I started following the 2008 race sometime in early 2007, when only the most pathological politics junkies were paying much attention. As a result, I peaked a bit too early, and by September I just wanted the darn thing to be over.
And now, finally, it is. There are still votes to count, and a few open races and ballot measures to resolve, but the Big One is in the can. For the first time in 12 years, we’ve gone to bed knowing who won, and the Atlantic Seaboard folks didn’t even have to stay up that late. For the first time since LBJ (I think), a Democrat won more than 50% of the popular vote. Though I had a preferred candidate, this was my greatest prayer - an unambiguous result. No “one-state” shenanigans and cries of stolen elections. (Voter fraud is another story, but that’s a Donkey Party tradition, and I doubt he needed it to win.)
In one sense, it’s good that the Democrat won. We’d already been warned months in advance that anything other than an Obama victory would mark America as a “racist” nation, and such philosophical luminaries as Erica Jong were warning of a “second civil war” in the event of a McCain “third stolen Bush term” victory. Well, no chance of that now. And, for the first time since Bill Clinton absconded with the White House furniture, the Daily Kos/MoveOn.org wing of the Democratic Party can consider themselves Americans again. Republicans are infinitely more gracious losers. (We made much of Clinton’s “never topped 50% of the popular vote” in the 1990s, but we never, EVER claimed he wasn’t the President. That juvenile insanity needs to die. Stake its heart, cut off its head, boil it in garlic, nuke it from orbit; leave no doubt. We may be two parties, but we are not Two Americas. We’re all in this together.)
Like 2006, it wasn’t the GOP’s year. Sen. McCain prevailed in the primaries largely on the backs of independents and Democrats, and because Mike Huckabee preferred to shred the party rather than let Mitt Romney anywhere near the GOP ticket. (Yes, I’m still bitter about that idiot’s personal vendetta.) Gov. Sarah Palin energized the base and helped make it much closer (popular vote) than I expected, but McCain is an honorable man who ran as a “my turn” candidate rather than with any platform of ideas the GOP was likely to rally around. My main reason for supporting McCain was his support for victory in Iraq and elsewhere, which America owes to our men and women in uniform who have sacrificed so much to make it possible. McCain’s real goal, it seemed, was to win the nomination he felt had been stolen from him in 2000. Had he fought with the same vehemence in the generals that he did in the primaries, he might have done better tonight.
By contrast, Barack Obama worked his bad-dancing butt off to win the presidency from…well, pretty much the day he was sworn into the Senate. He took on the “inevitable” Clinton machine and won the nomination. Although his post-racial, post-partisan facade slipped badly toward the end, his acceptance speech tonight was worthy of the historic moment of our first President-elect who happens to be black. He didn’t win BECAUSE he’s black; had that occurred it would have cheapened the accomplishment. Obama won because he ran a better race, and better motivated his base. He was opposed by over his policies, his past, and his personal associations…not for his pigmentation. (I really need to stop alliterating.) Considering how much money he raised, Barack’s true colors in 2008 are gold and green.
I don’t see Obama as “our first black President.” He’s not “African-American” in the traditional sense; his paternal ancestors don’t have that legacy of slavery; his Kenyan father spent little time in the U.S. His mother’s side of the family was fairly well off, and his education was more elite and privileged than most people’s, certainly more than mine.
Obama’s rise to prominence reminds me far more of John F. Kennedy than Jesse Jackson. JFK’s big hurdle was his religion. So, I would argue, was Obama’s. JFK had the Pope and Catholicism. Obama had Rev. Wright and Liberation Theology. For JFK’s presidency, religion turned out to not be much of an issue (especially that whole “thou shalt not commit adultery” thing). Only time will tell how much President Obama will bring from Wright’s pews to the Oval Office.
