Looking Backward-McCain Style
It has become a cliché to call this election the most important election of our lives. As anybody with a decent memory can attest, this cliché is invoked every four years, but while ultimately history will show how important this election is, it has become clear that few American elections are as much a battle between the future and the past as this one is. The 1992 election certainly had this feel to it but not to the same extent as 2008 does.
First, never in American history have the two major candidates been separated in age by a quarter of a century. Obama and McCain grew up in distinctly different Americas with distinctly different problems and challenges. This helps explain why the Bill Ayers issue, for example, gets McCain so riled up, but seems so surreal to so many Obama supporters.
More specifically, McCain's political identity was forged by the Cold War more than any candidate since Bob Dole 12 years ago and more than any president since George H. W. Bush. McCain is, in many respects, the last Cold War presidential candidate, albeit with a uniquely Republican flavor. He is, like many Cold War Republican candidates were, tough, gruff, a little mean, not entirely focused on or concerned about domestic issues such as the economy, and running a campaign based on being the most American of the candidates while subtly, and increasingly not so subtly, questioning the patriotism and even Americanism of his opponent. Obama, by contrast is not only the first real post-Cold War candidate, but, in some respects, the first candidate of the 21st century.
The past and future dynamic begins with the candidates, but it does not end there. McCain's campaign has become a refuge for those who would resist the inevitable changes, both positive and negative, of the 21st century in America. While, the extent to which the bottom has fallen out of the Republican campaign is extraordinary even to the most partisan of observers, the McCain campaign's unwillingness to confront the future has become clearer through the words of both the Republican candidates and their supporters as Obama's lead has increased.
The Republican campaign has collapsed among a sordid and backward looking combination of incompetence, red-baiting that feels bizarrely anachronistic and almost quaint, the growing acceptance among many in the Republican establishment that Sarah Palin is about as qualified to be president as I am to play first base for the Yankees, an adolescent, but deeply disturbing attempt to fake a racially charged attack on a McCain supporter, attempts to suggest that the Democratic president is a supporter of terrorism essentially because he has an unusual name and through ugly anti-Muslim bigotry. Lastly, the dreaded October surprise that many Democrats feared would turn this election upside down and defeat Obama turned out to be a shopping spree in which Republican handlers bought Sarah Palin $150,000 worth of clothes and makeup.
While the shopping spree and the uniquely unqualified vice-presidential candidate are somewhat sui generis, the red-baiting, terrorist-baiting, assault hoax and, most unambiguously, racist and violent comments made by McCain supporters at rallies suggest a fear and resistance of the future as represented by Obama who, make no mistake, represents a very different America to many voters. Sadly, McCain seems to view Obama this way too and has resorted to campaigning against him by focusing on this theme. The notions that Obama "pals around with terrorists", is a Marxist or, as Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann suggested, that congress is dominated by enemies of America are, of course, outrageous, but they also evince a strong desire to hold onto the past on the part of McCain and his supporters. By alluding to incidents that happened almost 40 years ago and making charges that would have made Joe McCarthy proud they are, almost literally, fighting the last (Cold) war and using the language and imagery of that conflict as well.
For many voters under 40 years old, particularly those who are well educated, but moderate politically, who McCain desperately needs to win, calling somebody a Marxist or showing footage from the Days of Rage in Chicago influences their vote about as much as calling somebody a vegetarian or showing footage of wildcat strikes in the 1930s. This is, of course, an exaggeration, but only a slight one. McCain will probably never understand this and will lose this election wondering why nobody believed or cared about his assertions that Obama was a terrorist and a Marxist.
Age is not the major issue here as Obama will probably win all age groups; and many people older than McCain, including, for example, my father, know how to use the internet and are not so worried about a Communist takeover of the US these days. The issue is a fear of the future and comfort in the conflicts and certainties of the past. Many McCain supporters of all ages are drawn to those comforts.
Even in these increasingly difficult and frightening economic times, unless something extraordinary occurs in the next few days, Americans will vote for the future. Not only will McCain lose as badly as any Republican in at least 16, and more likely over 40, years, but he will drag his party down with him, contributing to big Democratic gains in both houses of congress, destroy his once impressive reputation as a man of character and, yes, a maverick, and with a little luck, spark internal bickering in the Republican Party that will damage the future of the party.
