10.07.2008

Watching a Campaign Crash and Burn

Rachael Maddow's analysis of the second presidential debate rings true. McCain's is a campaign that is unraveling. Desperate to do something that will capture attention, McCain looks like a man trying to win a gold medal in diving by doing the biggest cannonball. First it's Palin as VP. Then it's suspending his campaign to address the economic crisis. Now it's another bailout of people who made poor borrowing decisions. McCain's campaign is doomed. Why? Because he's now cast, not as an underdog, but as a loser. And no one wants to jump on the loser bandwagon. I think most people who claim to not have made up their mind have. And I think they are all leaning Democrat. I listen to these supposedly independent voters talking on the various news outlets. I don't think there is an undecided voter left in America at this point. McCain can't put the economic crisis behind him, and that is the one issue that he tanks on. He's done. Might as well pack up the banners and call it a day. Nothing left to do but wait for the fat lady to sing.

Tonight, the media certainly seemed to think America has settled on a president. Chris Matthews even described America reflecting back on having elected its first African American president in response to his ability to lead in a time of crisis. So much for inexperience. Apparently, Obama is the man we can trust.

Whether or not Obama is capable of such leadership remains to be seen. I think it will simply be a hard and difficult road for us all and the president may just be along for the ride. Certainly, the next president has been saddled with debt, wars, foreign policies and hardships that will make his job infinitely more difficult. It's not the world is such a more dangerous place. It's that we are so much less capable of dealing with it.

I do think in spite of it all, the world will breathe a collective sigh of relief when Obama is elected. His inauguration will be that 21st century Camelot and at least for a time things will look up.

And then the hard work will begin.

1 comment:

  1. Could be... though the last Camelot produced the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Viet Nam War, sunny memories about it aside... and incidentally, refused to meet with MLK for quite a time past when it should've been done, and did so when at the point where it was practically embarrassing not to have.

    Not that I'm a critical cynic or anything.

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