As a conservative, little of the Obama platform appeals to me. But as with any presidency, Obama’s will not be treated by the House or Senate as tablets inscribed by a burning bush on Mount Sinai. He may have solid Democratic majorities in both houses, but as Clinton and Carter learned, congressional Democrats have a legislative ego that transcends party. If he fails to treat them with proper respect, the unholy Pelosi/Reid duumvirate will school him in a hurry. And if Obama doesn’t treat the congressional GOP with at least minimal respect, they survive in sufficient numbers to throw their sabots into the machinery. It’s lopsided, but DC is still a two-party town. Bill Clinton made the grave mistake of calling the congressional GOP “irrelevant” in one of his first addresses to Congress. Less than two years later, he was bellowing that he was still relevant to the first GOP House majority in 40 years. Hubris is still the #1 killer of political ambition, and “The Messiah” had better chain someone to his side to whisper “remember thou art mortal” into his ear at every opportunity, or he’ll very likely be facing a GOP congress in 2010.
Vice President-elect Biden, the one-man growth market for American comedy, said that Obama will be tested. Does anyone believe he isn’t correct? Al Qaeda surely cannot resist the opportunity. Ahmadinajad’s Iran is drooling with anticipation. Likewise China, eager to assume dominance in the 21st century. (Yes, I’m learning Mandarin.) Venezuela. North Korea. Canada (*grumble* Zamboni-drivin’ freaks…) And our allies like Columbia, India, infant Iraq, Sarkozy’s France, nuclear Pakistan, etc. have to wonder what Obama’s America will mean to our relationship with them. Like JFK, I’m not that hopeful that President Obama will be ready from day one to handle a crisis. What will Obama’s Bay of Pigs (with lipstick) be? Or his Cuban Missile Crisis? How will he fare? Does it give ANYONE comfort that Joe Biden will be there every step of the way? Or that John friggin Kerry might be America’s Ambassador of Hopenchange as Secretary of State or Defense?
I don’t mean to be utterly negative. Obama claims to be a pragmatist, and if he turns out to be one then he’ll likely make some decent cabinet picks. He will push policies more left-leaning than I would prefer, but I believe in the sausage-grinder of American lawmaking; lips and buttholes become tasty, tasty frankfurters with the right preparation. And it takes just one catastrophe to change presidential priorities in a hurry. Witness 9-11, Hurricane Katrina, the Fannie May debacle. Under the right circumstances, even the biggest isolationist can become the most committed nation-builder. Even a Clinton can decide to pass comprehensive welfare reform. Even a “conservative” can pass a bailout bill that makes Sweden look capitalist. It’s all about adaptability. It’s less about getting your agenda passed than about dealing with the zillion things that you never guessed would come your way.
So…I head to bed knowing that our next President will be “that guy” rather than “my guy.” There are a lot of happy people in this country tonight, and many who are genuinely scared of what the next four years will bring. All of us will be Obama’s responsibility come January. He’ll be opposed - every president from George Washington to George Dubya has been, vehemently, and it would be unAmerican to expect otherwise - but how he deals with it will determine his legacy. The best Presidents exert influence far beyond their enumerated powers, by virtue of their skills and their character, and the nature of the challenges they face.
Frankly, I’d be happy if Pres. Obama is merely adequate, and presides over another “holiday from history” for the next four years. His “fundamental transformation” talk scares my side of the aisle. He may think of it in terms of unicorns and orgasms, but some of us have starker visions of gulags, reeducation camps, great depressions, and stuff going Boom. I’d be ecstatic with four boring, adequate, uneventful, not-unemployed years.
As much as I like and respect George W. Bush - and I do - the last eight years have been more eventful than anyone in 2000 imagined or hoped or feared they would be, George W. Bush included.
Oh well. Ready or not, here comes 44: Captain Messiah, and his sidekick Gaffey. I will pray for them, and for the country. Because I still believe with Ben Franklin that in these perilous times, we must all hang together, “or surely we must all hang separately.” United we stand, divided we fall. The American family will certainly bicker over who gets the good seat in the living room and control of the remote during prime-time…but we must work together to put our house in order and to get the damn neighbor kids off our lawn when they try to T.P. us.
So, congratulations, President-elect Obama. Whatever happens next, you made history tonight.
I came in late, but I did most of my commenting on the debate on my Twitter page. It’s different from trying to live-update a blog; I found it easier, and a lot more fun.
If a bit lonely. Glad I checked in at teh Wheel afterwards.