Although they will lose badly this year the death of the Republican Party, as Mark Twain might have said, is greatly exaggerated. The Republicans have been written off before and have managed to survive for almost 150 years. However, the party will have to determine whether there is still any percentage in being the party of the past or whether they are better off listening to those Republicans who want to make a genuine effort to expand the base and, for lack of a more delicate way of putting it, join 21st century America.
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This party and this man are just so....old. And tired. And slow (not to mention just plain angry and mean, but that's nother topic...). On this week's Meet the Press:
Brokaw (regarding polling for the GOP): I know you're a film buff, so let me begin with a film metaphor. Do you feel more like Kevin Costner in the "Field of Dreams," or like George Clooney at the--at the tiller of the ship in "A Perfect Storm"?
Sen. McCain: I, I think that I could draw my own, and I'd have to think of it, maybe, maybe "The Gipper." I feel like when--I feel like Knute Rockne when--at halftime when he said, "You go out there and get one for the Gipper."
KNUTE ROCKNE???? Mr. Brokaw dropped Costner and Clooney in his lap giftwrapped, and he reached around them and pulled Knute Rockne out of his patoot? Now, I'm an old lady (54), and barely know who Knute Rockne is -- there is a vague recollection that the OLD FOSSIL Ronald Reagan played him in a movie once. A hundred years ago.
Among other reasons, we just can't have a President this old, out of touch, and just plain slow to react. It took George Bush 7 minutes to set aside his book "My Friend the Goat" and react to the murder of thousands of Americans. McCain would STILL be reading...
VOTE, BABY, VOTE!
"Here's what I really believe, that when you are -- reach a certain level of comfort, there's nothing wrong with paying somewhat more... (F)rankly, I think the first people who deserve a
tax cut are working Americans with children that need to educate their
children, and they're the ones that I would support tax cuts for first."
John McCain - October 2000
We all know Sara Palin has a special needs child and in her speech claims that she will be an advocate for special needs children, what she is forgetting to say and should say that she will support all of the children not just special needs.
to me, Palin speaking of special needs children
at a time when people are losing their jobs and
homes, we are in 2 wars, falls flat. It sounds
more like a project for the First Lady?
One way to support special needs children is to support stem cell research.
There is some danger in being the party of McCarthy. Apparently the republicans cannot see this.
A very succinct analysis.
My fellow Democrats.
Since when do we analyze candidate's clothing? oh i see since we started having women run for a high office. C'mon men get a grip- its because Sarah Palin is a woman ahh that we are discussing her clothes. If she was a man none of this would ever come up. How come we are not discussing Obama's Amani suits???
Its ridiculous to say the least and redudant. A waste of political time at a time where issues should be addressed.
This woman has been hunted from the time she run for VP - she is really hunted by men who are scared of women in power. Yes and they use the fact that she is uninformed on the global issues to discredit her position and intellect. Since when do we Americans aside from the politicians, give a damn what Putin had for breakfast or penalize our vp as a must have knowledge before there deemed ready for their seat back and do nothing position. Its ridiculous.
If she did not know anything about the domestic policy then i can understand but she was penalized for not having in depth knowledge on the foreign policy? Its total sexism at its highest in politics. The same was done to Hillary and now Palin. I am tired of men putting women down.
Bill Clinton and Edwards had been criticized with their haircuts before so there is nothing sexist about it. If you don't see anything wrong, passed the sexism lense, with a professed "one-of-us" soccer mom, and even her children, dressed in Saks Fifth Avenue's clothes then there must be two different kinds of soccer moms. One is fake and one is real.
Im not sure these two guys are the best examples to use..(sexi
I'm a woman and I say "horse hockey" to almost every word of this.
First, I don't really care what was spent on Palin's clothes, HOWEVER, since she puts forth an image of herself as just a regular, 'ole, um, ya know, hockey mom who's married to a Joe Six-Pack, well then, the hypocrisy is extraordinary that she then goes on a luxurious shopping spree in the heart of, according to her, anti-America.
