So in the meantime, something else occured to me. While I've been watching the candidates react to the week's economic events, I've noticed a real distinction between them. Barack Obama has not wavered on anything he's said on the campaign trail, or even on anything he said or did during his terms in elected office. He has been consistent, confident and clear on his positions, with a focus on outlining some specific actions he intends to take to address the issues we face (including job growth through the development of new industries like renewable energy and stem cell research, tax relief for all families making less than $250,000 per year, support for fair pay for women and minimum wage earners, and a reinstatement of pay-as-you-go federal budget rules - click here to read more about the PAYGO rules).
John McCain, on the other hand, has found himself struggling to explain his position, offers little or no detail to clarify his economic plan, and often contradicts both his past voting record and his recent campaign rhetoric. He wants desperately to distance himself from the Republicans who have run the economy for the better part of the past eight years, and this is understandable - aligining yourself with the guys who set the stage for the biggest economic crash in America since the 1930's sure isn't a good idea in an election year.
The reinvention of John McCain makes me think of another prominent American who has based her entire career on changing her image - Madonna. In fact, I realized that you can actually use Madonna's songs to illustrate the key points about John McCain's candidacy. I know it sounds weird, but go with me here, people...
LIKE A VIRGIN
It appears that John McCain wants to pretend the past 26 years of his Washington career never happened, and that he is politically born again - a blank slate, pure as the driven snow, just waiting to bring an untainted agenda to the White House. This idea of casting off his past record is merely an attempt to fool the public into trusting him as an agent of "reform". He has been banking on the assumption that most voters are either too ignorant to know better, or that they have short memories. Unfortunately, he may be right. But he wants nothing more right now than to convince us all that he is truly a "maverick", someone who stands up against the Republicans and doesn't blindly follow their party line. Sort of like...oh, I don't know...a DEMOCRAT or something. He hopes we will ignore his 26 years as a Washington insider, and all those ties to the administrative blunders of the past 8 years. We should look upon him not as a part of that failed system, but as an outsider...someone fresh and new, whose greatest asset is not his past legislative record but rather the promise of future greatness. You know, like that Barack Obama guy!
During this campaign, John McCain has repeatedly asked us to follow him to Bizzaro World, where everything is the opposite of what it usually is. His campaign has shifted from a focus on "experience" to a focus on "change". He has publicly vowed to run "a respectful campaign", and then sunk to running what have been called some of the "sleaziest ads" ever seen. He hyped up his "Straight Talk Express", promising to demonstrate transparency in his campaign by allowing extensive access to the press...instead, he has kept them at bay and hasn't held a press conference for 35 days now, favoring staged rallies instead. He seems to be gunning for a world record in flip-flopping; this week alone, he called the economy fundamentally "strong" and declared a state of economic "crisis", he went from being a deregulator to a champion of government oversight, and he agreed with the governmental AIG bailout right after expressing his disapproval of that bailout. It makes your head hurt, it really does. Who knows - if he keeps pushing this line long enough, there may be people out there who buy his retooled image as someone who really can bring change to Washington - even though HE IS Washington.
FORBIDDEN LOVE
The one thing that's crucial to McCain's rebranding is separating himself from George W. Bush. But that's not so easy to do when you've been in bed with the guy for the better part of a decade. I mean, seriously...McCain's lipstick is all over Dubya's collar (not that we want to get into more "lipstick" analogies right now). He has criticized the Bush administration, vowing to "right the wrongs" done by the president - BUT he supported Bush consistently during the past 8 years and voted with him more than 90% of the time. More important than his past acceptance of Bush's policies is his failure to outline how he'd change them in the future. Both Democratic and Republican strategists agree that there is no discernible difference between Bush's stand on every single issue (including the economy, the war on terror, health care, education, etc.) and McCain's stand. If they've been so closely alligned for so long, how can we believe that McCain won't be just four more years of Bush?
LUCKY STAR
Throughout this race, John McCain has only seen a surge in his poll numbers once...after the start of the phenmomenon known as "Palinmania". Sarah Palin's initial impression on the public was sensational, and created a great deal of enthusiasm and interest where there had been little or none. But in the weeks since her nomination, the bubble has started to deflate. And guess what? We're right back where we started, with the candidates neck and neck in most polls, and McCain's solo campaign appearances being greeted with small, respectful crowds. Only when Palin joins him is there any sign of the excitement that was on display at the Republican convention. With several long weeks left before election day, and more information about Sarah Palin's past track record coming to light on a regular basis, it's highly possible that the Palin factor may have already peaked and begun its inevitable decline.
DIE ANOTHER DAY
On the subject of Palin, need we remind ourselves that McCain is a 72-year-old man, with recurring health problems? And that next in line for the presidency is...Sarah Palin? Just sayin'.
LIKE A PRAYER
Man, if there's a better title to describe McCain's economic policies, I can't think of one. In the face of monstrous market upheaval, billion-dollar bailouts on the taxpayers' dime, crisis-level issues in real estate, banking and insurance, rising unemployment, falling value of the US dollar, and multiple other signs of trouble in America, John McCain's plan is...well, we don't exactly know WHAT it is, because he doesn't actually know what it is yet either. As his senior policy adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, said on Tuesday, "I don't think it's imperative at this moment to write down what the plan should be." This is an actual quote, people! I can't make this stuff up! So on the same day that our nation was reeling from the Wall Street meltdown, this guy tells us that an actual, spelled-out plan, with details and stuff, isn't really a necessity right now. Heck, let's leave that fancy-pants type of stuff to the intellectual elitists, like that Barack Obama guy! Sweet baby Jesus in a peach treee...and we thought McCain was throwing the ultimate Hail Mary pass by choosing Palin as his veep. But no! He was saving the best for last - a Hail Mary pass for the economic future of America! Whatta maverick!
I dunno, folks...I know McCain's a Gambler, but he just Can't Stop digging himself Deeper And Deeper into a hole every time he opens his mouth. All these 180-degree turnarounds are Causing A Commotion, and he's not giving me too many reasons to Justify My Love. Papa Don't Preach - it's high time for an Act Of Contrition after all you've gotten wrong. I realize it's Human Nature to be in denial about your past mistakes, but seriously, dude...you're definitely Guilty By Association. And in November, we'll be teaching you The Power Of Goodbye.
0 comments:
Post a Comment