M.O.R.: The Ultimate Four-Letter Word in Politics is Finally in Vogue.
A couple of weeks ago I was watching the Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Peggy Noonan of the Wall Street Journal was his guest. Stewart had an interesting thought regarding the candidates. He felt that “a McCain / Obama presidential election would be such a tonic for the country. Both are figures that seem not to be products of a pure political system.” Noonan agreed and added, “They don’t seem like (political) machine guys.”
No they do not, which might explain that while both have enjoyed huge success among likely voters, neither has gotten what can be reasonably called overly enthusiastic support from their respective party’s base. McCain, particularly, despite the political juggernaut he seems to be on, might as well be a leper as far as the conservative right is concerned. James Dobson, head of Focus on the Family, has publicly stated he would "never" vote for John McCain. Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, La
ura Ingraham, and basically the rest of the Rat pack of Right-Wing lunatics who seem intent on driving their ship into an iceberg, even with the prospect of a potential democratic win in November lurking over their heads, have gone out of their way to blast the Arizona senator for just about everything from being a luke-warm conservative to being the guy on the grassy knoll in Dallas in November of 1963. (Come to think of it, you’d think given what happened that day, McCain might actually be a hero had he actually been there). All kidding aside, despite his persistent support of the surge in Iraq, McCain is the ONLY Republican candidate who I would even consider voting for. And, on the Democratic side, Obama, likewise, has garnered a more than favorable stance among likely voters who have grown weary of the business as usual political chicanery. It certainly doesn’t hurt matters that his name isn’t Clinton, either.What is even more fascinating, and uplifting all at the same time, is that the current front-runners seem to be polling very strong among voters who do not normally identify themselves with either political party. These middle of the roadies have come out in full bloom and are making their voices heard. In the ‘80s they were called Reagan Democrats, in the ‘90s they were called Clinton Republicans. But basically they are average people who have seen the divisiveness of the last seven and a half years and, like that famous 1970s movie, Network, they have stuck their heads out their collective windows and, at the top of their lungs, are screaming, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!”
It has always been my contention that one third of the nation is conservative, another is liberal and the remainder votes either way, depending on who makes the more convincing and persuasive argument. While political pundits on both sides of the aisle continue to miss the overall picture and insist that the nation is either conservative or liberal, the simple and undeniable truth is that, at least on a national level, voters usually vote for the guy, or girl as it might be, that they feel will be the best choice for the next four years. How else do you explain a dichotomy like Reagan in the ‘80s with Clinton in the ‘90s? Either the nation is schizophrenic or it’s just possible that despite their philosophical differences both men galvanized enough of a nation to land them in the white house, not once but twice.
Eight years ago the nation was on the verge of having a McCain / Bradley general election, which, had it happened, would’ve opened the door for a real debate on the issues. Who ever would’ve won that election would’ve been a breath of fresh air in a country used to stale leftovers. Instead what we got was Bush / Gore and, well you know what happened. I don’t need to drill that tooth again.
This time, my hope is we finally have a real chance to debate some real issues. Both Obama and McCain have different views on what the role of government should be and should both get the chance to debate each other this fall it would be most illuminating to witness. I can’t imagine a presidential election without mudslinging but I’d like to see one. I think the nation would like to see it also. Maybe that’s why both these men have done so well among voters who seem to cross over party lines. They are viewed as moderates by Democrats, sellouts by conservative Republicans, but this year they may well determine who the next president will be, and that makes them my new favorite group of people in the whole wide world, and I'm one of them!
