Does anyone else feel like every presidential race they have ever seen is little more than a glorified namecalling match? Seriously, you're grown ass men, and you shouldn't need to be cutting each other down to gain support. Talk about what YOU'RE good at, and how YOU are going to make this country a better place. Don't go on about how stupid the other candidate is or how dumb his vice presidential choice was. I really can't get over it. Then again, maybe that's just politics...a glorified playground shouting match.
This may be the best onion article I have read. I think it best embodies how I perceive this presidential race.
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/i_would_make_a_bad_president_obama
Man, I love good satire.
Mis Hermanos y Yo
17 years ago
7 comments:
You're absolutely right. Since the Rove-era (I just did it!), it's not enough to simply support your candidate. Rather, you must HATE the opposition, because what better way is there to show true love for one by loathing another?
Agreed, this concept is stupid. However, the angry Democrat in me hears ignorant talk about non-existent religious beliefs and neo-confederate slanders of my candidate, and I feel I'm left with no choice; that is, to call a mirror image a mirror image, an unready running-mate an unready running-mate, a spade a spade.
Oh, man, I hope you didn't see this as an attack at you, Sir Ignatius.
Rather, I was referring to the presidential candidates attacking one another. It's all ridiculous, methinks.
Given that we are in the final week of the presidential race, it is fitting to use a quote George Orwell's 1984:
The psychology behind Hate Week is precisely that of working up both party members and proles into a frenzy of self-righteous hate for the enemy, pushing out of their minds all thought of the unsatisfactory lives that they themselves are living.
But let us be realistic. Karl Rove didn't invent political slander/hatred/slogans against one's opponents, he only redefined it to fit the twenty-first century and post-9/11 politics. Politics has been as much about about casting an opponent or their party in a negative light as any other issue for a candidate. In 1964, a conservative party slogan in the U.K. was "If you want a nigger for a neighbor--vote Labour." In 1884, Thomas Blaine attacked the character of Grover Cleveland with the slogan "Ma, Ma, Where's My Pa?" because of Cleveland's fathering of an illegitimate child. Things were no different back to even the first of political election in the United States. In 1800, John Adams called Vice President Jefferson a "mean spirited, low-lived fellow, the son of a half-breed Indian squaw, sired by a Virginia mulatto father." Not to be outdone, Thomas Jefferson accused John Adams as having "hideous hermaphroditical character, which has neither the force and firmness of a man, nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman." Some things never change.
And let us not be so naive to think Obama is above all of this negative political rhetoric. His entire campaign revolves around criticizing current president Bush and associating McCain with the past eight years of Bush's presidency. Though, I must say, Obama has had as his central mesage, a positive one ("Change We Can Believe In"), one that has been as positive as any candidate in recent memory. Two historical examples of a candidate whose central message was centrally positive were Bill Clinton ("It's Time to Change America") and JFK's ("It's Time for Greatness").
Well said. However, I never claimed that Mr. Obama was above it all. I accuse him as much as I do McCain for acting like 7 year olds.
Politics are just dirty. Makes me sick sometimes. Nay, frequently.
Tacitus---Point taken, as I should have clarified the Rove comment to pertain to a more modern era. However, even in the volatile Civil Rights period, before Reagan's solidification of social values as a Republican staple, I don't think the ailse -- both in Congress and society -- was ever as clearly divided as it is now. I digress.
I disagree with your thoughts on Obama's comparison between Bush and McCain as being hateful. Correct me if I'm wrong, but other than Carter, no President in recent history has had such a tumultous tenure as W, according to public opinion. During his tenure, the Republican party has been hi-jacked by know-it-all, do-it-ourself types pertaining to foreign policy. We have given tax breaks to the top 1%, and, I hope you are you ready for this, the government has SOCIALIZED our economy via this bailout more than it ever has been before in U.S. history.
Did McCain do this? No. But he has failed to distance himself from the man deservedly titled the "least popular President in history." Obama hasn't acted on this with hate. Rather, his camp has aired commercials where McCain BRAGS about voting 90% in line with President Bush. How is simply airing a context relevant commercial, consisting of McCain's boasting of his similarity to Bush, hateful? Personally, I want to know if McCain has voted similar to Bush, as I do not wish for 4(perhaps 8) more years of ineffective policies. I realize McCain had little if any to do with the struggles of the past 8 years, but until he denounces the current administration's shortcomings, I'm voting for a yellow-dog Democrat, as the Republican party has earned 4 years in the political wilderness.
Touche, Tacitus. Touche!
Shit. 15 minutes to happy hour. Man, work sucks.
Ignatius--no doubt the country's political disunity is at its highest in the recent historical record. And no doubt W's presidency has been a complete travesty of travesties; despite what some think, history will not treat him well.
On the point of Obama's campaign strategy: I did not say his political rhetoric was hateful. In fact, I think he's run a pretty clean campaign so far. But I did say he was not above the "negative political rhetoric" that is at the heart of politics. Regardless of the context relevance, my point is that he has, like I said, "[casted his] opponent in a negative light" through some ads and commercials. What is ingenious about his strategy, is that he doesn't look like the mean bully pushing McCain, the American war hero, around (though his attacks on Bush are another story). And in doing so, he hasn't alienated those voters sitting on the fence, but rather very subtly, made himself look even more attractive to them.
Look, I'm an Obama guy too and I think he potentially can be a superbly effective president, but let's not fool ourselves into thinking he is a political angel--because there aren't any of those in mainstream politics today.
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