I have voted in two elections (2000 and 2004). I am not an expert on presidential elections, so perhaps I’m wrong about this, but has anyone noticed what this election has become? Interestingly enough, it has become what every other election has become – a referendum on the two individuals at the top of the tickets and the positions that they hold on the ISSUES. Despite what the media has wanted you to believe (and by media I mean the New York Times, (to a lesser extent) the Washington Post, Newsweek (BIG TIME), CNN (BIG TIME), Slate (well, that’s what they do anyway) and many, many more), this election is an election of one of two men – Barack Obama and John McCain. It is an election about ideas and issues, the very different ideas that these men have for the country. It is an election that will have, AS ALL ELECTIONS DO, a distinct impression on our country and our lives (don’t make the mistake that this election is any more important than any other… that is a tactic of fear).
So what is this election NOT? This election is not an election of race. (“Thanks” but “no thanks”, media). I know that you love Obama. I know that he is supposedly the last great hope of liberal politics. I know that you just get chills when you think about him. Why? Because of his skin color? Why is being black more important than being right? This is a matter of opinion, I know. I know that you can’t possibly imagine liberal politics being wrong. I know that you can’t fathom the possibility that – gasp – conservatism works better than liberalism, but perhaps you need to think about it for a second. Who is it that CONSTANTLY, CONTINUALLY, OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGIN requires the services of “new” voters (18-25 year olds) just to keep up with conservatives in terms of voters? If liberalism is so popular, why does it not work? Why do higher taxes irk even the most liberal of “independents?”
Because it doesn’t work. Liberlism is a way to forcefully redistribute wealth. It is a way to take from those who have earned it and give it to those who have not earned what they were given. How can it be anything else? Example… I go to work one day at Home Depot in the hand tools department. I help a contractor out with buying a large lot of hammers, screwdrivers, handsaws, etc. for his new construction company (HUGE SALE!). When I walk him up to the register, I notice my manager coming up with a big smile on his face, knowing he is getting a nice sale out of that contractor. I thank the man for the opportunity to help him and as I leave, instead of hearing, “Michael is a very smart guy when it comes to hand tools… you’re getting the best deal out there,” I hear, “I’m so glad that John was able to ring you up today… he is our best cashier.” Really? How mad would YOU be? The cashier didn’t do anything of worth to contribute to that sale… anyone could have rung it up, including me, but the manager recognizes and gives credit to someone else for work they didn’t do.
That example is liberalism at its “finest”… liberalism believes that resources are to share (once again, as talked about in previous posts, a great idea… but not for the government – for private enterprises, namely the Church). Resources shared are shared out of desire to share, not out of force. This is a great time to speak about Joe Biden’s recent comments. Biden said that in an Obama administration people with incomes of more than $250,000 a year should expect their taxes to go up. “It’s time to be patriotic,” Biden said. “Time to jump in. Time to be part of the deal. Time to help get America out of the rut.” Well I’m so glad that Biden, a potential Vice-President AND President doesn’t understand what patriotism is. Forced patriotism is no patriotism at all for the same reason that forced love is no love at all. If I tell my wife that I love her, and she says, “Thank you so much, you didn’t have to tell me that,” and I respond, “No Jen, I had to. That’s my job. That’s what I have to do because I’m married to you”, how do you think she feels? Like crap. Why would she want me to love her because I have to? Any fool can do that. It takes desire to love. In the same manner, if I am, as Joe Biden claims, only patriotic if I am forced to pay taxes, I’m not patriotic, simply obedient. Perhaps he should think about that.
So what does this have to do with the title “The Politics of Race?” Barack Obama might say he wants to leave race out of the discussion, but he himself injects it when it is needed to prop up his poll numbers or his chances of winning. Don’t think for a second that if it is a week before the election and Obama is only up by one point in an important state, he won’t bring out the tired old line of “they’re trying to make you scared of me… because I don’t have the same skin color as you… because I look different than the guy on all of the dollar bills.” So Mr. Obama who was that talking about race after all?
If you can find one example where John McCain has talked about Obama’s race, post a comment and the link and I’ll correct myself. I believe that most of the discussions of race are drummed up by the only ones who still think that race is an issue… the Democratic party.
