Still Liking Our Choices
By Alan Stewart Carl | Related entries in 2008 ElectionAfter praising Sarah Palin’s speech, I realized that I’ve had a positive reaction to all three of the major speeches at this year’s conventions. I guess it’s now up to John McCain to make it a clean sweep of solid performances.
Even if McCain tanks (a real concern given his numerous lackluster speeches), I do feel the need to point out, once again, how much better our choices are this election. Just going on the convention speeches alone, I remember cringing through George Bush’s arrogant and John Kerry’s haughty acceptance speeches four years ago. And John Edwards was so wan and timid that I actually went away concerned about his capability to lead the nation if called upon. As for Dick Cheney – yeah, well, he doesn’t give speeches so much as he tells you how it’s going to be.
Speeches don’t make the leader and I’m not suggesting that comparing this year’s oratorical moments with those of four years ago is a proper method of judging candidate quality. But these speeches are one more indication that, in serious times, our parties have delivered choices more compelling than the ones we’ve had in recent memory.
I’m sure, to partisan readers, I sound foolish. Don’t I know McCain will burn the Constitution and keep us in perpetual war? Don’t I know Obama will sell us out to our enemies our tax us into third-world status? I guess I don’t know all that. But what I do know is that presidencies succeed or fail not just through the policies the president supports but how the president reacts to unexpected events. I think we have two tickets who will give us better leadership than their counterparts four or even eight years ago would have (and have) provided.
As we move out of the conventions and into the stretch run of the election, I’m still excited. And I’m still not 100% sure for whom I’ll vote – not because I can’t decide who is the lesser evil but because I haven’t decided who will make the better president. That’s not the worst position to be in.
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September 4th, 2008 at 8:45 am
Allan,
When I woke up this mornin I recalled a story my wife told me bout a friend. Her husband was on the way to an auto dealer when his wife stopped him n said “what are u crazy? We have two cars financed to the hills and one of them is leased!” His answer: “No worries, dear, I’m just gonna kick the tires on this great Ad I saw – they’re givin these trucks away! But it’ll take an awfully good salesman to sell me on this one.”
Well i’m sure you can guess the end of this story. Ever try to get out of a lease prematurely? Yea, it wasn’t his wife’s car that was leased! So I’m also sure by now u guess the point here, too. That’s what they do- they’re sellin us a grand vission of the future- ‘If you vote for me”.
So did she tell you what she’s gonna do for ya -as if… Or did she just tell you what the other guys aren’t – or what the other guys are promising but won’t deliver. And we all run around like fools, not caring bout anything xcept which credit card we’ll use for this one!
September 4th, 2008 at 9:08 am
Ben – I think you are being a little rough on Obama and Biden with this comment, but you are entitled to your opinion. I am curious though – did you see Sarah Palin’s speech last night?
September 4th, 2008 at 9:17 am
I’m really fine with either McCain or Obama. I’m confident that both guys could prove to be decent presidents… it’s difficult to say how good, but I imagine that they will probably do a better job than the guy currently occupying the office.
I’ll be honest, I lean toward Obama right now. I guess my leaning toward Obama is because I think he’s exhibited more pragmatism and common sense lately than McCain has. There’s also a generational factor. Let me explain… I was born a decade after the Vietnam War ended, but I feel like almost every election in the subsequent two decades after my birth has been, to an unnecessarily large degree, about Vietnam. Whether it’s draft-dodging or swift-boating or the POW card – - I’m sick of it. Time to move on. Yes, it’s great that John McCain was in POW camp, but if that’s going to be a major part of his argument on why he should be president, then Obama can count on my vote. Elections should be about the future, and the Republicans seem tied up in a depressing state of nostalgia for the Reagan era right now… It’s for the same reason why I wasn’t too hot on the idea of Hillary Clinton as president or veep (I’ve never seen a presidential administration without a Clinton or Bush as president or veep… so at least I’m happy to know we’ll be moving beyond that).
But despite my lack of enthusiasm for McCain right now, I won’t be disappointed if he wins. I’ve got an enormous amount of respect for him. And with an inevitable increase of the Democratic majority in Congress, I doubt that he’s going to be implementing a particularly out-of-the-mainstream conservative agenda.
Anyway… those are my thoughts.
September 4th, 2008 at 10:05 am
I completely have to agree. This is the first election since I’ve been old enough to be involved in politics in 92 that I really feel like I’m voting FOR someone, rather than just voting to keep the greater of two evils out.
I have high hopes (hur hope) for Obama, but I won’t go running to Canada if McCain takes the West Wing. I must admit Palin disturbs me, and if it were her name on the top of the ticket, I’d probably not be quite so centrist on this.
September 4th, 2008 at 10:23 am
Alan,
I share your concern about McCain’s speech tonight. I have very low expectations.
September 4th, 2008 at 11:18 am
bubbles… that’s one of the more interesting analyses I’ve read in quite some time! You make some very, very solid points about the generational aspects of all this.
Your post prompted me to make a quick, cursory survey of our last several presidents over at Wikipedia. Starting with Dwight Eisenhower, we were led by a string of presidents who had some sort of service in the World War II era (except for Carter, who did his time in the Navy in the early 1950s). Reagan did as much as he could during that time (apparently his eyesight excluded him from active combat), and George H.W. Bush was shot down during a bombing run on one of the Pacific islands.
George H.W. Bush was our last “World War II President.” He lost to Bill Clinton, our first “Baby Boomer” president, who never served a day in the military, despite being eligible during the Vietnam War.
In 1996, Clinton (Vietnam) defeated Bob Dole, a World War II veteran, and most likely the last WWII-era American we’ll ever see as a presidential candidate.
Clinton was followed by our current president (Vietnam-era National Guard); George W. Bush first defeated Al Gore (Vietnam veteran), and then John Kerry (Vietnam veteran).
Now… we have a rather aged Vietnam veteran in John McCain… against Barack Obama, who was only 13 or 14 during the Fall of Saigon in 1975.
Might we be in for another “changing of the guard,” so to speak?
Agnostick
agnostick@excite.com
http://marciaford.blogspot.com
http://www.bipartisanbridge.org
September 4th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Also Agnostick, McCain is the last chance of the Silent Generation to get a president.