When did the American political process become a popularity contest?
I realize that the phrase “popularity contest” is fairly cliché at this point, so, along with me, let’s try to think about what it actually means.
Remember high school? Remember the endless posturing for attention? The constant feeling of never being quite good enough? Cool enough? Popular enough? (Maybe it’s just me, but I still feel that way most of the time… I guess Bowling For Soup was right.)
Unfortunately, our presidential political process is starting to remind me of a contest for prom king. Given, it’s an infinitely more expensive, drawn-out, ridiculous contest, but still.
Shouldn’t we be concerned with trying to find the most world-wise, healthy, balanced, economically-brilliant person in the country to select as our next leader instead of relying on advertising and charisma? Shouldn’t the leader of the world’s current (and hopefully future) primary economic superpower have some advanced business degrees… or at least remotely know what the HELL they’re doing in regards to economics?
I’m not sure why this has hit me so plainly in the last few days; perhaps it’s the fact that we now have two admittedly economically ignorant presidential candidates.
Well, to be fair, only McCain has openly admitted his ignorance; but Obama’s a staunch democrat, so that automatically qualifies him for at least moderate ignorant status. (Quick explanation for such a rash comment: democratic policies all reach their logical end at varying degrees of big government and socialism, which is historically cumbersome and impossibly expensive for citizens. But if someone would like to explain to me how socialistic policies make economic sense, I’m totally open to it!) I’m no republican, either — especially in regards to this neoconservative bent that most “republicans” have nowadays. Their idea of conservatism is spending $12 billion dollars a month on an overseas war, blowing things up. (Anyone else see the irony? Conservative? REALLY? Things that are BLOWN UP don’t come back or create anything new, guys.)
I think there’s a pretty good chance that, come November, Obama will be our Guy. Call it intuition or whatever, but it seems like the cultural winds are headed that direction. I’ve mentioned Obama as a possible #2 candidate choice for me (I still believe our country made a grave error in ignoring Dr. Paul), but as I learn more about his economic outlook, I am becoming more and more skeptical.
Don’t get me wrong; I think that political savvy — in the sense of being able to connect and soothe tense and potentially volatile relationships — is a key ingredient to being a good leader, and Obama brings a sense of earnest diplomacy to the table which I like very much. But these days, I just find myself wondering if that will be enough. Will that be enough, amidst our oil prices, our overseas spending, our healthcare challenges, our real estate crashes, our retirement issues, our national debt, our declining dollar, the globalization of business… all of which are tied to very complex economic engines?
We don’t need a prom king with a credit card. We need an economic genius with some people skills.
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I agree with most of that, except the war part. Oy! Why can’t people remember what WWII was, who Sadam Hussein was…and it’s not just “blowing things up”. There’s a lot of help being given. There’s a lot of attempting to win our enemies rather than just “blowing [them] up”. Personally? I’d rather just nuke most of the area and be done…then we’d have some free oil, albeit radioactive oil, I’m sure we could figure that out! =) I like that plan! (I’m being a bit fasicious, but it would be easier.)
I agree with the rant against neoconservatism. True republicans, aka conservatives (no ‘neo’), are getting a bad name from this crud. However, I pray that Obama is not our candidate. Much as the media tries to push him, I think he’s more like an Anti-Christ than a presidential leader. Given his plans, this country will be dead in short order.
As for these challenges, I think they’re blow far more out of proportion than truer problems. Healthcare challenges? Like what? We have the best healthcare in the world! Real estate crashes? Only in certain areas where they have been too high for quite a while. The Drive-by Media is making this out to be more than it is. Retirement issues are a simpler fix, but that’s not the President, that’s Congress. Thank you, Democrats! The globalization of business is part business, part corporation taxes/hatred here (ever listen to many people? It’s like corporations are the devil!). National debt is actually gotten lower, but most people don’t know it because the Drive-by Media doesn’t want to report it. I forget the number at the moment, but it’s actually getting paid…unlike the Clinton era. Oil Prices, hello Congress! And the declining dollar? That one is fairly complex since it’s tied into a number of pieces and caveats. Oh yeah! Overseas spending…let’s stop giving aid to a number of countries, finish off the war, and I think that’s set. But, then again, the Democrats will never let us stop giving aid to other countries. Although, there are some countries I think need some aid, but come on!
Anyway, I agree with most of what you said…just my few disagreements. But, you’re right. The Presidency is not so much about the best man for the job, but the most popular…why do you think Al Gore was so peeved that Bush won? Popular vote does not equal the election. However, it still seems to be what the “contest” is about…what a vulgar way to describe the Presidential race…a contest. Makes me want to wretch!
To be clear, I am NOT saying Saddam Hussein was in WWII. Duh. But he was on his way to the atrocities of Adolf Hitler if we didn’t stop him. Most people don’t recall the sanctions put on Hussein and how he flagrantly disregarded them…keeping the world wondering…and it was about time someone stood up to him and said, “Enough is ENOUGH!”.
Right on Josh. Todays media forms and shapes the politics in America. I believe they manipulate and feed crap to the masses on the canidates they want to see in office. The selling of Barach Obama was more difficult for them because Hillary was their canidate from the get go. Over 4 years in the making. There is not a qualified leader amongst the group.
