As the World Wakes Up to History
Well, the "Obama Prime Time One More Time Variety Half Hour" show has run its course, and the McCain /Palin Traveling Road Show is about to put the costumes and flags into storage. Whatever issues are out there, are out there, and whatever intelligent discussion we are to have about those issues is drawing to a final close. The remaining time between now and casting that vote will be a series of trying to knock the other guy off balance, and trying not to screw up themselves. We are about to wake up to history.
And oh how there has been history - real and contrived. On the Democrat side there was featured a slugfest between a woman and a black guy for change - since the old white guy formula hasn't been working well for them lately. The nominee then, naturally, chose one of the old white guys as a running mate - since it turns out, the election was not about novelty, but about winning - and apparently a woman and a black guy on the same ticket was a little TOO much change for the spinmeisters. The Republicans liked the old white guy formula, as it has been working remarkably well for them, but John McCain wanted his piece of novelty too - so he brought on the pit-bull with lipstick. And proving the maxim that it's better to be lucky than to be smart, the conservative base went ga-ga over the hockey-mom evangelical MILF from the little town in Alaska. Talk about your unintended consequences. So in the end, the contrived history has two old white insider men running for the White House, and both are running with an untested novelty act. More than history, this is history repeating itself - yet somehow, Bush / Cheney pulled off a win. So will one of these two.
We did "historical" debates in which we learned that a black man could be reasonable, organized and magnanimous (that's all you needed Jesse and Al...), and that his running mate could be crazy and careless. We also learned that a time-tested Republican could be angry and erratic (I guess it WAS a race thing, Jesse and Al...). To add insult to injury, we became aware of the fact that all hot looking women in politics were conservative Republicans - all the Democrats have are either actresses or Tipper Gore - and they should have gone less with the actresses and given us more Tipper (well, that would have been more "Mr. Climate Change" too - probably not worth the negatives...). We also learned that all four candidates could be asked a direct question, look straight into the camera, and not answer it - or even come close.
We learned that "public financing" of Presidential campaigns is corrupt and controlled by special interests, according to Senator Obama (who opted to get unlimited funds from anyone who would give it to him five dollars at a time), and that playing by the rules and accepting public financing puts you at a disadvantage (isn't that ironic, Senator McCain?). Our history here is that Senator Obama is spending more to gain the White House than has ever been spent - so much so that he could afford a half hour of prime time on each network for his closing arguments. Senator McCain must depend on the charity of the news media, if he can come up with a coherent message at this point.
There is real history here - the mood of the country is one that yearns for a better America. The majority of the country, whether they agree with it's direction or not, concedes that we could be doing better to live up to the idea that is America. We stand ready to claim a new American century for the leader who outlines the path to achieving it in the clearest terms. Unfortunately, we are left only with the hollow hope that whichever man we elect to the Presidency will live up to the challenges that face the country, and will embody the ideals and determination of the American people.
This is where our faith must lie - with the creators of the idea of America - all of those dead rich landowners who saw the possibility in creating a nation of laws, and not men. They framed a government based on ideals of liberty, self-determination, and a government representative of its populace. They wrote a timeless document addressing the needs of the new nation, and adaptable to new circumstances. They foresaw that a democratic form of government would allow the greatest freedom, develop the greatest opportunity, and limit the great appetite of government to evolve towards tyranny. There were divisive issues at the time of the framing that were "kicked down the road" in the hope that the country, left time to mature and to grow, would address these divisions in a manner acceptable to a civilized people at a later date. It was not a perfect start, but it was a good one. Perfect should never be held as an enemy of good. On this good start, we have walked down a path of 221 years of making a "more perfect Union". We have survived wars and civil war, economic disaster and great prosperity. We have had a very few great Presidents, and a handful of washouts. The vast majority were ordinary men doing their best in an extraordinary job. America survives, and prospers. Even in this time of uncertainty, we will rise again to meet the challenge - it is what we do.
On Tuesday, history will be made. Once again, there will be a peaceful, orderly transition of power from one person to another, from one set of ideas to another, from one set of talents to another. The history is in the process, not in the individual. One man did not make this country, one does not have the power to destroy it. America will go on, regardless of the outcome of the election, because America is an idea, and an idea is eternal. In four years we will repeat all that was done and said this time, and history will be made, yet again.
Now get out there and VOTE.
