Reflections Upon A Final Debate.
I watched the debate in full. It was a sad affair watching these two ambitious men battle each other for the Presidency: one too old and scarred, one too young and inexperienced.
Each man is desperately vying for four years of immense power and glory against the backdrop of a nation that is in recession, is largely bankrupt, is involved in two unwinable wars and whose financial, real estate and health systems are stuffed as is their world image. What was that song, the one about "The Winner Takes It All" ? In America’s case, there’s not much to win!
They both repeated the familiar, boring mantras they’ve chanted endlessly for more than a year. They each adopted the stereotyped roles their minders had schooled them in: Obama the ‘Professor’ standing for Big Liberal Government with strong control and regulation; McCain the ‘Maverick’ standing for the Conservative idea of Small Government, free markets and the rights of individuals to rise or fall as their own efforts dictated. That I can recall, thankfully neither of them repeated the ridiculous, odious claim that America was the greatest nation on earth or that Iran could well be nuked, etc.
Obama looked tired, as if the professorial role was wearing thin, that and the endless campaigning. McCain looked curiously re-energized as though he’d popped a few pills. He fixed Obama with gimlet eyes, smiled smugly at him quite often, raised spurious character-assassinating issues which hung in the room like a bad smell.
Both of these men, and their extremely different Vice Presidents, represent ideologies that have had their day. Pure Socialism doesn’t work and neither does rampant capitalism. They are too extreme. What would work is a carefully regulated mixture of the two, one that allows for individual initiative but stops the excesses of greed and the inevitable manipulation by Robber Barons and Megalomaniacs, the control freaks who are destroying our world.
But that is too sensible, the notion of a compromise. No, the purists cling to their black and white political and economic ideologies while their nation falls into ruin and the bulk of their people, the little people, suffer.
One thing that was mentioned quite often was that of ‘The American Dream’. Each time I heard it I didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. The reality is that ‘The American Dream’ is an unmitigated nightmare not only for most Americans but for the rest of the world as well.
Perhaps one day, America will abandon militarism, ultra-nationalism, religious fundamentalism, imperialism, elitism and greed.
Perhaps, from the ashes of their burning empire, Americans will, one day, be able to recreate a different dream, one based on equality, on cooperation, on sharing, on pacifism.
God (if He, She or It actually existed) might bless that kind of Dream!
Thanks for your commentary, David G. Have you had a chance to read the books by James Petras, THE POWER OF ISRAEL IN THE UNITED STATES, and ZIONISM, MILITARISM, AND THE DECLINE OF THE POWER OF THE UNITED STATES. Another good explanatory read is THE NEW JERUSALEM.
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i am not a 100% obama supporter because he isn’t left enough for me. the inexperienced thing doesn’t wash with me either because how much senatorial experience do you need- and how much campaign experience do you need- to become president? obama has been a senator for over 2 years now and has been on the road on and off for much of that time. he has picked the brains and forged relationships with people who have been in the business of politics for years- and he picked a man who has lots of experience as his running mate. both men are extremely intelligent and thoughtful- and even if i don’t agree with their entire platform- i know that they will at least have thought things out before acting. unlike our current debacle in washington.
mccain/palin on the other hand = disaster. i don’t think that the world will have much to fear from us in the days ahead. this country is headed for an economic disaster bigger than we have ever seen in the 20th or 21st centuries- and unfortunately, the world will feel it too. but we will never be the dominant culture or military presence again. at least not like we were.
politicians aren’t a panacea and i particularly liked the fact that obama said that we all have to take responsibility. the government surely- but the people as well.
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I began cooling on Obama after his very much pro-Israel speech prior to his nomination and his speech where he said he would go into Pakistan to hunt Taliban even if Pakistan doesn’t give permission.
What he does in America doesn’t concern me as i am over 5000 miles away but with regards to foreign policy which does concern me, he is the lesser of two evils but not the swing away from this current butcher that we all hoped for.