The two party system is not working and it is a popularity contest. However not yours or mine. The people are the ones that need to take back the economy, the country, the jobs, their lives. The masses need to get off their asses and let Washington, the special interests, their local and national so called leaders that they represent our interests and work for us. Also let the news media know that they are supposed to furnish news not propaganda for a socialist agenda.
Through the election process we can change the things that we don’t like but we are restricted on what information we receive. Dr. Paul was not afforded to get his message out because the media wanted the weakest canidate for the Republicans to rise to the nomination. They were successful in that. Until the people stand up for themselves and unite the they will be fed bull crap on a daily basis and the nation will continue on its downward trend. Greed, the elimination of the middle classes, the selling of America to foriegn entities, the lack of responsibility of our representatives are the things that are tearing down the walls of our democracy.
I’m glad to see young people as yourself thinking,rationalizing, recognizing and speaking out on what is going on today. Thanks, Larry Zagranis
Welcome back Mr. Adams!
First, thanks for the thoughts. I don’t want you to feel like I don’t appreciate you taking the time to come and dialogue with me, even though our opinions often seem to be coming from opposing angles. I hope you find our conversation as helpful as I do; I know the points you bring make me clarify my thoughts further, which is a very good thing!
That said, I’ll respond to a couple of your ideas. I’m not sure how it’s become so easy for us, as fellow human beings (and as Jesus-followers), to allow such a short jump from “blowing things up” to “help being given.” How easily we juxtapose these things! Why is WAR the default option for HELP anymore? It seems to me like there could be a lot more help given if we weren’t blowing things up in the first place. Obviously, I’m vastly oversimplifying things, but at an ideal level, I’d really love to feel like we’ve done everything possible to restore peace and come to agreements before we fall back on our time-tested military tactics. Reaching for our “big stick” before we talk just makes us seem like schoolyard bullies to me… and I never really liked those guys, because I was always the skinny nerdy kid getting bullied.
I also have to say that I do think Obama has the potential to do a lot of good as a president. (But, to be fair, at the beginning I really believed that Bush did, too… and that didn’t work out so well.) In any case, I think we still have a great country where we, its people still have a decent amount of power, and if we, collectively, want something badly enough, we really can help create a new future. I think we have some important choices to make, as a country, in the next 50 years, but I think if we desire, we can make them wisely, and America can continue to be one of the greatest countries in the world.
And I know you don’t really believe that national challenges actually exist (healthcare, real estate, economy, etc.), but I think we’ll just have to respectfully agree to disagree. Apparently you simply haven’t had the experiences I have, or see the same things I see. From where I stand, there’s nothing simple about how to fix our retirement issues, healthcare is a mess, and the economy is not going to get better if we don’t change the way we do things. I also want to say that I am not implying we should stop aiding our brothers and sister around the world; I vote we stop killing them. (A nice side effect of this would be that it should also take care of many of our budget issues.)
Larry, thanks so much for coming to join the discussion! I’m loving what you’re saying about the power of the people; I, too, think it is one of our greatest assets as Americans. Your thoughts about the “weakest candidate” are very interesting… it seems entirely plausible. I don’t personally know a single person who really likes McCain, so it does seem awfully strange how he clinched the nomination so easily. I think it’s just as likely, though, that the popularity of our democratic candidates is simply a pendulum-like backlash against the vast unpopularity of what republicans have done over the past 8 years…
hey man, have you seen the pbs documentary series “commanding heights” its all about the economy and how it got to be the way it is. pretty interesting, you should download it (or its free to watch online at pbs.org). kinda reminded me a bit of the crash course by martenson…. which was quite fascinating, btw. thanks for the link!
I’ll definitely check that out; thanks Ben!
Josh, I’m not so sure Obama has this election sewed up. I know folks to the left keep singing his praises, but I feel the vast majority (at least in the heartland)recognize that his social views are over the top. I’m still looking for leadership from Washington, but alas I’m looking in the wrong place. With age and insight I moved from the left in my thinking to the right. This came with age and maturity. The strength of America has always been it’s people and when challenged they’ve led America forward. Today we have many challenges to face daily. I hear a lot of rhetoric coming from our leaders but no substance. From either side. I still see the blame game, the not me syndrome, lack of responsible leadership, no planning and no vision. I hear echoes of calling for “Change” in America but no substance of what will change. Look at the oil and fuel crisis fixing to bring us down. No plans, don’t know how it got this way, it’s a supply and demand issue, it’s not our fault, we’re not the problem. So much lack of responsibilty it makes me ill. How about a stop gap measures: 1. Bring the speed limits back down to 60 mph. Enforce traffic speed limits and triple the fines for every 5 miles over the speed limit. I use 60 for the example because I experiment with my milage. I’ve got a deisel truck and if I don’t behave I only get 11.9 MPG. If I behave and run around 63 my MPG goes to 18 mpg. Approximately 34% increase in efficiency. It works in gas vehicles also. Based on a million of the same type vehicles that may be on the road in theory you could save approximately 5.3 million gallons of fuel per fill up. I’m just a poor old country boy and if I can figure that out, why can’t they do that in Washington? They scream education pretty soon no one be able to afford one. But I’ll save my thoughts on that. Hey I did get to feel good got to play my harmonica in the 1048 Jazz and Blues club in Montgomery AL. Just a good ol part of Americana. Thanks for the sounding board….Larry
Larry, I sure hope you’re right! It just seems like there is so much media momentum behind the IDEA of Obama… I’m not convinced it can be stopped. And I’m not even convinced it SHOULD be stopped, but I certainly haven’t been persuaded that he’s the best thing for the country, either. Your “lot of rhetoric but no substance” comment certainly seems to apply with Barack, the more I learn.