RLB
And oh how there has been history - real and contrived. On the Democrat side there was featured a slugfest between a woman and a black guy for change - since the old white guy formula hasn't been working well for them lately. The nominee then, naturally, chose one of the old white guys as a running mate - since it turns out, the election was not about novelty, but about winning - and apparently a woman and a black guy on the same ticket was a little TOO much change for the spinmeisters. The Republicans liked the old white guy formula, as it has been working remarkably well for them, but John McCain wanted his piece of novelty too - so he brought on the pit-bull with lipstick. And proving the maxim that it's better to be lucky than to be smart, the conservative base went ga-ga over the hockey-mom evangelical MILF from the little town in Alaska. Talk about your unintended consequences. So in the end, the contrived history has two old white insider men running for the White House, and both are running with an untested novelty act. More than history, this is history repeating itself - yet somehow, Bush / Cheney pulled off a win. So will one of these two.
We did "historical" debates in which we learned that a black man could be reasonable, organized and magnanimous (that's all you needed Jesse and Al...), and that his running mate could be crazy and careless. We also learned that a time-tested Republican could be angry and erratic (I guess it WAS a race thing, Jesse and Al...). To add insult to injury, we became aware of the fact that all hot looking women in politics were conservative Republicans - all the Democrats have are either actresses or Tipper Gore - and they should have gone less with the actresses and given us more Tipper (well, that would have been more "Mr. Climate Change" too - probably not worth the negatives...). We also learned that all four candidates could be asked a direct question, look straight into the camera, and not answer it - or even come close.
We learned that "public financing" of Presidential campaigns is corrupt and controlled by special interests, according to Senator Obama (who opted to get unlimited funds from anyone who would give it to him five dollars at a time), and that playing by the rules and accepting public financing puts you at a disadvantage (isn't that ironic, Senator McCain?). Our history here is that Senator Obama is spending more to gain the White House than has ever been spent - so much so that he could afford a half hour of prime time on each network for his closing arguments. Senator McCain must depend on the charity of the news media, if he can come up with a coherent message at this point.
There is real history here - the mood of the country is one that yearns for a better America. The majority of the country, whether they agree with it's direction or not, concedes that we could be doing better to live up to the idea that is America. We stand ready to claim a new American century for the leader who outlines the path to achieving it in the clearest terms. Unfortunately, we are left only with the hollow hope that whichever man we elect to the Presidency will live up to the challenges that face the country, and will embody the ideals and determination of the American people.
This is where our faith must lie - with the creators of the idea of America - all of those dead rich landowners who saw the possibility in creating a nation of laws, and not men. They framed a government based on ideals of liberty, self-determination, and a government representative of its populace. They wrote a timeless document addressing the needs of the new nation, and adaptable to new circumstances. They foresaw that a democratic form of government would allow the greatest freedom, develop the greatest opportunity, and limit the great appetite of government to evolve towards tyranny. There were divisive issues at the time of the framing that were "kicked down the road" in the hope that the country, left time to mature and to grow, would address these divisions in a manner acceptable to a civilized people at a later date. It was not a perfect start, but it was a good one. Perfect should never be held as an enemy of good. On this good start, we have walked down a path of 221 years of making a "more perfect Union". We have survived wars and civil war, economic disaster and great prosperity. We have had a very few great Presidents, and a handful of washouts. The vast majority were ordinary men doing their best in an extraordinary job. America survives, and prospers. Even in this time of uncertainty, we will rise again to meet the challenge - it is what we do.
On Tuesday, history will be made. Once again, there will be a peaceful, orderly transition of power from one person to another, from one set of ideas to another, from one set of talents to another. The history is in the process, not in the individual. One man did not make this country, one does not have the power to destroy it. America will go on, regardless of the outcome of the election, because America is an idea, and an idea is eternal. In four years we will repeat all that was done and said this time, and history will be made, yet again.
Now get out there and VOTE.
RLB
Posted by The Thomas Paine Project at 10/29/2008 6:13 PM 
Categories: Civic Duty, Partisan Politics
Tags: transition of power
Categories: Civic Duty, Partisan Politics
Tags: transition of power
Well said - it was hard getting the motivation up to hit the lever come Tuesday, but it is what it is, and the choice is what we have. Time to settle in with the policies that I can live with, and hope for the fantasy president next time.