The now-notorious video of the Obama Youth Choir singing paeons to their new hopeychangey overlord has caused quite a stir. The scene hadn’t even shifted to the Kool-aid drinking parents waving their hands in epiphaniste euphoria before the name “Dear Leader” sprang to mind. My days in Korea were filled with propaganda like this, shown by the South Koreans to underscore the brainwashing their northern brethren were condemned to endure.
Others pulled out the Hitler Youth clip from Carousel, a truly creepy scene. Indeed, “creepy” was the word of the day as the video went viral. “Children of the Corn,” “Village of the Damned,” “Pod People,” you name it. Even the non-insane Left was creeped out by the vapid acolytes worshiping in song and cypto-Hula.
The Messianic iconography already applied to His Celestial Barackness has been disturbing enough - halos, the Guevara-esque CHANGE posters, the white-clad Venus de Chicago emerging from the waters accompanied by doves - but bringing children into the mix may be the moment the Obama Movement officially nuked the fridge.
Naturally, I want to encourage this disgusting behavior, so even the most dedicated anti-McCain/Palin type (of every party) will get the point that this is not just an election for some people, but an actual MOVEMENT designed to heal the planet and cast the evildoers (e.g. people not drinking the Obama-ade) into outer darkness, where there will be no more gnashing of teeth thanks to the resurrected (get it?) Fairness Doctrine.
Whether or not Barack believes his own PR, he does little to dissuade it. He’s happy to exploit the gullible rubes, the lost and adrift looking for something to believe in, and give them B.O. as the Way, the Truth, and the Light.
Just in case sanity and self-preservation does NOT prevail next month, I guess it’s never too early to capitalize on the coming revamp of the hymnals, starting (naturally) with the kids’ sunday school songbooks.
I have a modest example here.
He’s got the whole Party … in his hands
He’s got the Democratic Party … in his hands
He’s got the only sanctioned Party … in his hands
He’s got the whole world in his hands
He’s got the TV networks … in his hands
He’s got the cable news networks … in his hands
He’s got the history networks … in his hands
He’s got the whole world in his hands
He’s got the little bitty babies … in his hands
He’s got the terminated cell clumps … in his hands
He’s got the eugenics program … in his hands
He’s got the whole world in his hands
He’s got the Euroweenies … in his hands
He’s got the Asian commies … in his hands
He’s got the African tyrants … in his hands
He’s got the whole world in his hands
he’s got the hearts of many … in his hands
He’s got the minds of many … in his hands
He’s got the balls of everyone … in his hands
He’s got our jewels in his hands
Submissions welcome. I for one welcome our new Obama overlords…
I’ve resisted the Twitter call for months. But one of the geek podcasts I tune into - TWiT network, GeekBrief TV, Buzz Out Loud, can’t remember which - finally pushed me to take the leap. Perhaps it was Merlin Mann, the clown prince of productivity and Picasso of profanity. [warning: I alliterate unintentionally, and often. I'm in therapy for it, but progress is slow.]
I’m chock-full of opinions, but I have a tendency to compartmentalize. For purely political commentary, I read a lot of political blogs, and I occasionally comment, but the bulk of my contributions are at Hot Air, where I dove in with both feet during the primaries and found a steady supply of agreement and disagreement. (Sometimes, I prefer the latter. It’s one thing to get kudos from the choir. But I relish the times when I can persuade - or be persuaded - to a better position.)
I dearly love the Gerbils at Teh Squeaky Wheel, where political rants (though they are certainly there) give a back seat to things like friendship, wit, silly pictures, classic pinups, and a camaraderie and compassion that keeps me lurking even when I have little time to comment. They continue to welcome me warmly even when I’m on radio silence for long stretches. And in this very partisan season, it’s a refuge.
I don’t feel that urgently about posting to my own blog, largely because I crave feedback and that’s more readily available where there are many people. When I do post here it tends to be when I have a lot to say, or I chew through complex thoughts. The posts, then, tend to be sporadic, and looooooong. When I need to go on at length, nothing else will do - regardless of whether anyone is paying attention.