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Swan, I seem to spend so much time on my blog and the others I visit and watching world news that, unfortunately, I seem to have little time left for reading.
Betmo, I liked his comment about everyone taking responsibility too. I agree that he, Obama, is, as Lucy says, the lesser of two evils but whether he’ll turn into another Kennedy is I think problematic. Hope I’m wrong.
Lucy, I agree that the pro-Israel comments he’s made turned me off too. But of course he’s running for election and I guess he has to tell the Israeli-apologists what they want to hear.
Cheers.
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David,
I really liked this post. A thought that I heard over and over in my raising was “Moderation in all things including, occasionally, moderation.”
What we see happening is political machines managing the candidates like puppets.
I forecast that 60% to 65% of Americans won’t even vote. The remaining 35% to 40% are almost evenly divided and they tend to have extreme, and polar views. Far-left and far-right. It appears they are tearing the country apart. But, they are not tearing the country apart as badly as the press and entertainment industries would have everybody believe (since the press is both biased and both press and entertainment are also profit motivated – negativity sells!).
The constitution has contributed to the conflict because neither party has enough power to get extreme laws passed and enacted. The same constitution has therefore kept a certain degree of moderation in place. Examples:
1. We once had 0% federal income taxes, then under LBJ the tax rates went as high as 95%. Now we are in a moderate range of 35%.
2. We once had 0 social security, welfare, and medical. Now we have all three. My mom is living quite happily on social security and medicare.
3. We once had unlimited gun ownership rights. We now have gun ownership, but with many limits.
4. Abortions used to be a hidden fact of life. Now it is legal, with some constraints. I think it is wrong – but I bring a black-n-white perspective (extreme).
5. Once, only white men could vote. Now women and all races actually get to be part of the problem!
Point of the examples: Everything about our government and political system seems extreme, but for most of us in the U.S. our daily lives are moderately affected by government and politics – at least relative to historical extremes…
The pol machines are going to do their thing. I try to avoid interaction with public news (cable, network, front page of papers, editorial sections, etc.) and entertainment. I will vote. I will continue to get my information from others sources.
Q
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Q, if most Americans were like you, they wouldn’t be in the situation that they are in.
I agree with your observation that extremism reigns in America. It always has. Perhaps this financial crisis will force the extremists to moderate their black and white views and compromise!
Perhaps.
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I predict that Q will be shocked at the turnout this time around. The youth vote is vastly under-reported. Guess why?
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I agree with both Arthur Silbur, http://www.powerofnarrative.blogspot.com, and Justin Raimondo, http://www.antiwar.com, that Obama and Biden are probably not the lesser of the two evils. I certainly don’t agree that Obama was justified in the statements he has made to AIPAC, or in his lies and threats to and about Iran, and see him and Biden as war criminals.
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If anthing should happen, Powers that be, forbid, to either of our dear candidates,.. Biden is the one I would want at the helm of this ship.
This quote re: Palin:
“On October 10, 2008, the report on Alaska’s “Troopergate” was made public. The report was commissioned by a bipartisan Alaska Legislature committee and was written by Stephen Branchflower, a former Anchorage prosecutor.
Finding Number One of his report says:
“I find that Governor Sarah Palin
abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act.”
..In speaking with the Anchorage Daily News
Sarah said that she was “pleased to be cleared of any legal wrongdoing. . . any hint of any kind of unethical activity there.”
At first learning of Sarah’s response, those who had read the report were unable to understand how she might arrive at a sense of vindication from the language in the report. The Anchorage Daily News described
her response as “either astoundingly ignorant or downright Orwellian”
Sen. Kim Elton of Alaska said her characterization of the report was wrong and that
the first finding clearly stated she violated the ethics law.”
Sarah Palin (and her “first dude”) is an unethical person who lies and it is has been proven.
I will be voting for Obama.
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Choosing Palin seems to me to demonstrate just how unstable the whole American political system is.
She demonstrates the fact that, in America, glitz will often triumph over wisdom and maturity.
Scary stuff!
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