I am part of the problem) become in high demand?
However, while Obama's struggle to quit smoking may peak the interest of the media and the public, something much more disheartening may occur if you turn the cameras and the story 180 degrees.
We have become the first group of people to experience second hand smoke passed through the lens of a camera into our own lungs. In other words, we have become addicted to Barack Obama's addiction.
But if you, like me, had the linguistic gold of "Obamarama" stolen before you could get a copyright, you would be taking stabs in the dark too.
I know our senator gets a lot of press. In fact, embarrassingly, I had to Google "Illinois Senate" in order to recall Dick Durbin is the other guy in Washington for Illinois. Sorry, Derby.
However, there is one fluff story that has gained particular attention in the past weeks that seems to have the nation absolutely in awe of its relevance.
Barack Obama smokes cigarettes.
What a stunning revelation of the pinnacle of human weakness. The junior senator from Illinois actually is addicted to nicotine. Turn on the cameras and sharpen your investigative journalism skills mass media.
Find out what type of cigarettes he smokes, giving that particular corporation the first political poster boy for "Camel" or "Winston." Snap pictures of him, grab video. Lord knows the American public wants proof of Obama's complete imperfection, not stock footage of random people outside a building on a smoke break.
The media and hype may be fixated on Obama, but he is too busy quenching his oral fixation to notice, right? Wrong.
Why is this, of all things, such a big deal? I mean, we already knew Bill Clinton enjoyed cigars, and did not inhale something else.
Could this be the easiest, most widely viewed weakness the media can dig up on Obama? Does the public feel so wholly comforted that a popular candidate can have a problem so basically human that entire segments and editorials (oops I am part of the problem) become in high demand?
However, while Obama's struggle to quit smoking may peak the interest of the media and the public, something much more disheartening may occur if you turn the cameras and the story 180 degrees.
We have become the first group of people to experience second hand smoke passed through the lens of a camera into our own lungs. In other words, we have become addicted to Barack Obama's addiction.
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