I have been following the election campaign for about 15 months. There is a trend I’m beginning to see that started right around the time Sarah Palin was nominated for VP, and solidified when the stock market began its collapsed. The republican party has fallen apart. McCain is saying one thing, Palin is saying another, and both are not in sync with the GOP. McCain’s “maverick” ways are causing somewhat of a rift with the party, particularly with the new McCain proposal for the government to buy back all affected mortgages at full face value (more on that in another post). That plan is about as far from the republican philosophy as you can get, and a stunning contrast of his “small government” principles.
On the other side of the aisle however, the democrats have been the most cohesive I have ever seen them. They have rallied behind Obama, and together deliver one message. Even on issues with which they have expressed past disagreements, (Obama v. Clinton on healthcare or Obama v. Biden on the Iraq War) they have come to realize during this campaign that they all have the same goals, and the solutions can be fine tuned later. His campaign is largely based on modernizing the American philosophy so we can compete with the global marketplace.
With big picture ideas such as universal healthcare, community volunteerism, responsible foreign policy where we sit down with friends, and yes enemies so we can find solutions that don’t require firing guns at one another, and giving the struggling middle class much need support, he has created a platform that all democrats have been craving for years, certainly, for almost a decade. The idea of shared responsibility and sacrifice are foreign words to many Americans, as we have grown used to the idea of every-man-for-himself politics and social atmosphere. And it is the idea of a new atmosphere – a modernized America, that scares the old guard far more than Obama’s skin tone and middle name.
Yet a dysfunctional McCain campaign continues to harp on middle names, embrace a 1950s era “traditional” America, and incite Jim Crowe like mobs. “Terrorist!” “Kill him!” “Off with his head!” the people of the McCain/Palin mobs exclaim. And McCain and Palin idly stand by and watch decades of progress regress back to the darkest days of our history. With less than four weeks left on the campaign trail, they have lifted up the carpet and let loose all the closeted hatred and racial epithets swept under the rug for four decades. Yet McCain will never publicly admit his disdain for Obama. That would certainly spell the end of his campaign. What McCain is doing, is far worse than directly confronting Obama; he gets the negative dialogue going, and allows the mob to connect the dots – a clear allusion to the atmosphere leading up to the end of the reconstruction.
Still, I can’t help but hope. The polls indicate that this gutter-level rhetoric is not doing anything to sway the masses away from Obama. In fact, more people seem to be put off by McCain’s tactics. There is even a disconnect between the republican base, as many republicans are uninterested in tenuous connections to terrorists, and would rather hear about how they can afford to stay in their home. Considering John McCain did not once say “middle class” in the debate, it is still in question what team McCain truly plays for – the American citizens, or the special interest groups fueling his campaign?
Amidst it all, Obama has soared above the dirty campaign. He still has the charismatic smile, the confident gate, and the roar of a proud lion in his speeches. He is crisp, intelligent, and remains level headed. When he approaches the podium, he is greeted to thunderous applause, followed by deferential silence. He commands the respect of Americans and politicians alike. He is a true leader.
I think about President Bill Clinton, who had all the right ideas, but was way ahead of his time. Obama is the right man for the right time. Americans are at a crucial point where we have a choice to make. Will we display courage and build a new future with Obama at the helm, or will we remain complacent and regress to an America not quite ready for the 21st century with McCain’s shaky hand at the tiller? We will know in 26 days…
2 comments: on "Episode 8: Role Reversal"
Lance, great entry! I do agree with you and have seen this happening, even with the little bit of news I watch regarding the campaigns. I just feel that Obama's campaign is much more unified.
Something I wonder, and talking w/ my very conservative father, is that will Americans choose Obama simply because they associate the Republican party with all the things the nation has endured in the pas 4-8 years under Bush, and therefore want things to change?
Not that I don't see Obama bringing a lot of change, but I wonder how many undecided voters will think "well, look what a Republican president has done so far, I think I'll vote for Obama just so that doesn't happen again."
Well, turth be told, that is a big part of it. And also one of the primary messages of the Obama campaign. So your observation is accurate. I think it is a valid point - a fancy way of saying if it's broke, fix it!
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