Pierce on Obama

[Jones]

Someone smarter than me will have to provide the link, but at risk of shamelessness (outvoted by my love of beautiful sentences strung in succession), I'd like to direct you to the first story on esquire.com, The Cynic and Senator Obama, written by Charlie Pierce.

And yea, I say unto thee, Holy ****ing ****.

 

[GuessWho]

Someone smarter than me will have to provide the link, but at risk of shamelessness (outvoted by my love of beautiful sentences strung in succession), I'd like to direct you to the first story on esquire.com, The Cynic and Senator Obama, written by Charlie Pierce.

And yea, I say unto thee, Holy ****ing ****.

Here you go:

http://www.esquire.com/features/barack-obama-0608

 

[Jones]

GuessWho, I guess that you are a benevolent and kind soul.

 

[Chi City 81]

That is the best-written campaign ad ever...

What...the...hell...does...this...even...mean?...

 

[Chi City 81]

That is the best-written campaign ad ever...

What...the...hell...does...this...even...mean?...

It means it's an incredibly well-written but completely biased piece of journalism...

Biased against what or whom?

 

[Double Down]

That is the best-written campaign ad ever...

What...the...hell...does...this...even...mean?...

It means it's an incredibly well-written but completely biased piece of journalism...

I am right on both counts... Pierce is a brilliant writer, maybe the best around.

But this story is insanely biased.

Good read though...

It took you five minutes from when you posted to read a four page article that's probably 5,000 words long?

Really? You expect us to buy that?

 

[OnTheRiver]

The cynic decides that politics is better on the radio, the same way baseball is, where you have to construct the scene in your own head. Radio is for dreamers. Television is for hucksters, and it has leached from American politics all of its creative imagination.

That's well done.

 

[Oggiedoggie]

Okay, I'll admit it.

I started to read it.

But, he spent so much time just driving around, I stopped caring where he might be going.

Then, I saw that there were four more pages.

Too dang long for the Interweb.

 

[Chi City 81]

If you read the piece and you have to ask that, you must be retarded...

I read every word. But if it's biased, it's biased against everyone and everything. In fact, the only one Pierce doesn't seem to question is himself. It's wonderfully written, even if I disagree with his conclusions on Obama.

 

[Piotr Rasputin]

It's not biased.

It's boring. A prettily written rehash of ideas I've seen before.

He spends a lot of time sounding "convinced," then brings back the character of "the cynic" as if he doesn't want to admit he's been seduced by a presidential candidate's words. At the end, he throws out "convince me," but even them, it's unsure whether he's doing that just to cover himself, or because he wants to poke fun at the obvious obtuseness of those who have yet to get on the Obama Train.

I did enjoy that he got "the f-word" in there. I don't get why so many magazines (take a bow, Rolling Stone) resort to that, an easy use of an expletive to lend . . what? emotion? Hipness? But that's their choice.

And this:

"Someone will have to measure the wreckage. Someone will have to walk through the ruins. Someone will have to count the cost."

Oh, spare me.

 

[Double Down]

My first post came as I was halfway through...

You may want to read it again then. The entire thesis of the article is that Obama believes he can deliver us to an America that does not exist through his own charm and hope, and that Pierce is not convinced. If you think it's a pro Obama piece, one that his aides might hand out on the campaign trial, you should read more carefully.

 

[Piotr Rasputin]

Is "the cynic" necessarily Charles P. Pierce?

Upon first read, I took it as a description of those who refuse to believe. The same piece could be written by an Obama supporter who is ripping on "the cynic."

I guess I'll get through it . . .errr. . . . .READ IT again.

 

[PeteyPirate]

The cynic is Pierce, that's pretty clear. I'm not sure he's convinced.

 

[Ben_Hecht]

That piece is far from an unabashed love letter.

But it's written by a guy who (a) who has a solid grip on where BO's coming from, and what he's looking to sell to the electorate, and (b) has a jeweler's-eye read on what's happened around these parts the past 28 years -- especially under the current regime.

Not to mention that it's splendidly-written, as per usual.

Kudos.

 

[Double Down]

Is "the cynic" necessarily Charles P. Pierce?

Definitely.

 

[Small Town Guy]

Pierce's words are often misread. Remember:

“If she had lived, Mary Jo Kopechne would be 62 years old. Through his tireless work as a legislator, Edward Kennedy would have brought comfort to her in her old age.”

He even "won" some quote of the year award for most ridiculous quote from some right-wing site (probably Bozell's), which, apparently didn't get the meaning of the line.

 

[Fudgie the Whale]

My first post came as I was halfway through...

You may want to read it again then. The entire thesis of the article is that Obama believes he can deliver us to an America that does not exist through his own charm and hope, and that Pierce is not convinced. If you think it's a pro Obama piece, one that his aides might hand out on the campaign trial, you should read more carefully.

It's not about being right or wrong, it's about stating your opinions forcefully, covering up the fact that you're full of ****.

It's something mizzou's perfected over the years.

 

[Piotr Rasputin]

Again, a well-written piece.

And I think the views of "the cynic", even if Pierce is casting himself in that role, can be understood by many who have not yet jumped on the bandwagon. Sometimes in that piece, Obama is cast - as he has been by the cynics - as akin to the eighth-grader running for student government promising no homework and Fridays off.

That's why I think the cynic could be anyone. And still, I think the piece can be read as a rip on the cynics. I came away thinking the cynic was a jerk.

 

[Omar_dont_scare]

I know what I'm getting Mizzou for Christmas. Anyone wanna go halfsies?

 

[JayFarrar]

Oh my sweet Jesus do I love a good Learned Hand reference.

And I wish I was smart enough to have thoughts like this ...

“My country, ‘tis of thee / Sweet land of dumbassery / Of thee, I ****ing sing,” thought the cynic.

I should put that on a t-shirt.