Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Yes, Us Can


Today in Slate, Ron Rosenbaum (who wrote The Shakespeare Wars, which, I have to say, I found just a little bit silly, what with all the ponderous pontificating) talks about how Barack Obama has been evading the issue of his smoking habit:

All us sinners—of various habits and forms—loved Obama for it and loathed Brokaw, Walters, and the nation of scolds we have become in their collective attempt to shame the poor guy…

At the risk of coming across as a ponderous pontificator, I believe this is an example of using the objective case when the subjective is clearly called for—something that becomes obvious when the subordinate clause and other extraneous verbiage are removed. You wouldn’t say “Us loved Obama…” All of us are sinners, true. But we love other sinners.