But those take time to compose. As rough as they may read at times, I do fuss over them a lot before I post. And it’s tough to find time to devote to lengthy writing. Far more often, I just feel the urge to do a drive-by comment. Hot Air and TSW are good places for that, but sometimes even those places “take too long” because of my temptation to stick around and dive into conversations.
For barbaric yawps of one minute or less, this Twitter thing has potential. 140 character limit. Post from your phone. No logging in needed. No need to check the landscape to be relevant to the thread. Just toss out the bon mot and get on with life.
So…where I have this place to gaze at, contemplate, spelunk into and explore my navel in a leisurely fashion, I also need an outlet for the eeeevil, brief, spontaneous idiocy that flows from my mind like butter from a cow with Parkinsons. The nuggets will vacillate between profound and pitiful, a light nosh or a frothy glass of phlegm, depending on my mood. (I know: ewwwwww.)
Should you happen to care or be curious about the Readers Digest view of the button-down mind of the cuddly dictator, check out http://twitter.com/sulla_puppy. I’ll also use that place to link to my rare blog posts here.
No, I’m not going to do the full Crocker. But sweet steaming Sterculius, I cannot believe the depths to which some of Palin’s detractors are spelunking in their efforts to destroy her.
Yesterday’s hacking into Palin’s Yahoo account and publication of its contents (nothing incriminating, as the intruder admits, but a massive violation of all boundaries, and at least a few laws). A “comedian” offering Bristol Palin $25,000 to have an abortion. The earlier litany of lies about Trig Palin’s “real” mother. People disputing Sarah’s right to be numbered among Women - excuse me, Womyn. Such philosophical luminaries as Matt Damon, Lindsay Lohan, Pamela Anderson, Roseanne Barr (whatever she calls herself these days) discoursing on Palin’s credentials, character, hubris, audacity, etc. Photoshops of Palin in various states of provocative (un)dress and in many cases degradation litter the Internet.
I could go on, but I choose not to.
Look, I know there are those who are pushing for Obama to win in November. Most of them are not certifiably insane. But a disturbing number of them are. Perhaps some of it is mob mentality - the echo chambers they frequent get everyone in a lather. The temptation to outdo one another in ferocity increases as the polls give any cause for concern that their candidate might not win. For some, Palin’s deeply held beliefs stand in stark contrast to their own, and her successes represent a clear and present danger to their world view.
Political campaigns are almost ugly; when someone stands between you (or your candidate) and your cherished goal, you need to stop them at any cost. The only question is where you draw the line. This year, the line is so far out it’s beyond the horizon. It’s one thing to suggest that the other side is out to Destroy Sarah; it’s another when there are those on the other side who don’t even bother to deny it.
Look, hit her all you like on her knowledge (or lack thereof) of world affairs; of the economy; of whatever else. You want to belittle her experience as mayor or governor, go for it. You want to mock her public appearances for style or content, have a ball. Those are all fair game.
But if you’re writing in a public forum that your blood boils and you contemplate murder because a political rival is on television…seek professional help. Seriously.
Yes, elections are important. Yes, I understand what it feels like to be the party out of power, and feeling like the country is seriously on the wrong track. I know all too well the sense that the guy in the white house is unworthy of it and should have the decency to resign or the karmic deficit to be tossed out by Senate vote. I’ve been there.
But wanting a candidate DEAD? Dude. Seriously: DUDE. That kind of anger is not only not healthy for you, it’s toxic to the people around you.
Stop hurting America. Get therapy. that much pent-up rage will be be let loose one way or another. I saw it happen in 1992 after 12 years of Reagan/Bush; it was scary. Two years later, Newt Gingrich led the “Republican Revolution” that ended the 40 year stranglehold on the House by the Democrats, and the party polarization escalated further. Impeachment in 1998, the electoral standoff and accusations of “stolen election” in 2000, John Kerry’s ridiculous attempt to claim the same…
America is in the grip of a nationwide OCD cycle. Round and round, more and more intense, no escape in sight. We either break the cycle and let the intensity dissipate, or emotions will blow up…broadly, and badly. We saw acts of violence in 2004, and even more of it this year so far.
