The Romney Yacht on its Way to Davey Jones?
And now, it all hinges on the debates... or does it? I remember my return to the United States from France in 2004. The land of the free and home of the brave was still quaking from the aftershocks of 9/11. It was late summer and I was looking forward to the coming presidential debates between Massachusetts senator John Kerry and incumbent George W. Bush.
The election loomed as a critical event, full of meaning for the destiny of the country and the world. Under W the country had gone off the rails. We had responded to the World Trade Center disaster -- attacks by a group of Saudi Arabian jihadis -- by launching a war against Iraq. Saddam Hussein's autocratic world was being destroyed by B-52s then summarily rebuilt by American companies taking advantage of no-bid contracts, companies with connections to the administration. The foreign and domestic policies of the United States were being held captive, led by a fraudulent dime-store cowboy with a patrician pedigree, the kind of politician who made you believe he would be fun to have a beer with. Few in the country had bothered to seriously confront the truth: that behind the ten gallon persona, behind the good old boy disguise, behind it all stood a stooge for the corporate energy interests, the directors of the oil, coal and gas industries whose only concern was the bottom line.
Now, once again, we are being told that the United States is nothing more than a commercial enterprise and that the solution to all our problems will be found by putting a businessman in the White House. Whether the country accepts that reasoning this time will be played out over the next several weeks. The polls have Mitt Romney's campaign foundering in choppy seas. But don't believe those who say the subjective outcome of the debates will make the difference in the November results. I recall watching that '04 debate between Mr. Bush and Mr. Kerry, and being impressed by the Massachusetts senator, how comprehensive his understanding of the issues were, how clearly he articulated the nuances of policy, how dominant he was as a debater. None of that mattered. The pundits declared the results a draw and the nation ended up with four more years.
The election loomed as a critical event, full of meaning for the destiny of the country and the world. Under W the country had gone off the rails. We had responded to the World Trade Center disaster -- attacks by a group of Saudi Arabian jihadis -- by launching a war against Iraq. Saddam Hussein's autocratic world was being destroyed by B-52s then summarily rebuilt by American companies taking advantage of no-bid contracts, companies with connections to the administration. The foreign and domestic policies of the United States were being held captive, led by a fraudulent dime-store cowboy with a patrician pedigree, the kind of politician who made you believe he would be fun to have a beer with. Few in the country had bothered to seriously confront the truth: that behind the ten gallon persona, behind the good old boy disguise, behind it all stood a stooge for the corporate energy interests, the directors of the oil, coal and gas industries whose only concern was the bottom line.
Now, once again, we are being told that the United States is nothing more than a commercial enterprise and that the solution to all our problems will be found by putting a businessman in the White House. Whether the country accepts that reasoning this time will be played out over the next several weeks. The polls have Mitt Romney's campaign foundering in choppy seas. But don't believe those who say the subjective outcome of the debates will make the difference in the November results. I recall watching that '04 debate between Mr. Bush and Mr. Kerry, and being impressed by the Massachusetts senator, how comprehensive his understanding of the issues were, how clearly he articulated the nuances of policy, how dominant he was as a debater. None of that mattered. The pundits declared the results a draw and the nation ended up with four more years.
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