Count Your Change
Now that the race for president is over and the Democrats have lost the White House yet again, it may be instructive to reflect on how it happened and perhaps finally consider that it is time to change the system. Declaring that the 2008 campaign is finished may be a bit premature you say? Hardly. While it’s true that the cable news channels will continue to churn out their form of information to make a horse race seem inevitable, the eventual result couldn’t be clearer.
These last few days have seen the departure of John Edwards and Rudi Giuliani from the race, the endorsement of Barack Obama by the Kennedys and the near coronation of John McCain after his victory in Florida. These events remind us of two important, sobering facts: the first is that idealism – the pursuit of noble principles and moral purposes – is intrinsic to American political discourse; the second is that bottom-line concerns over national security will trump idealism almost every time.
Along with the chance to publicly articulate the country’s presumably noble virtues, the race for the White House has often been described as a beauty contest, with the victor ultimately being the one with the greatest celebrity appeal and television presence. American voters have proven time and again that personal characteristics and celebrity value count more than the issues, no matter how ardently those issues are argued. When Senator Kennedy invoked the spirit of his assassinated brother in throwing his support to Barack Obama, many TV commentators were soon waxing rhapsodic about JFK and the return of the glamour and idealism and the 60’s. The primary season has demonstrated that even when faced with such tough, down-to-earth concerns like a faltering economy and the threat of terrorism, Democratic voters will vote for the most alluring figures who appear to embody the egalitarian idealism they cherish.
Inspiring visions of a promising future make an intoxicating brew – one that has been the Democratic party’s DNA from Woodrow Wilson to FDR to JFK. Today, buoyed on the winds of the impassioned oratory of Democratic idealism, it can, unfortunately, make people forget how mindlessly conservative the country has become since 9-11.
Politics is a web of narratives spun by story tellers familiar with the simplistic themes that move an electorate. Now with the mantle of September 11 being passed from the New York mayor to the Arizona senator, the remaining presidential campaign will most likely be framed as a contest pitting an experienced and tough American war hero who will keep the country safe, against either a one-term African American senator or an ex-president’s unlikeable wife.
In truth, this race was over in Iowa when Joe Biden and Chris Dodd left the campaign trail. These two men – both with long-standing legislative credentials, unimpeachable ethics, and unquestionable experience in the domestic economy, national security and foreign affairs – were forced to quit due to poor showings in a contest held in a small state with a population that does not represent the demographic profile of the country as a whole. Their candidacies were deemed dead-on-arrival before the primary season had barely taken its first breath, because they didn’t have the money to sustain longterm campaigns and, compared to the party’s celebrated front-runners, they seemed rather ordinary.
Now America will be forced to face the question of whether it is enlightened enough to overcome centuries of racial prejudice or gender bias to elect its first African American or female president. So enamored with the scenario of an obviously weakened lame duck in the White House and a Republican party in disarray, so entranced with the idea of change from the lamentable reign of George W. Bush, Democratic voters have shown that they are willing to roll the dice in hope that the ideal answer will result. That approach may prove in the end to be foolish, and the country will pay the price for the crap shoot.
What Democratic voters have failed to realize is that the American people as a whole have done nothing to demonstrate that they are willing to take chances or take a stand for fundamental change in a post 9-11 world. Indeed, they have shown a remarkable willingness to tolerate a range of infringements of constitutional rights by the Bush administration in the belief that such actions would serve national security.
For those who think that John McCain’s support of the Bush war policy will be an inevitable negative for the Republican candidate, one needn’t look much farther than the latest Gallup poll. It asked 1,598 likely voters whom they would back if the presidential election were held today. Respondents chose Senator McCain over Barack Obama by a 50 percent to 45 percent margin, and also preferred the Arizona senator to Hillary Clinton by 50 percent to 47 percent. These results come in spite of the fact that projected match-ups for November have shown Democratic candidates in the lead since the start of the election cycle. In an election campaign, being able to count the numbers and anticipate the results means everything.
Lost in our own political narratives, most Americans paid scant attention to the recent arrests in Spain of a number of Islamic militants suspected of plotting a terrorist attack designed to influence Spanish elections in March. One shudders to think how a single act of domestic terrorism with similar intent would send American idealism tumbling out the nearest window.
Thanks to eight years of mismanagement by Bush and company, the United States faces daunting challenges on such important issues as a floundering economy, climate change, access to health care, and international terrorism. With the likelihood of several Supreme Court vacancies on the horizon and an interminable war in the Middle East, one would logically think that this is not a time to take chances - it is a time to count the numbers. The wise course for Democrats would have been to put aside ideals for now, ignore the words of party visionaries – no matter what their race or gender – in order to be certain that the White House is not handed over to another Philistine from the Republican party. Now it’s a bit too late. Between now and November, Republicans will likely just be bidin' their time.
