Hoping For Change
Well, a lot has happened since I began the draft of this post almost two months ago and photoshopped the images. Back then, Obama was on top and I thought he was the sure bet. Then, McCain came back with a surprisingly crisp campaign apparatus, but he quickly went into a tailspin and it looks as if it’s Obama by a nose. This go-’round I don’t have a horse in the race, so I’m enjoying this election a lot more. I don’t care for either of the candidates. I suppose Fred Thompson would have suited me.
Anyway, I think I’ll blog a lot of politics for the next week to sort of purge it out of my system and then get back to the fun stuff: Family and friends, Maine, art, books and music with some Krazy Kitsch thrown in for good measure.
Now, there’s plenty of talk out there about hope and change, but not much detail about what or who we’re hoping in and what kind of change we want to see. It’s as if the two words are floated out as empty containers and the audience is left to fill in their notions, their ideas about what kind of change each of the candidates is offering. Actually, I think that’s the strategy. Put out some reassuring, yet imprecise phrases to make people come away with an optimistic feeling about one candidate or the other.
So, which of our two presidential candidates presents us with the best chance to see some positive changes?
Thoroughly Modern McCain
First, we have John McCain who has been in politics since I was a boy. He’s a bona fide war hero with a compelling story and I salute him for that. But, he was also one of the Keating Five, the gang of fourteen and he crafted legislation which limits my right to free speech under the First Amendment. I’m sure he’s a nice guy, but he’s a deal-maker and I think he would get rolled by the Congress every time. So, under McCain I would expect to see government grow… not much change there. I’m already bored just writing about a McCain presidency.
His Holiness Barak Obama
All of the institutions came together and anointed Obama King of the World, so I suppose we’ll have to change some things around here to accommodate him after he makes the triumphal entry into Washington in January. Gwen Ifill, the vice-presidential debate moderator, wrote a prophetic book about Barak’s ascension, slated for release on inauguration day. In his case, not only will congress work him pretty good, but I expect Russia or China to test his mettle before Summer ‘09. I suppose the only real change I expect with an Obama presidency is a decline in US influence abroad. It didn’t take long for him to become a Washington insider… and fabulously wealthy.
Joey O’Biden
What about Obama’s choice of Joe Biden for VP? He’s also been in the Senate since I was a boy and doesn’t show signs of change. During his failed primary, He joined Hillary Clinton in declaring Obama is unqualified to be Commander in Chief, but now Joe seems to see Barak as a regular George Patton or something. Of course, he did certify that Obama is an ”articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.“ Same old beltway politics. Biden has, however, changed history, which is pretty slick. He said FDR addressed the nation on television in 1929 to calm the fears of the American people following the stock market crash. What a buffoon! You know what would be a change? If Saturday Night Live lampooned this clown for the most enormous verbal gaff of the entire political season.
Governor Sarah Palin
Now, John McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin for VP has introduced some changes. She and her husband have a combined family income that’s down there in the normal range. She’s a Republican, running against the real enemy: snotty, east coast pseudo-intellectuals and pop-journalists. Man, that’s a refreshing development and I sure wish there was a real man at the top of the ticket, to watch her back.
Oh, well… we’ll see what the next 30 days bring.
October 7th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
*sigh*
I’m recording the debate tonight. I’m pretty curious to see what will unfold. I was really pleased with the VP debate. At first, I was just satisfied with the debate but then, after Dan and I discussed it at length, I am really excited about the information Gov. Palin put out there.
I’m also anticipating the debate to see if McCain is going to come out with the big guns tonight. I wonder if he is going to address Obama’s scary, WAY liberal (socialist) voting record and Obama’s wack-a-doodle friends. I think Bush’s current low approval rating and the financial crisis are an automatic hinderance to McCain’s ticket but I honestly *still* believe in truth. The truth is:
Obama is scary and so is Biden.
October 7th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Yeah, Sadie, there’s a lot of debate out there over whether McCain should go negative or not… they have to… they have no choice… the investigative reporters are in Wasilla, not Chicago. This is something very few on the right get, except Ronald Reagan. The media have no journalistic instincts, when it comes to digging up the dirt on the Obamas. All the institutions are aligned with the progressives and the left (I know SNL had a great skit the other night, but let’s face it, that’s the exception). For someone on the right to get the message out, they have to pay for it in commercials or get in front of the camera somehow. The lone exceptions are talk radio and blogs. The established media and institutions are always going to tilt left.
The only opportunities McCain and Palin have are the debates and town hall meetings… that’s it… that’s pretty much their best opportunity to counter the films, the Courics (does anyone else think she looks like the Joker?), the academy, the schools where children are taught Obama songs and chants, the Times, the Newsweeks, the weather forecasters, the unions…
When Libertarians lose, it’s because they never had a chance. When Republicans lose, it’s because they didn’t take their message to the people and develop a good ground game in the precincts and when the Democrats lose, it’s a flippin’ miracle or a showcase of incompetence (like Kerry’s run)… there’s no excuse for a Democrat to lose any national or statewide election over the past 50 years.
October 8th, 2008 at 7:17 am
It has always been disconcerting to me to see how easlily the populace is swayed by smooth-sounding rhetoric. When asked, most of these people who have bought into the ideology of “change” have no idea what kind of change is being offered and they don’t seem to care. It just sounds to them like such a good idea. They frighten me.
October 8th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
the thought of Palin being anything else higher than a governor, is just darn right scary.