I earnestly pray that no harm comes to any candidate, before or after the election. I’m sure there are those whose feelings against Obama are so out there that they’d do him harm if they could…but I have yet to see any public mention of it. The threats against Palin, on the other hand, are all too public, and if I were one of her Secret Service people I’d be armed for bear…and wolves…and elephants…and submarines….
I know Gov. Palin can, for the most part, fend for herself. She will rise or fall based on her performance this fall. She doesn’t scare easily, and she’s already acquired a substantial roster of enemies. But to my knowledge, none of her Alaska foes want her dead.
I wish I could say the same of the nation, but I’ve seen too many comments online to doubt it.
At the moment, I’d almost prefer to be living in Iraq, where the citizens are trying to get along.
I couldn’t help but click, but I was anxious about what I would find. It’s been seven years since that dreadful morning, which seems both an eternity ago, and and also like only yesterday.
This of course may leave many of you surprised, shocked, and perhaps even offended by our implication that such events could ever be a cause for celebration. Many of you may have seen the title of this news post and instantly assumed that we meant to poke a sore spot.
Certainly, that site is known for poking sore spots.
I can’t say I agree with all of it. But it gave me something to think about.
There is nothing to celebrate in the devastation that murdered thousands of our citizens and traumatized millions more. But the determination that rose from those ashes…the people on United flight 93 who fought back in the first battle of this war…the millions of Iraqis and Afghanis who no longer live under tyranny, struggling and not yet safe, but free…the members of our armed services and their families who have endured great hardships for tour after tour of duty, but so often reporting for hard duty with a genuine commitment to the mission and the people who depend upon it…
For too many, that day is a dim memory. Too many have twisted it to fit their warped concept of the country and its place in the world.
But there is indeed, much to celebrate. In our sorrow, there remains much to be grateful for. In our remembrance of that day, may we remember the things that gave us comfort: family, friends, faith, freedom. Remembering our national heritage of wiping away the blood, standing fast, and pressing forward when we have been knocked down. Remembering a brief, shining moment when much of the world rose and said, “today we are all Americans.” Some have not backed down from that, and we have discovered and rediscovered friends the world over.
The day after Super Tuesday, which now seems a lifetime ago, it was obvious that John McCain would be the GOP nominee. There were a couple of folks who didn’t get the memo: Ron Paul, who has since completely left the reservation; and Mike Huckabee, who apparently never got the memo that Mitt Romney had dropped out in February, and kept campaigning against him right up to (and during) the GOP convention.
The “race” for the vice presidency began almost immediately. When Huckabee finally conceded to McCain about five weeks after Super Tuesday, he had more delegates than Romney, but hadn’t caught up to him in the popular vote. Why did this matter? Because there were fans of both candidates who spent months pressing for their guy’s “right” to the vice-presidency, and laughing at the other guy’s “pitiful claims” to same. Not surprisingly, there were other names floated as well: Rudy Giuliani, who had appeared with McCain on the Tonight Show after the Florida primary; Tim Pawlenty, the Evangelical governor of a battleground state who lacked Huckabee’s charisma but also his negatives; Tom Ridge, former governor and Homeland Security secretary; Joe Lieberman, Al Gore’s running mate turned 9/11 Independent. Other names occasionally popped up, like Florida governor Charlie Crist, Fred! Thompson, former HP CEO Carly Fiorina, former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, football star turned congressman Lyn Swann, former Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, McCain’s own ninety-something mother (to defuse the “he’s so ooooold!” charge), Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal, and…
Anyone else I missed? Well, I did get a few feelers, but I think Maverick was just buttering me up for a donation. (Note to self: if the sucking-up comes Bulk Rate, don’t get your hopes up.)
For months there was noisy, sometimes entertaining but more often tedious, debate about the best person for the job. Romney seemed to gather more interest as the months wore on, but the opposition to him was loud and implacable. Trial balloons were floated almost daily, and most were shot down with extreme prejudice. When Obama picked Joe Biden, the question boiled down to “safe pick” or “risky pick”. The safe pick seemed to be Tim Pawlenty, boring but stable. The risky pick - and McCain’s preference - was Lieberman, his longtime friend.
