Today I saw a news article saying that McCain needs to pick Bloomberg because "The Republican Brand is dead". When I read those words, something in me just snapped. The last few months have been full of speculation about November, and there are so many loose ends that have not been brought together, so I decided I'd go out and enlighten some folks about how everything is really going to go down.
First of all, Bush approval levels should be a clear indication that Bush is not a real Republican. Any time an approval rating goes below about 50%, it means people of both parties are having an issue, and truth be told, some of Bush’s greatest opposition comes from those on his right. Most Republicans disagree with a lot of his policies, especially as they are, well, too liberal for them. But the media still seems to have this perception that he represents all Republicans, and that any Republican represents Bush (even as they usually tend to run from him). I don't see the big issue here- Bush is not running for a 3rd term, he's not on the ticket, and I highly doubt McCain would have him as VP. Regardless of what happens this November, we will not have G. W. Bush in the White House any longer.
Of course, a lot of this opinion polling is based on mere public perception; I'd love to see any of those with the public opinions actually doing the job any better than Bush has. I'm sure they'd say they'd change a few things, but being President of the greatest world power is a very serious job, one I believe people don’t take as seriously as they should.
Which is what leads me into my next point- Obama. He has to be the least experienced possible candidate in the whole Democratic Party. I keep getting this mental image that one day, watching CNN or some other "unbiased" station go 5 news cycles bashing Bush, Obama decided that in his limited capacity as community organizer and 1 tem state senator, he could do a better job than Bush could. After all, if Bush really was as inept and incapable as the news media make him out to be, anyone, even Obama, could do the job.
Now here's where I start having to address some real issues. Obama, being the first black (well, honestly, half-black) man to attain all-but presumptive nominee status, has a lot of civil rights activists cheering for the fact that he has gotten this far despite his race (or half-race?). And there is something to be said for the fact that there have been no significant racist comments by any significant commentators. But Obama’s race should have nothing to do with whether people vote for him or not. I can't emphasize that enough. Being black, or being a woman for that matter, should have nothing to do with any decision made for a position that governs all people. It should be strictly decided on the basis of qualification.
It actually says something bad about our society that we have let such an inadequate potential leader continue in his quest for the highest position without greater scrutiny. The fact that Obama has gotten so far shows that we have an even more significant problem- in our postmodern view on race, we let preoccupation with not discriminating because of race so disrupt our judgment that we suspend disbelief and hold back legitimate criticism because we are afraid of being judged ourselves. Race is now more important than ever, and for the worst possible reasons.
In fact, I'm not sure if people realize this, but if Obama is elected as president as a black man rather than as the best individual suited for the job, he becomes the symbol of all black people in high public position. He becomes a historical figure who represents his race in his position. Now think- if we're going to elect the first black president, shouldn't he be a little more competent and experienced? Any rookie mistake he makes will reflect badly on his whole race, not just on himself.
Think that won't happen? Bush, even though he was born in Connecticut, has become a representation of Texas and cowboys, and has essentially branded those people with the same labels the media consistently puts on him. Think of all the televangelists who have “fallen from grace” and consequently cast a negative light on all the beliefs they represent. Of course, we may never find out about Obama's mistakes until it’s too late- he is, after all, a Democrat.
Now do not misconstrue my words. I have no problem voting for a black man or woman. I would vote for Condoleezza Rice or Colin Powell in a heartbeat. They are both experienced people who know the demands of the job and would be well qualified as Commander in Chief. Obama, who refuses to talk to Vietnam Veterans and has barely consulted General Petraeus, might not even know the first thing about how to handle the position. With no true leadership experience, no concrete plan of action and no strong knowledge of exactly how many states there are, I just don't know that he'd make a good president, regardless of his race.
My real concern is with those who believe they must vote for him because being the first minority in a position is more important than having the position run well. I think that is the worst possible thing we could do as a nation. Civil rights are important, but not so important we need to compromise the safety, cohesion and future of our nation. That is not about racism, but about making the right decision.
I’ll talk about McCain later- that’s a story for a whole ‘nother day. But suffice it to say that when we as a party look at the failures of the Bush administration, we can see how seriously we need a new direction in the party. When we look at Obama, we clearly see the threat of inaction, leaving us much more than, well, shortchanged. We have the opportunity now to work together and do something right- hopefully the leadership will take notice (any time now!) and make the Republican Brand strong once again.