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Boring isn't so bad if you realize that's how it's supposed to be. There's a lot of comfort to be had in an election day not caused by a violent revolution, or a civil war. We can always hope for better candidates - the fact that we don't need them makes me feel better. If anyone can be President, then the problems really aren't all that tough after all - even if they seem that way.
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I, for one, feel that the campaign may not have been "exciting" as far as fireworks or mistakes, but really, both candidates got out their messages and their policies. The negative campaigning was kept to a minimum because there was little profit in it, and neither candidate really had a stomach for it. I'm going to the voting booth confident in my choice, and looking forward to the next four years as a time to help improve the situation in the country.
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Senator Obama ran a fine and respectable campaign, and managed to stay out of the mud entirely - except for what was thrown at him. TI think he will be a wonderful President and will be happily supporting him on Tuesday.
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My candidate, on the other hand, missed a bunch of great opportunities, and just got lost too many times. I still believe that he's the best qualified to lead us in these troubles times. Truth is, the whole idea of Obama getting that 3AM phone call (thank you Joe Biden AND Hillary for that image...)- it scares the hell out of me. For all of the soothing words, he has a paper thin resume, and the words , on balance, don't work in practice. Maybe it's the conservative curse - to have the substantive ideas and not be able to articulate them well. It might be that the rest of the country sees this too - if Obama was all he was cracked up to be, he should be ahead by double digits right now leaving McCain in the dust. All I can see is that if Mccain loses, he gave the Presidency to Obama; Obama didn't win it.
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That sums my views up too - the old maverick of 2000 really screwed the pooch on this campaign. In voting for him, I know I'm doing what's best for the country, but I'm just not excited about it. Policy-wise there's no way I can support Obama - I disagree with him on just about everything. bagorocks is right - that 3AM call going to Obama, even with Biden as backup is too scary to contemplate. I'm just wondering how long the country can live on a string of mediocre Presidents - which has been what we've gotten every time since Nixon with the exception of Reagan (and I'm not sure how much of Reagan was luck). Ford - caretaker, Carter - washout, Bush I - clueless, Clinton - made history borrowing from the Republicans, Bush II - I can't even start... And it's not like the alternatives were any improvement - in the years not having a relelection try we had Mondale, Dukakis, Dole, Gore and Kerry. So I'm disappointed in McCain, and think Obama is unqualified. I'll do my civic duty and cast my ballot. I'd just like to feel good about it again.
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This is what screws the Republicans up - whining about the candidate instead of showing up and voting. John McCain has had his flake outs, but has as solid a conservative record over time as any legislator has ever had. He had better conservative cred than anyone else in the primary field, and even when he broke ranks with the leadership, it was generally over a conservative principle. In his work across the aisle, he did his best to put a conservative mark on legislation that otherwise would have been left-loaded and unworkable. People complain he doesn't show his faith - I believe that's a Godly attribute according to the bible - where it is the pharisees trumpeting their faith that are held in contempt. People complain about his working with the Dems - so did Ronald Reagan. Now everybody is sitting around whining that McCain didn't lower himself to the reptilian depths of Karl Rove - good for him! It's about time that the Republicans as a party show a little dignity. There is no reason to go into the election booth holding your nose. John McCain is a candidate to be proud of. Every person who wants to elect a man of character, and who agrees with his policies should vote proudly and loudly for John McCain. If he loses, it will be because too many people shared the sentiment of wishing for better, when the best was right in front of them.
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That's been me - all lovelorn because Ronnie Reagan isn't around anymore, and your message hits it on the head. Ronald Reagan was a one time thing and will probably never pass this way again. To look for him every four years, well, you might as well be looking for a Lincoln or Roosevelt - they don't come around often. McCain is his own man, and yeah, a solid conservative in his own right. He has a more principled approach to governing, and even campaigning than anyone I can ever remember - which is witnessed by his half-hearted attempts at going negative - it's just not him. But he is a patriot, has a wealth of experience, and you don't have to worry about him choosing wrongly between the right thing and the popular thing. I can trust him with the future of the country, now. Obama may well be a fine individual, but I do not trust that he has the experience or the backbone (yet) to guide us in troubled times. Have him do a couple of terms in the senate, and maybe run a state, and I'd be much more able to go with him. For now, give me the old hand, and guide us out of here...
