A Day On The Links

"[Tacitus], you're an Obama guy, right?"

Well of course Tacitus is an Obama guy. But, not wanting to ruin the next two hours of my life, I grudgingly said that, well, yes, Tacitus is a supporter of Barack Obama and then, instead of arguing, simply listened.
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Brian, by most standards, is a reasonably intelligent, very successful salesmen in the medical/pharmaceutical business. As, if not more, intelligent were the two young Wachovia analysts who rounded out the foursome on the golf course. Ten holes in and a few beers down (a lot of beers down for Brian) the polite golf talk of club choice, general banalities, and random bursts of expletives general banalities turned toward the upcoming election. And Tacitus was in the minority.

Brian is a self-described, "conservative from another generation." He dislikes the, to quote, "multicultural" nature of Chicago, where he resided for 25 years; he can do without about eight million of the eight million people who live there. He lambastes the "niggers" who broke into his car in New Haven, Connecticut, but is quick to cover by saying he isn't a racist. He, correctly, points out that McCain has missed so many valuable opportunities within his campaign to regain control of the election. Brian thinks Barack Obama would be terrible for the White House for two main reasons. First, Brian duly notes Obama has no experience whatsoever, despite my objection that he was a law professor at UoChicago for twelve years. Second, Ron can not imagine Obama's "bitch of a wife promenading around the White House in hats."

The young analysts were also McCain supporters. Though much more sober and much less supportive of the character attacks on Obama, their arguments for McCain followed a similar, generic storyline: because Obama is bad for our country, our economy, my job, his job. Their biggest gripe seemed to come over the unneccesary regulation Obama and the Democrats would impose on the financial sector. Second to that the issue to them was of Obama's far-left, liberal-leaning record which pushed them toward McCain.

Interestingly, all of their evidence for McCain was not based on McCain at all, but because of the failures and/or weaknesses of Obama (save for the implied joke that voters should choose McCain because of sexual chemistry between he, Sarah Palin and/or Mrs. McCain; I'll spare the readers the details).

Not one person gave direct evidence for their support of McCain, but implicitly, there's still a lot to take away from this. Namely that many voters who choose McCain do so because he is NOT half black, NOT going to impose regulations into the financial sector, NOT married to a bitch, and, finally, HAS the fantastical possibility of having sexual relations with his running mate.

Further, there was no mention of the war in Iraq or Afghanistan, our national debt problem, the future of globalized political and economic systems, the quarter of Americans living below the poverty line (many of whom are veterans), the need for adjusted/reevaluated regulation into the financial industry, the fact that the current Republican president has increased the size of government to Great Depression-esque enormity.


Nope. None of that rational political discussion. Just that McCain isn't Obama, and so McCain is the way we should go.


After that round, it became clear the hockey moms and Joe Six-Packs aren't the only ones buying into the McCainian "Hate Week" rhetoric and the eagerness to vilify candidates on the most base level has even spread to those with education, with wealth, and with significant influence in 2008 election.