There was one other name that kept popping up, but was considered a longshot. The young governor of a small, non-battleground state; evangelical; a bit of a maverick. High school sports star, avid hunter, demonstrably pro-life. Married 20 years, telegenic kids, oldest son in the Army about to deploy to Iraq. Cheerful disposition, but with a fierce side that often left adversaries, including those in her own party, wondering what hit them.
The final list always included this governor, a favorite among many of the grass roots folks and online political addicts, but almost completely unknown to the country at large.
So, the morning after the Democratic National Convention and Senator Obama’s Olympian performance, it was a bit of a bombshell when John McCain appeared on the big stage in Dayton Ohio with Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee (the Israel and Palestine of the GOP)…and introduced his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska - a moose-hunting “naughty librarian” with a stiletto tongue and an aversion to Hillary-esque pantsuits.
Prior to this announcement, a whole lot of Republicans were already maneuvering for the 2012 election, because 2008 looked hopeless: Old and Busted on the right versus New Hotness on the far, far left. But a funny thing happened on the way to the coronation: John McCain’s pick was so unexpected, such a “maverick” move that nonetheless appealed to the GOP base, that the entire tone of the general election changed in a heartbeat.
I’m young enough still that I was hoping it would be a while before I saw a candidate for President who could have been in my high school yearbook. Now, one way or the other, I’m almost guaranteed it. The race to November still has a lot of potential twists and turns, but after months of electoral malaise, the race is exciting again.
Governors Palin and Jindal represent the future of the GOP - a future that came sooner than I expected. The last time the Republicans put up someone this young and unknown was Dan Quayle in 1988…and it basically ruined his career. A promising young senator became “no Jack Kennedy” and the guy who couldn’t spell POTATO but could make Murphy Brown a political issue. He was the proto-Dubya, without the Texas twang or the quick and self-deprecating wit…and it cost him in the long run.
I had similar concerns about Palin, but so far I’ve been impressed by her resilience (of which more in a future post). Whether or not McCain wins in November, Palin’s looking good as a long-term presence in Republican politics.
You ever have that kind of summer where you forget your passwords, and your password manager went bye-bye in the hard disk crash? (at least the music library was backed up…)
Yeeeeeah. Been one of those.
Now that I can access my own blog again, I’ll play a bit of catch-up with one or more (brief) posts about where we are now and how we got here, my thoughts on the nominees and their VP picks, and my projections for November.
Because I know that the conversation can’t really begin until I have spoken…and once I’ve spoken, there is little left to say.
Being the Final Word has its advantages, but it stinks for carrying on a conversation. I’ll try not to be quite so profound and wise.
It may be a matter of kicking the Clintons when they’re down, but I think this video points out a flaw in the Clinton rhetoric that the Clintons have never, EVER been called on…until this year. That they got away with it for so long but no longer are is more a function of the party’s “new hotness” in the form of Barack Obama.
Here’s Clinton at a rally, taking on an Obama supporter over Hillary’s health care debacle:
Note the contrasting messages. Bill throws his usual “shame on you” at the individual, and then launches into his boilerplate about how HARD Hillary worked on healthcare. Months and months, meetings upon meetings, thousands of pages of notes and documentation…no doubt, Hillary worked hard. Then when she unveiled her unflushed steaming pile of proposed legislation on her nationwide bus tour, she dealt with sleepless nights, speech upon speech, and that patented Hillary charm (”non-negotiable”).
Yep, she worked hard. No question about that. But … to what end? The voter’s comments at the end sum up the problem. Doesn’t matter how hard you work: it’s what you accomplish. What Hillary accomplished was NOT reform of America’s health care system, but rather an overwhelming, crushing defeat of her non-negotiable, closed-door hubris.
The Clintons never want to talk about results. They want to talk about how hard they worked. Fine; give them a gold star for effort, then put their underachieving carcasses in remedial governance.
Granted, as a conservative, and one who believes that government governs best when it governs least, a hard-working liberal who achieves little is preferable to a liberal who achieves a lot. Jimmy Carter got a whole lot done…and look how the 1970s turned out.