Yeah, he brought in $1.3 million last night at the Beverly Hilton. And the crowds at his Baldwin Hills rally seemed excited to hear him speak. But in my "A Considerable Town" piece this week, published long online only, I wonder if presidential hopeful Barack Obama failed to seize a golden opportunity:
Here was his big media moment in a state that stands to become ever more important in primary season, in a city seen worldwide as a testing ground for cross-ethnic harmony and an incubator for progressive causes and cultural movements, and in a section of that city where African-Americans enjoy the fruits of the audacity of their hope daily, in their stately homes and sparkling cars. Where was the juice? The L.A. love? He tossed us a nod to the nice weather, but not much else particularly thought-provoking or specific to the legion of voters in Southern California who are engaged, angry, hopeful and thirsty for change.
Plus, Nikki Finke on the Geffen-Dowd-Clinton-Clinton-Obama media/money cluster&%$@. And below, "Tell your momma about Obama!"