Secondly, imagine Sen. Joe Biden sitting down with reporters and giving the garbled, nonsensical responses Palin has come up with. Do her apologists understand that the VP might have to stand in as president should circumstances warrant it? "I can see Russia from my house" does not cut it. It wouldn't cut in an interview for a middle management job, let alone one of the highest offices in the land. As for domestic policy, Palin is just as clueless, witness her own wrong answers about what she's supposed to an "expert" on -- energy.
Lastly, if one is going to introduce oneself to the world as a "pit bull," the world expects that excuses and accusations of sexism are not going to be the color of your lipstick.
Perhaps the reason why people are not talking about Obama's suits is because he buys his own clothes. McCain and Palin have tried to portray themselves as average Americans who understand the anxiety many Americans feel about the prospect of losing their jobs or their homes. McCain's initial inability to answer the question regarding how many homes he owns earlier on this race and the $150k budgeted by the RNC to purchase clothes for Palin suggests that neither McCain or Palin identify with the average American.
Don't blame sexism on Palin's wardrobe flap. Blame the RNC for being stupid enough to expend $150k to buy clothes for Palin and then letting that information get out to the press. Blame Palin, not sexism, for continuing to talk about her wardrobe rather than letting this story die.
'How come we are not discussing Obama's Armani suits?' - Because he PAYS FOR THEM HIMSELF!
Stop trying to distract from the real reason her clothes are an issue. You can't present yourself as a hockey mom who is just like any of us and then go and spend $150,000 on clothing. And pretty pedestrian clothing at that.
Obama has his shoes resoled and resoled. How do I know? Because they've reported on it!
No one is talking about the clothing - it's the cost of the clothing and the fact that the COST of the clothing shows that she was full of it when she pretended to be this down to earth, regular hockey mom.
Michelle Obama wears clothes from J. Crew (and manages to look a whole lot more stylish than Palin) - it's about WALKING the walk. Palin talks the talk, but clearly doesn't walk the walk.
That's the point that you keep obfuscating in your attempt to make this into a sexism argument when it's not. It's a credibility argument, and Palin just went over her credit limit with the American People. Time to pay the piper.
Palin comes across like a lower-middle-class mom who just won the lottery. Blowing the cash on extravagant accessories (I read something about a $7K tote bag for Piper) without a care in the world, or any thought of the consequences. After all, it's free money, right?
I have relatives in (very) rural Oklahoma who would behave the same way, like a kid in a candy store. Not to offend any Sooners reading this, but that part of my family are ignorant and proud of it.
Obama has holes in his shoes.
He doesn't wear Armani.
I hate to drag out that overused term "paradigm shift"
but darned if this doesn't look like one.
The old schtick of attacking "the other" and divisiveness hasn't worked this time, and it only took a world wide economic melt down to do it.
The divide between "us" and "them" has shifted to the the divide between the 99.9% of us who are getting screwed and the .1% who scammed us all and are not only getting away with it but are being richly rewarded still.
The middle class, and the upper middle class are feeling the pain too. Even the financially prudent who didn't participate in an orgy of debt.
If you boil it down to leaving policy and leadership in the hands of people who have failed so miserably or a mulato guy with a funny name who MIGHT do something different, it is a no brainer.
Maybe this is because I'm only 24 and barely remember the Cold War, but the "threat of communism" seems like the huge waste of a campaign point. Honestly, the last thing I am worried about is the revitalization of a failed ideology like communism, as opposed to my real fear of the revitalization of a failed ideology like laissez faire capitalism.
Also, the vast number of communist jokes in our culture should be a good reference as to the likelihood of eral communism coming into American politics. Hasn't everyone seen the Seinfeld episode where Elaine dates a communist?
At this point, communism is just another one of those phases college students go through for a month, typically preceded by calling themselves "hippies" and wearing patchwork pants, then followed by calling themselves "Libertarians" and reading Ayn Rand.
I remember the Cold War and I remember the "threat of communism". I am 59 years old and I have "moved on".
