August 30, 2008
The more I think about the selection of Palin for VP, the more I think that this was a disastrous decision. Having said that, I want to clarify two things about my previous post which will help to explain why I think Palin was a bad choice.
1) I am not suggesting that Obama and Palin are similarly experienced. Obama has been on the mainstage of American politics for four years while Ms. Palin got her introduction yesterday. Yes, she has chief executive experience governing a state the size of Washington DC for the last 1.5 years but she is new to primetime. Obama has overseen the largest campaign organization in our nation’s history, defeated the Clinton’s, and been the junior Senator of the fifth largest state in the US where he has had around five years to educate himself on issues surrounding international security and diplomacy. He is not new to the game. A President or VP should be ready on day one to make decisions of the gravest significance to our safety and I don’t think giving Palin three months to educate herself about the complexities of international affairs suffices to do the job. This is especially true because she was chosen for this position, not elected through a democratic primary process involving almost 40 million Americans like Senator Obama.
2) McCain has practically tied up this election by repeatedly arguing that Obama is not “prepared for duty” and lacks the gravitas to meet the global challenges to international security which are arising and demanding American leadership. This strikes me as a fruitful line of political attack.The choice of Palin portends a major shift in McCain’s justification for the Presidency. I am surprised that he has done such a dramatic pivot on the importance of experience for the Presidency when it seemed to be working fairly well. Choosing Palin demonstrates that this line of attack has been abandoned for a different kind of “change” candidacy. Palin’s first speech was filled with references to her independence, reform instincts, tackling corruption and cronyism, etc. The decision of the McCain campaign to go with Palin suggests that this election will be about “Washington big spending liberals” vs. “Reformist, small government conservatives.” I expect a shift away from McCain’s previous focus on terrorism and international security to issues around the economy, wasteful spending, and the like. This kind of campaign might have worked well in 2000 when Bush ran on similar themes however in 2008 the message of experience and security during troubled times would really have played to McCain’s advantage. As an Obama supporter, I feel like we have been given a huge gift through the forfeiture of that line of attack.
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August 29, 2008
I am absolutely thrilled with Sen. Obama’s speech last night. Finally, he defines the terms, is clear, memorable, and tough (all those things, I think, work politically). If Sen. Obama wins this thing, I think it is safe to say the road to his victory truly began last night. In the news today, however, is the fact that McCain has tapped Palin. Thanks, Adam, for your penetrating (…) insight.
Moving on, now, to what is a roughly argued (a sketch) observation.
Here’s my thesis: If sin is taken seriously, Americans are the issue - not ‘Washington’; for what is Washington if not Americans susceptible to the power of sin? Thus, to the degree Obama’s campaign is about the people v. Washington, the Obama campaign is a liberal fantasy.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Tony Posted in Bi/Partisan Politics, Current Events, Posts by Tony, Queer / Theology, Social Commentary No Comments »
August 29, 2008
I think, in many ways, Governor Palin is an interesting choice. A lot of people on the blogosphere are missing a critical point though: the issue here is not whether she has sufficient experience–the issue is that McCain can no longer credibly use experience against Obama. Democrats can’t really say that Palin doesn’t have the experience to be President (because she doesn’t have that much less than Obama); rather, the argument will be that it is disengenuous for McCain to argue that Obama doesn’t have sufficient experience when he is putting a woman who is Governor of a state (with a population roughly approximate to the District of Columbia) within a heartbeat of the Presidency. Experience is off the table which may be a positive development. Now we can talk about judgment and the issues which seems more critical anyways. Although this does seem like a choice driven by sheer political calculus, I do applaud McCain for appointing a woman who seems to represent a more decent, reformist, and principled future of Republican leadership.
Posted by MATT Posted in Bi/Partisan Politics, Current Events, Posts by Matt 1 Comment »
August 28, 2008
For the first time on Messages, I am endorsing Sen. Barack Obama for President of the United States of America. On the next podcast, Matt and I will be discussing Roger Simon’s Relentless; we will review the highlights of both conventions, and I will ask Matt to make the case for Sen. Obama. Do listen in.
Posted by Tony Posted in Bi/Partisan Politics, Current Events, Posts by Tony No Comments »
August 25, 2008
This is a very insightful, well documented, and, in some respects, a sad 18,000 word review of the Hillary primary campaign - written by Politico’s Roger Simon. In fact, reading it, I came to like Obama a bit more. Why? Obama turned out to be the kind of campaigner/politician I, frankly, thought Hillary represented. Obama did not try to change the political system - he simply played the game better, smarter. Hillary tried to change the rules, if you will. This is the kind of person I want in Washington - I am skeptical about ‘change in Washington’ stuff - I wanted Hillary, in part, b.c. I thought she would work it. It seems Obama can work it. And I hope he gets to working it rather than trying to step in and change what only Jesus can change: human beings.
Posted by Tony Posted in Bi/Partisan Politics, Posts by Tony 1 Comment »