First of all, Bush approval levels should be a clear indication that Bush is not a real Republican. Any time an approval rating goes below about 50%, it means people of both parties are having an issue, and truth be told, some of Bush’s greatest opposition comes from those on his right. Most Republicans disagree with a lot of his policies, especially as they are, well, too liberal for them. But the media still seems to have this perception that he represents all Republicans, and that any Republican represents Bush (even as they usually tend to run from him). I don't see the big issue here- Bush is not running for a 3rd term, he's not on the ticket, and I highly doubt McCain would have him as VP. Regardless of what happens this November, we will not have G. W. Bush in the White House any longer.
Of course, a lot of this opinion polling is based on mere public perception; I'd love to see any of those with the public opinions actually doing the job any better than Bush has. I'm sure they'd say they'd change a few things, but being President of the greatest world power is a very serious job, one I believe people don’t take as seriously as they should.
Which is what leads me into my next point- Obama. He has to be the least experienced possible candidate in the whole Democratic Party. I keep getting this mental image that one day, watching CNN or some other "unbiased" station go 5 news cycles bashing Bush, Obama decided that in his limited capacity as community organizer and 1 tem state senator, he could do a better job than Bush could. After all, if Bush really was as inept and incapable as the news media make him out to be, anyone, even Obama, could do the job.
Now here's where I start having to address some real issues. Obama, being the first black (well, honestly, half-black) man to attain all-but presumptive nominee status, has a lot of civil rights activists cheering for the fact that he has gotten this far despite his race (or half-race?). And there is something to be said for the fact that there have been no significant racist comments by any significant commentators. But Obama’s race should have nothing to do with whether people vote for him or not. I can't emphasize that enough. Being black, or being a woman for that matter, should have nothing to do with any decision made for a position that governs all people. It should be strictly decided on the basis of qualification.
It actually says something bad about our society that we have let such an inadequate potential leader continue in his quest for the highest position without greater scrutiny. The fact that Obama has gotten so far shows that we have an even more significant problem- in our postmodern view on race, we let preoccupation with not discriminating because of race so disrupt our judgment that we suspend disbelief and hold back legitimate criticism because we are afraid of being judged ourselves. Race is now more important than ever, and for the worst possible reasons.
In fact, I'm not sure if people realize this, but if Obama is elected as president as a black man rather than as the best individual suited for the job, he becomes the symbol of all black people in high public position. He becomes a historical figure who represents his race in his position. Now think- if we're going to elect the first black president, shouldn't he be a little more competent and experienced? Any rookie mistake he makes will reflect badly on his whole race, not just on himself.
Think that won't happen? Bush, even though he was born in Connecticut, has become a representation of Texas and cowboys, and has essentially branded those people with the same labels the media consistently puts on him. Think of all the televangelists who have “fallen from grace” and consequently cast a negative light on all the beliefs they represent. Of course, we may never find out about Obama's mistakes until it’s too late- he is, after all, a Democrat.
Now do not misconstrue my words. I have no problem voting for a black man or woman. I would vote for Condoleezza Rice or Colin Powell in a heartbeat. They are both experienced people who know the demands of the job and would be well qualified as Commander in Chief. Obama, who refuses to talk to Vietnam Veterans and has barely consulted General Petraeus, might not even know the first thing about how to handle the position. With no true leadership experience, no concrete plan of action and no strong knowledge of exactly how many states there are, I just don't know that he'd make a good president, regardless of his race.
My real concern is with those who believe they must vote for him because being the first minority in a position is more important than having the position run well. I think that is the worst possible thing we could do as a nation. Civil rights are important, but not so important we need to compromise the safety, cohesion and future of our nation. That is not about racism, but about making the right decision.
I’ll talk about McCain later- that’s a story for a whole ‘nother day. But suffice it to say that when we as a party look at the failures of the Bush administration, we can see how seriously we need a new direction in the party. When we look at Obama, we clearly see the threat of inaction, leaving us much more than, well, shortchanged. We have the opportunity now to work together and do something right- hopefully the leadership will take notice (any time now!) and make the Republican Brand strong once again.
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