Your gas ideas are good too! I’m a big commuter… think I’ll try 60mph and see what happens!
The only other thought I have about your comments are that I am truly (maybe even foolishly) hopeful that when my generation “grows up” there will no longer be discussions of “right” or “left” — the two-party system is so ridiculously broken it makes me want to SPIT.
And sometimes I do.
i only spit when i brush my teeth. i mean, i don’t want to swallow my toothpaste, that would just be uncivilized…
oh, but about the premise of the article: i fail to see any appeal whatsoever to either candidate, but especially obama. the guy is the most liberal member of the senate. that means that this huge number of americans in the middle of the whole “left-right argument” are actually left out when it comes to his views (no pun intended). his stances are so absolutely far to one direction i find it hard to see how he could be seriously considered as candidate to “lead the country.”
will he bring change? sure. does that mean it will be good? well, no, not at all. his tax plan will gouge our pockets. his social stances will make us even more reliant on the government. his foreign policy will invite further foreign criticism (america suffers from being in the position of “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” on that one) and his plans for the war, as much as everyone wants to get out, will cause an even bigger problem in the middle east. think about it: if we pull out tomorrow, the country will be taken back by extremists, extremists that will be pissed off at america, oh, and they will have a nuclear iran to help them.
then again, being in iraq for 100 years as suggested by john mccain is problematic too (not to mention in the realm of insane). i say we have another tea party, take back our country, and reinstate the constitution as the governing authority of the land (instead of the politicians).
-m
Josh, thoughts on the 2 party system. Hmm lets see, Alan Keyes, black conservative, Republican. Divorced by his party, has good sound ideology, believes in Constitutional rights. Ron Paul, good option to the Republicans, canidate who was never really put before the media. There are many choices that are not put before the American people because of media hype and the he’s not worthy of our attention. Or they are pegged as radical choices. When Clinton ran for president Ross Perot had a chance against him and Bush, however he changed his mind and that ruined everything. It was a chance to introduce an alternative. We do need to get a good solid canidate to run on a independent type ticket.
A thought on gas. Do you think it’s normal to see Americans panhandling for a few bucks for gas at filling stations? It’s just the beginning of a sad chapter being written in America. I can imagine what my grandparents went through in the great depression. Man it sure seems a lot of our leaders are in denial or shock because they keep avoiding doing anything to aleviate the situation. I think the second immeadiate change I would make is that all oil that comes from public lands or domains be used only domestically and discounted as we Americans own the mineral rights to public lands and therefore entitled to a return on our investments. Similar as to what was done in Alaska, when they got cash back to the people because of the oil. There I go thinking again. Sorry man it must be the age.
Take care
There you go again, Larry, making a bunch of sense. You gotta stop that!
Perhaps these tough times are just what America has been needing to get off its high horse, stare our problems in the face, and actually get back on track! Admittedly, it seems to me like that will be harder with either of our shining candidates, but it CAN be done…
Interestingly enough Josh I received a You tube video called “Drill here, Drill Now” with Newt Gingrich doing the speaking. He kind of echoes my sentiments and direction. It’s eerie. But the most important thing is how he feels about the American people standing up to our law makers.
Fourth of July Energy Independence Day. I like that!
Just one more thought on the Third Party. Let’s call it the American Party and base it on a Party that stands for the big and small together. With the interests of the people at heart. A party that is not afraid to stand on a platform of “In God We Trust”. One that stands for a person’s right to worship Him in their own choosing. A party that stands for an individual’s personal choices, one that respects views and opinions,a party that speaks the whole truth without worry of offending someone. A party that has the vision and courage to march to the drum and salute and fly the flag. A party that defends the right of a person to burn or desecrate that flag. But one that commands respect of it’s people as to recognize the sacrafice that was made and is being made of the men and women who gave all that they may excercise that right. A party that will work toward a diverse nation of men and women without regard to color, sexual preference,but a true equality of freedoms. A party that would strive to educate our children by strengthening values, holding together families, working with industry and communities to educate through available media and technologies. A party that works toward a future of caring for the elderly and those in need by fostering community involment and volunteerism.
A party that represents the American people without chronyism, special interest group attachment. A party that focuses on creative solutions to problems not one that says that won’t do any good so why do it. A party that is not afraid to take a small step forward. A party that has the vision to set unrealistic goals and the ability to achieve them. “Man wouldn’t be great?”