Now that the race for president is over and the Democrats have lost the White House yet again, it may be instructive to reflect on how it happened and perhaps finally consider that it is time to change the system. Declaring that the 2008 campaign is finished may be a bit premature you say? Hardly. While it’s true that the cable news channels will continue to churn out their form of information to make a horse race seem inevitable, the eventual result couldn’t be clearer.
These last few days have seen the departure of John Edwards and Rudi Giuliani from the race, the endorsement of Barack Obama by the Kennedys and the near coronation of John McCain after his victory in Florida. These events remind us of two important, sobering facts: the first is that idealism – the pursuit of noble principles and moral purposes – is intrinsic to American political discourse; the second is that bottom-line concerns over national security will trump idealism almost every time.
Along with the chance to publicly articulate the country’s presumably noble virtues, the race for the White House has often been described as a beauty contest, with the victor ultimately being the one with the greatest celebrity appeal and television presence. American voters have proven time and again that personal characteristics and celebrity value count more than the issues, no matter how ardently those issues are argued. When Senator Kennedy invoked the spirit of his assassinated brother in throwing his support to Barack Obama, many TV commentators were soon waxing rhapsodic about JFK and the return of the glamour and idealism and the 60’s. The primary season has demonstrated that even when faced with such tough, down-to-earth concerns like a faltering economy and the threat of terrorism, Democratic voters will vote for the most alluring figures who appear to embody the egalitarian idealism they cherish.
Inspiring visions of a promising future make an intoxicating brew – one that has been the Democratic party’s DNA from Woodrow Wilson to FDR to JFK. Today, buoyed on the winds of the impassioned oratory of Democratic idealism, it can, unfortunately, make people forget how mindlessly conservative the country has become since 9-11.
Politics is a web of narratives spun by story tellers familiar with the simplistic themes that move an electorate. Now with the mantle of September 11 being passed from the New York mayor to the Arizona senator, the remaining presidential campaign will most likely be framed as a contest pitting an experienced and tough American war hero who will keep the country safe, against either a one-term African American senator or an ex-president’s unlikeable wife.
In truth, this race was over in Iowa when Joe Biden and Chris Dodd left the campaign trail. These two men – both with long-standing legislative credentials, unimpeachable ethics, and unquestionable experience in the domestic economy, national security and foreign affairs – were forced to quit due to poor showings in a contest held in a small state with a population that does not represent the demographic profile of the country as a whole. Their candidacies were deemed dead-on-arrival before the primary season had barely taken its first breath, because they didn’t have the money to sustain longterm campaigns and, compared to the party’s celebrated front-runners, they seemed rather ordinary.
Now America will be forced to face the question of whether it is enlightened enough to overcome centuries of racial prejudice or gender bias to elect its first African American or female president. So enamored with the scenario of an obviously weakened lame duck in the White House and a Republican party in disarray, so entranced with the idea of change from the lamentable reign of George W. Bush, Democratic voters have shown that they are willing to roll the dice in hope that the ideal answer will result. That approach may prove in the end to be foolish, and the country will pay the price for the crap shoot.
What Democratic voters have failed to realize is that the American people as a whole have done nothing to demonstrate that they are willing to take chances or take a stand for fundamental change in a post 9-11 world. Indeed, they have shown a remarkable willingness to tolerate a range of infringements of constitutional rights by the Bush administration in the belief that such actions would serve national security.
For those who think that John McCain’s support of the Bush war policy will be an inevitable negative for the Republican candidate, one needn’t look much farther than the latest Gallup poll. It asked 1,598 likely voters whom they would back if the presidential election were held today. Respondents chose Senator McCain over Barack Obama by a 50 percent to 45 percent margin, and also preferred the Arizona senator to Hillary Clinton by 50 percent to 47 percent. These results come in spite of the fact that projected match-ups for November have shown Democratic candidates in the lead since the start of the election cycle. In an election campaign, being able to count the numbers and anticipate the results means everything.
Lost in our own political narratives, most Americans paid scant attention to the recent arrests in Spain of a number of Islamic militants suspected of plotting a terrorist attack designed to influence Spanish elections in March. One shudders to think how a single act of domestic terrorism with similar intent would send American idealism tumbling out the nearest window.
Thanks to eight years of mismanagement by Bush and company, the United States faces daunting challenges on such important issues as a floundering economy, climate change, access to health care, and international terrorism. With the likelihood of several Supreme Court vacancies on the horizon and an interminable war in the Middle East, one would logically think that this is not a time to take chances - it is a time to count the numbers. The wise course for Democrats would have been to put aside ideals for now, ignore the words of party visionaries – no matter what their race or gender – in order to be certain that the White House is not handed over to another Philistine from the Republican party. Now it’s a bit too late. Between now and November, Republicans will likely just be bidin' their time.
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