Could it be that this contest is about taxes? Could it be that the contest is about national security/the War in Iraq and Afghanistan? Could it be that the contest is about Supreme Court appointments? Could it be that the contest is about leadership? Could it be that the contest is about sound fiscal policy? Could it be, Mr. Obama? It is, my friend, it is. Here is how I know. If you were to take a poll of the same Americans that are polled now on ISSUES AND ISSUES ONLY, you would be shocked. If you were to find the positions of a black conservative who believed in all the same things that John McCain beleives in (let’s say Colin Powell) and also the positions of a white liberal who believed in all the same things that Barack Obama believes in (let’s say Christopher Dodd or Edward Kennedy), and you kept the ethnicity and the names of the candidates off the poll, do you know what would happen? You would find that, within the margin of error (as with any other poll), conservatives would gravitate towards the conservative ideas and the liberals would gravitate towards the liberal ideas. In other words (and this would never happen, of course) but the media would have to report that, no matter the race of the individual, voters will vote on the issues, not the color (or sex, for that matter) of the individual. Let’s grow up, America. Let’s get beyond the color of each other’s skin color and talk about the issues.
I agree with you about making this election about issues. The Democrats will win if this election is about issues. That is why McCain’s campaing advisor said “This is a race about personalities not issues.”
I would love a race about issues. I think that when more people understand that this election is important and it is a turning point (I disagree with your statement about politics of fear) then they will have to vote with their economic interests and that has always been a strong suit of Democrats because they actually care about the Middle Class.
McCain is trying to sound like a populist if you’ve been listening these last few weeks. He is talking about firing people (whom the president has no authority to fire) and starting to try and make his case for the middle class when he is so far out of touch with them that it is a hard sell.
Thanks for the article I hope more people get into the Issues and not into personalities. I will take an election race on the issues any day.
Oh sorry one more thing. George Will a conservative writer has an article about McCain that was posted in the Washington Post today.
(sorry for the web address)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/22/AR2008092202583_pf.html
I hope you read it. The name of the article is
McCain Loses his Head if you want to look it up instead.
It’s sad that in your Home Depot story that the salesperson feels that he is only one to take credit for the sale (how very Republican)
It’s not the cashier, the salesperson or the manager of Home Depot, but it is a collective unity consisting of the manufacturers (probably from China) that made all of the tools, the distributors that helped in shipping/importing the tools, and the head quarters at Home Depot that made the decisions to get the right tools to be put on the shelves. In short – it took many people, a community to help each other out.
How sad a world could be if everyone took the Lion’s Share for themselves and refused to help anyone else out – Seriously – What Would Jesus Do?
* Don’t even get me started on your ‘political race’ banter – obviously if you think one party is the only one bringing up race, I would take a second look at your own blog title before you start throwing stones in your glass house. *
Michael shouldn’t you be studying instead of writing long blogs?!?
For some reason “endithinks” doesn’t mention the fact that Obama’s campaign manager David Axelrod has made a career of running campaigns completely on a narrative and staying away from issues all together. Whether it was his campaigns for the corrupt Chicago mayor Richard Daley or the equally corrupt Governor of NY Eliot Spitzer, his campaign for Deval Patrick in Massachusetts who was elected solely b/c of the narrative about his race or being Rahm Emanuel’s advisor for the 2006 congressional races which was run solely on the narrative that Republicans are bad and Democrats are good without running on issues at all, Axelrod has made a living of using the narrative and not issues. Furthermore if “endithinks” watched the Democrat primaries at all he would of heard countless diatribes about “Hope” and “Change” but very very little substance on any details about issues other than broad sweeping statements spouting the usual Democrat platform.
As for Royalsyn’s comments I’m at a loss really. If we are a collective whole then you encourage and enable free-riders to popup and assume that everyone else is going to provide for them. They assume that it’s not a big deal if they only contribute a little or none at all because they are only one person and it won’t make a difference. What these individuals don’t think about or care about is that as a collective whole they are the detriment of society b/c more and more people see that these people are getting the same treatment and rewards as those that work hard so why should they contribute if they’re going to reap the rewards either way?
As for “What Would Jesus Do?” I BELIEVE that Jesus would say that it is an individuals responsibility to help his neighbor. He would say that you should love your neighbor as yourself and help him accordingly. That doesn’t mean however that it is the governments role to “help out” everyone. The government has no role in forcing individuals to provide for their neighbor or to care for their neighbor for that matter.
This comment shows that you obviously don’t know Michael b/c if you did you’d know that one of his biggest concerns is “What would Jesus Do?” and also about helping his neighbor out. He just thinks this should be done on an individual level instead of being forced upon everyone as their duty.
And on the matter of race I’d prefer to get you started about the “political race” banter because this comment was clearly a ploy to avoid giving any evidence about McCain using the race card or refuting the claim that Obama has used the race card over and over again. Please man up and give an example and prove you are serious instead of just spouting “don’t get me started” crap.
And just in case you care, I’m not a supporter of McCain. I think he is wrong on many issues because he gives into liberal ideas over and over again so I’m not just some McCain apologist.
Great Blog Michael.