Elitists:

Another objection that will be raised to this formulation is that I am characterizing both Obama and the netroots as elitists, which is exactly what Republicans will do. My first response is that well, we kind of are elites, when you look at our demographics. My second response is that 2008 is the first election year where the conservative backlash narrative against “liberal elites” and civil rights will find itself in a minority nationwide. In other words, the era of “liberal elites” as a negative is over in terms of its national political effectiveness. Consider, for example, how Obama has been hit harder with this characterization than even John Kerry or Michael Dukakis, and yet he continues to comfortably lead John McCain and cruise toward the nomination. The changing demographics of the electorate have rendered the “liberal elite” change functionally inert.

…and I thought using the word “movement” was a no-no!?

I should note that this conceptualization of Obama reflecting, rather than changing, the progressive movement, is a transitory one. As the network neutral Internet continues to alter the relationship with cultural institutions for an increasingly greater number of people, the demographics and concerns of the movement will also change. In other words, Obama is simply a step along the way, not the endpoint of the contemporary progressive movement. It is particularly important that the most unabashedly progressive part of his policy platform are his transformative telecom proposals, which will continue to foster the changes being brought on by the network-neutral Internet. As the movement continues to grow and spread, it will eventually move beyond Barack Obama, who at some point will come to reflect an outdated, past stage of the movement. Obama reflects where the movement is now, and will help grow the movement, but he is still only a step along the way. No one can say for certain what new developments and changes await the progressive movement in the future, but eventually the movement will leave Obama behind as well.

I’m not going to get all “let the healing begin” with this. In two or three weeks people are going to have to deal with that all on their lonesome and I’ll follow through with the an older outdated set of ideals I used to maintain and say I have enough faith in humanity left that this will work out. The little dude inside my skull sitting on the couch eating Doritos, drinking Baja Blast Mountain Dew, and smoking a bong says McCain’s already got this in the bag, but I’ll ignore him for the moment. Prepare to wage all out war with the Republicans. Enough is enough of this shit already.

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