Will the shocking shootings in Arizona prove to be a turning point for America? Whether they are or not, the assassination attempt and murders could be a turning point for three key American political figures: Barack Obama, John McCain and Sarah Palin.
In the space of a week, all three chimed in on the shootings. Obama’s and McCain’s unifying comments reminded voters why they originally supported them. Palin’s comments – made via two media venues within a week – reminded swing voters (and some Republicans) that she is a divisive force who shows no signs of going beyond attack or defense modes. And no sign politically maturing.
In Obama’s case, a lingering mystery is how someone who seemed so charismatic and such a great communicator during his 2008 campaign could seem so utterly boring and inept in communication once in office. But in his Arizona speech, Obama rose above a well-crafted speech to connect as a Head of State, Healer in Chief, husband – and, most of all, as a father.
I listened to his speech on XM radio while driving from Bakersfield to San Diego. And when he talked (sometimes haltingly) about the loss of 9-year-old victim Christina Taylor Green, I pulled over and wept. The shootings sickened me but Obama’s comments about how a trusting, idealistic little girl’s life came to a sudden and brutal end — and our duty as adults to make the world as young people dream it to be — hit a nerve.
Apparently my reaction was not isolated. A Washington Post/ABC poll found Obama’s approval rating up to 54% after the speech. Almost eight in 10 gave him thumbs up for his response. 71 percent of Republicans said they approved of his leadership following the shootings.
Meanwhile, John McCain showed signs that his 2000 bipartisan incarnation has not totally vanished. In an op-ed in the Washington Post, he reverted to his old persona by praising Obama’s Tucson shooting speech, defending Obama’s patriotism and suggesting regret for some of his own past statements. It suggested that the 2011 McCain may be somewhere between the 2000 version (maverick) and 2010 version (fierce partisan).
And Palin?
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Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.