September 12, 2008

Atticus Finch, Obama and "Righteous Rage"

Filed under: Politics — Tags: , , , , — Melanie @ 11:50 am

FINALLY! Posted in the Huffington Post today, my big question of the day and certainly the big question for many others: why isn’t Obama and his camp confronting the smear tactics and their cesspool of negative and insulting commentary head on with all the “righteous rage” of Atticus Finch?

Now, as the crises facing our country intensify, and the campaign McCain is running becomes sleazier and more trivial, it’s time for Obama to unleash his inner Atticus — or at least the key element of Finch that Obama seems reluctant to embrace: righteous rage.

“Finch had the riotous fire of all the great prophets in the Judeo-Christian tradition,” John Cusack told me during our back-and-forth email conversation of the last few days. “He unleashes that fire in his final, great courtroom speech. If he didn’t, if he refused to unleash his anger and contempt at the horror and immorality of racism, he would prove himself to be an unemotional man unworthy of our love and respect. Obama has waited long enough to show us this side of himself. Besides, we need to know that he can be a mean motherfucker if he wants this job.”

I love the Huffington Post.  I love John Cusack.  I love Atticus Finch.

Obama, we need you to release your “righteous rage” and show the nation you love us enough to take on this frightening right-wing campaign.