A Maverick? Nothing Could Be Worse
I keep wondering how "maverick" and "President of the United States" can possibly belong in the same sentence. As far as I can tell, they don't. Not unless you want an independent operator sitting in the Oval Office. One who doesn't mind breaking the law--or at least bending the law. One who doesn't like to take advice, who thinks compromise is for wusses.
Yet Sarah Palin and John McCain hope to make "maverick" a major slogan in the White House. Move aside, Washington! They're movin' in. We can assume that when they do, they'll fire the chefs and do the cookin' themselves.
The term "maverick" derives from a Texas hero named Sam Maverick (1803-1870), who moved down to Texas from South Carolina, fought the Mexicans, and bought thousands of acres of land. At first he was against secession, which was a "maverick" position, but then he was for it. (Seceding is, after all, a kick-butt position to hold.) He even became one of three secession commissioners in charge of seizing federal property on behalf of the confederacy. Yet, according to the writers of Wikipedia, he didn't like to keep slaves. And kept them anyway. You can imagine old Sam Maverick saying, "Slaves? They're a headache. But you do what you gotta do."
He sired 10 children, moved around a lot, and then he did the ultimate maverick thing back in his day: he refused to brand his cattle. And that's where the name "maverick" came from. It was all about the cows.
Sam Maverick confused and inconvenienced a whole passel of folks when he moved from the Matagorda Peninsula to the Conquista Ranch, leaving unmarked cows behind. There they were, all those random cows roaming around, but no one dared steal them. Why? Because they belonged to SAM MAVERICK! So the locals branded them for him, which annoyed Sam so much he gave up cattle ranching altogether.
Now we have John McCain running on the "maverick" label. But what does that mean? Is it a "my way or the highway" proposition? He says he wants to reach across the aisle, but that's not what mavericks do. They go their own way. (As McCain said about Sarah Palin, "She's not sitting down for anybody!")
"I am one who marches to the beat of his own drum," McCain also said. Well, that's an admirable position for a philosopher, and it seems quintessentially American. But it's a disastrous position for anyone who wants to govern well.
Governing involves discussion, deliberation, and compromise. And it involves--yes, indeed--reining in the mavericks of the world before they run amok.
Since Republicans love to champion themselves as "the party of Lincoln," it's worthwhile to consider whether Lincoln was a maverick of his day, like old Sam down in Texas. At first glance it seems he was. He freed the slaves, and that took courage. And he suspended habeas corpus--an act some Southerners still won't forgive him for. Look closer, though, and you realize that Lincoln was no maverick. He never swaggered. Instead, he was the consummate listener. He tended to brood over matters. When he didn't free the slaves right away, abolitionists were furious. But he had a broader vision. He knew that if he acted too quickly, the union might never be restored. He had to hold the abolitionists, many of whom might be called mavericks, at bay.
As for suspending habeas corpus, he had no choice. Washington was threatened on all sides. Southern Maryland was filled with secessionists--real mavericks--whose guerilla tactics threatened to bring down the whole country.
For four years, then, Lincoln's biggest challenge was holding the mavericks back, not the least of whom were the maverick southern states.
Yet there were the Republicans in St. Paul, calling on the name of Lincoln, their beloved party founder, and waving their silly posters that said MCCAIN ** MAVERICK. One was even misspelled: MAVERIK.
Apparently, if you're a maverick you can spell any old way you want.
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Your early dedications and professionalism, or lack of, will have a definite impact on your leadership and judgment skills as you continue in your military career. One must ask how many of John McCain’s promotions were due to his father and grandfather’s ranks and not on his leadership and judgment skills? His aggressive attitude and “my way or the highway” spirit is because he lack the professionalism and leadership skills to motivate others to get things done. He is the type that will be the “bully” and use his position to force his agendas. This “my friends” is not leadership. He is not the type who will take advice from his Staff, but rather ensure his Staff knows that he has the expertise in all matters and advice and recommendations are not what he’s seeking…he will be seeking “yes sir, you are so right sir, you are great sir, etc…). This “my friends” is a time bomb waiting to expose globally.
Fine. Let them parade themselves as "Mavericks
We should fire back with TV ads focused on "Maverick in the White House."
Picture a wild horse in the Oval Office, running roughshod. Bucking and
whinnying, trampling the presidential desk underfoot, smashing everything
in sight.
Cut-away to two cowboys saying flatly, "Wild horse. Never can tell which way
he's gonna go."
Caption: Mavericks in the White House? After 8 years of a reckless cowboy?
No how. No way.
.
Actually, I believe McCain probably identifies more with the Maverick from the 1950's TV series. For one thing, the time period is right for a McCain pop culture reference. Second, the title character was a trouble-making cowboy who preferred gambling to manual labor. McCain's predilection for gambling is well documented, and I'm not just talking about the huge risk he took with his potential VP pick.
So next time McCain asks us to take something at face value, remember that he may have a hidden card up his sleeve.... which would explain why he never lifts his hands above his head. War wounds, really? That's something Maverick would say... just before he steals your horse.
well lets just keep our fingers crossed.
"I am one who marches to the beat of his own drum," says McCain.
"I'm the decider," said George Bush.
In his mind's eye everything needs to be attacked--forget about the details and above all don't listen!
The man (McCain) seems way too prone to buzz-word politics. I am so afraid that he's going to hit on the right one at the right time and we're going to have four more years of war, diminished civil rights, litmus-test appointees, corporations in charge of government and everything else that the BushRovians have put us through.
I will give Bush credit for one thing, however. He did what it took to turn me and my wife into Democrats.
October 4th is coming; we need to be helping people register. November 4th is coming; we need to help people vote. I can fit 5 people in my car, and I can make lots of trips. I just hope it's enough.
It's all too Orwellian for me. I'm going to have my dinner in a bar tonight.
And, if you're a maverick, you can say anything you want. Lie about anything you wish., and basically do anything you please.
With a 90% voting record backing Bush and all of the various issues Mccain has failed to see the reality of his actions on brings us to where his hail mary Palin pass has turned more lies than ever loose in the MSM. I can certainly agree that this is one "change" Mac has done as he wanted Lieberman badly. I wish that we had a media who would look at the past 8 years and work more with us to have a differnet country than this administration has been. The maverick piece might have worked in 00 or 04 but he hasn't done much to show this time he is that person if that one was even real. The amount of lobbyists and advisors who should frighten the hardest of us are running the camp Mac. The one who stirred the pot for Georgia has seen Russia turn on them and take over more of that country while Putn rightly accused Bush of trying to manipulate things for Mccain. Funny that another leader would see what some of out own have not. We deserve to know who might be holding our lives in their hands and the questions must be asked to be answered.
I can certainly imagine that Russia is stirring the pot for McCain. Didn't Iran do the same for Reagan?
The so-called maverick - he makes decisions first and then suffers the consequences later....a
Haven't we had enough of gut decisions???
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