They are stark contrasts in many ways, yet, Democratic Presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama and baseball legend Roger Clemens currently share a common goal on this Valentine’s Day: trying to sway public opinion. Coming off a string of primary wins that have propelled him to front-runner, Obama’s message of change and hope is resonating with Americans reeling from economic woes and tired of the same old political rhetoric. More, his words are delivered believably and passionately by a man of seeming integrity and honesty.
Clemens, on the other hand, in an idol who has fallen further. His “performance” before Congress was lacking in believability as he threw his wife under the bus regarding HGH use and contradicted the signed affidavit testimony of his longtime friend Andy Pettitte. Further, Clemens’ use of non-sense, double-speak terms such as “misremembered” immediately brought forth images of Mark MacGwire’s repeated utterances of “I’m not here to talk about the past…” on Capital Hill in 2005. You might recall MacGwire was shunned in his first year of Hall of Fame eligibility last year.
Where is the love when it comes to public figures? In today’s multi-media world, a more savvy than ever general populace demands the truth, the whole truth and nothing but forthrightousness.