I long ago figured out that the fear they employ is more detrimental than the actual 9/11 attack which killed less than 4,000 people while the Vietnam war to end the threat of communism abroad killed 20,000 people and damaged over 100,000 good men.
Nobody can live their life filled with hate and fear. It is wasted time. Be prudent...
It's no secret that many on the left despise capitalism as it can be very hard on those who do not want to earn their on living. But all the other known monetary systems involve the government deciding how much money you need and how much they will allow you to have and then take it from you any time it pleases them to do so.
Now there are many among us that don't get the idea of communism , socialism, and Marxism, being an overall failure for its citizens. But the fact is that giving up many or all of your protected individual rights to allow government actuaries and bureaucrats decide what is best for you, is what you will get with these systems.
I can't speak for everyone, but I prefer the freedom to decide my own future, to be responsible for own family and community, to earn my own living and take my chances. While there is a role for government to help out with unemployment compensation, medicaid, and some others, most have become money wasters and incumbency support. I believe that Most Americans agree with me.
Obama will create more dependency by following the advice of his long time Washington insiders. He can't make decisions on his own. It's above his pay grade.
"McCain will probably never understand this and will lose this election wondering why nobody believed or cared about his assertions that Obama was a terrorist and a Marxist."
Even McCain does not believe these assertions he is making. He is aiming them at the under-educated, trying to create votes from fear and blind loyalty.
I have been thrilled to see that most of the American voters are smarter than this.
McCain and Palin have obviously been staying up late studying Marx(and Engels)...
McCain's campaign was totally out of date.
Old ideas. Nothing new. blah blah blah
Since Obama has never chosen to serve his country I guess his wars are yet to be fought...b
Please.
Hitler served in the military as a corporal in WWI. Roosevelt didn't ever serve in the military but he was was elected President four times.
I don't believe for a second that military service means the same thing as preparation for good governance.
FirstShirt - did you serve your country or are you just running your hateful mouth?
DEMS - vote, vote, vote.
By that qualification how did Bushy get in twice??
It wouldn't matter if he'd been in the military. After all, he's a Democrat. While I'm saying that somewhat flippantly, consider this:
Sen. Kerry served in Vietnam, and his service was ridiculed by the Republicans in 2004. Remember the footage from the 2004 Republican Convention, with the party faithful wearing bandaids with little purple hearts on them? My take away from the campaign that year: Military service is a plus only if you're a registered Republican.
"Selfish men have always tried to skim the cream of our national wealth in order to satify their own greed, and their instrument in this effort has always been the Republican Party."
President Harry Truman, Aug 1948
Everything old is new again...
More specifically, McCain is still fighting the Viet Nam War, not the shooting war against the Vietnamese, but the internal American ideological war between the (then) "establishment" hawks who ascribed moral correctness and patriotism to supporters of the "Global War on Communism" (to retro-fit a contemporary phrase) while depicting the liberal segment of the population as anti-American and prepared to surrender to the enemy, to abandon our "national interests" in the region to the foes of freedom, to "cut and run" rather than to stand firm, etc. Sounds familiar, no?
Garry Trudeau probably said it best in a recent "Doonesbury" strip:
http://www
For a lot of folks, the culture clash is still on, and all the old epithets are still in use: "Commie!" "Fascist!" Although the war eventually ended, the internal struggle was never resolved.
It's important for younger people to vote and run for office so that the decision-making process stays relevant to those who will inherit the results. My father's voting decisions are still influenced by his dislike for the policies of FDR. It makes sense to him, but it's not the best basis for making decisions about complex 21st century issues. Viet Nam is similarly ancient history for today's new adults, as remote and seemingly irrelevant to them as WWII was to Boomers in their youth, the topic of a lot of old movies and rambling discussion between old folks.
The WWII movies were way better than the Korean or Vietnam War movies. War was apparently so much cleaner back in the early 40s.
Spot-on, Mr. Mitchell. I don't know if something can be "somewhat sui generis," but otherwise, well-argued.
Eloquent, insightful and thought provoking. You do your namesake proud. Thank you for this wonderful piece.
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