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John McCain has a lot of fine qualities, but that old hand certainly is not as steady as it should be. He's been lurching around for weeks - between the bailout, the almost mudslinging, and his own erratic speaking style. It's as if he's running his campaign like he's clutching onto a handful of sand, and it just keeps on passing through his fingers. I'm not a big fan of some of Obama's policies, but as to being the steadier hand in troubled times, I've got to go with him. No matter what gets thrown at him, he keeps his cool, and delivers a reasoned response. I don't think the White House is the best place for a loose cannon.
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Sorry guys, I just can't do it - when you hand me the choice of a communist or a doddering old man, I have to shop elsewhere. Somebody once said that it's better to ask for what you want and not get it than to ask for what you don't want and be stuck with it. I know there's no a shot of him winning but I'm casting my ballot for Bob Barr and the Libertarians. Hopefully they'll be encouraged enough to keep showing up. The Republicans used to be a third party until Lincoln came along.
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You're a better man than me, madhatter - haven't had the courage even once to just throw my vote out in protest. More power to you - and God help us if Barr does win.
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Talk about representing all sides - now all we need is for someone to come out for Nader - any takers?
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Not throwing my vote out - I'm having it stand for principle. The Libertarians are campaigning on the limited goernment and personal liberty that the Republicans have only been paying lip service to since Gingrich was run out of DC. If they want us back, they know where we are - promoting the values of the founding fathers. Ron Paul talked a good game, but the GOP needs too much work to fix from the inside.
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I'm that last guy sitting on the fence - I know that I'm going to vote tomorrow, just not for who. Both seem like good men and talk a good game, but neither is addressing, in any practical way, what's going on in my life, or the troubles that me and my neighbors are facing. So the stock market is stabilizing - big deal. One more house was foreclosed on bringing the total to 5 in a 2 block area. If ANYTHING goes wrong for my family financially right now, we're in deep trouble. My 401k has been gutted, there's talks of coming layoffs at my company, and it's going to be hard affording the mortgage if no money is coming in. The closest anyone is comng t addresng this s Biden talkng about the moratorium on foreclosures - and that's just been talk - and it's too late for that 5th family who just got sent packing this week. I had to laugh about Joe the Plumber - it's not so much that he speaks for me as much as exposes both sides as out of touch with real, everyday problems. And now he's sold out to McCain. I guess I would too if given the shot - fifteen minutes of fame wil pay a lot of bills nowadays.
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Sorry for your situation dport - and you're right, you're not alone. All I can say is what I know. I've voted Democrat out of hope, and Republican out of disappointment. Of the times I've tried Democrat, they've failed me miserably. Of the times I grudgingly voted Republcan, I came away better for the experience - current President included. I don't think that Obama can deliver on his promises. I think that McCain can, and will. Of course, that's just my opinion - tomorrow you're on your own in the voting booth. Best of luck to you.
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The greater point has been missed again by the media. This was not about race for the greater part of the voters this was all about the possibility of positive change.
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I don't think the media got all into the race thing. Obama did his best to ignore the issue, and it pretty much wasn't an issue - myself included. I didn't have any problem with his race, just his policies. The positive change is what I question. I think we can all agree (except maybe the chairman of Exxon)that we are sitting in the frying pan right now. Change is not positive if it means leaving the frying pan to go right into the fire. I'd like to opt for a bucket of water, or maybe stay in the frying pan and turn off the gas. Obama's economic policies are noble, but the unintended consequences will be devastating. Case in point - wage parity between the sexes. Obama is aware that certain professions are primarily male (truck drivers, loggers, firefighters), and some primarily female (day care providers, nursing, secretarial). In doing the same job (firefighter) women already get equal pay. Obama is trying to equate apples to oranges by coming up with what is "equivalent" work for "equal" pay. How does one evaluate a coal miner (primarily male) with a meat processing plant worker(primarily female)- other than if either had a choice they would do something else? Any measure of "work" is a subjective judgment of danger, dirt, knowledge, skill and other qualities. How does one determine wage parity, and more importantly, who sets that wage? In a capitalist society, the market sets these values. If workers feel that the market unfairly compensates them, they have the right to organize and bargain collectively. That is the tradition in this country. It allows an economic forward progression that has worked for auto assemblers, steelworkers, truckers, teachers, and even waitresses. I don't want any President or his created bureaucracy determining what my work, or my wife's work is worth. That was the model in the USSR, and it didn't really work out too well there. Market regulation is one thing. Market manipulation hurts workers.
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