November 7, 2008
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NaBloPoMo Day 6
Well, I got my paper written. It turned out alright. I wish I had the time to keep working on it. The cool thing about Bible study is that one is never really done.
I’m trying to sort out reactions to the McCain defeat. Specifically I’m referring to a subgroup of the people that are so disappointed. The thing that seems bizarre to me is how many of those people that are disappointed now that he lost the election are the same ones who were disappointed when he won the nomination. I just find it curious how far people moved over five(? seven? I don’t remember when the Republican nomination was sown up) months from rejection of the man to nigh-depression and panic when he didn’t win.
As I think about it, I think it’s probably a good thing that McCain lost. Not because I want Obama to be president; I think he’s wrong on lots of things. But, I think McCain is also wrong on a lot of things, just less wrong than Obama. To start with, there’s the $700B financial bailout. I’m trying hard not to fall into laissez-faire ideology here, but I really fail to see why it was so urgent. Yes, a bunch of bank-type businesses were going to fail, but that’s what is supposed to happen when those types of risks are taken. Bad risk == failed business. Also, has anyone else noticed the proliferation of banks? Doesn’t it seem like there are many more than are necessary? It seems to me like it is an industry that is ready for a consolidation. Anyway, my point is that both McCain and Obama were wrong about this, and this is a trend with McCain. (Don’t all of you who were McCain haters this time around remember wishing he had got the nomination back in 2000?) In general, he is a moderate, and comes up with a lot of ideas that agree more with the Democrats than with the Republicans. And, since it looks like the Senate won’t be filibuster proof, the Democrats won’t be able to go too far into the leftist weeds, forcing them to rule from the center. So, I don’t know how materially different a McCain or Obama administration would be. Given that, it may as well be a Democrat who gets the credit for Democratic ideas.
There’s also the historic nature of Obama’s presidency. I’m hoping that through this we can accelerate the healing of the racial divide in the US. I wish I could find the article, which I found rather ironic, because I don’t remember who made the statement. It was either someone from Europe or Saudi Arabia. Anyway, the comment was made that the US is “hopelessly racist.” How many European leaders have not been white? I honestly don’t know, but I’m pretty sure the number is somewhere between very low and zero. The question is irrelevant in Saudi Arabia, which is a closed Islamic monarchy.
Finally, while I as a “social conservative” saw the value of Palin, her choice never really thrilled me. Given her comments that did make it into the public during the campaign (Alaska’s proximity to Russia == experience in foreign affairs, not being able to give any of the several versions of the “Bush doctrine”), I don’t have a hard time believing that she couldn’t name the countries in NAFTA, even if the idea that she didn’t know that Africa is a continent is a bit far-fetched and unbelievable.
Anyway, those are my random, very undeveloped, political thoughts. I’m trying to keep them to myself, but just couldn’t help myself. Feel free to excoriate me for them – I’m a big boy.
Comments (4)
although i am super pumped about obama’s victory, i have always respected your random political thoughts. you were instrumental in keeping me from turning into a total hippie when my political views were being formed.
@lycanthropic37 -
Honestly, Doug, the thing that is bothering me the most right now is the lack of intellectual honesty. I’m so tired of people fooling themselves into thinking something will be good when just months earlier they were dead set against it, and it being entirely an emotional “they aren’t the other guy” sort of thing. I really don’t mind Obama’s victory all that much. The pendulum naturally swings back and forth, and this is just another one of those swings. Remembering Clinton’s presidency and seeing Obama pick some old Clinton folks, my expectation is that this will be a fairly centrist 4 or 8 years.
I also don’t mind people who honestly voted for Obama because they agree with him. I’m a bit bugged by people swept up in the “we need change” but didn’t bother to find out what it was Obama was offering other than “not Bush,” although I’m sure for a lot of people that was enough. And, frankly, I can’t blame them for that. Bush made some really bone-headed maneuvers and we’ve all suffered for that.
Anyway, on the positive side, there’s also that fact that by age 47 (48? details sometimes don’t stick well) President-elect Obama has gone from kid in a broken home to President of the US, as a part of a minority. No matter how much I disagree with his politics, that is a truly awesome feat and he deserves all of our respect. As is being pointed out, this isn’t the solution to racial problems in our country (I believe that God is the only real answer to that) but I hope that Obama’s administration goes well and the more vile parts of our own race see him well, and their perception is changed.
Anyway, I’m just dialoging here. God knows I don’t have any answers, just base feelings about this stuff.
I think the reason people change their views from “not McCain” to “as long as it’s not Obama,” is just that. Hard-line Republicans would see McCain as the lesser of two evils you might say. Sure they’d rather have had someone else as their candidate, but since that didn’t happen, they still want their team to win. I personally didn’t care so much in the primaries, because I don’t know much about the players, but I agree that God is in control, and we’ll just have to see what happens next. And pray.
@GardenLady -
I think you’re right in most cases. That was my perceived motivation, although I’m sure I’m guilty of my own intellectual dishonesty. Anyway, I’m referring to a group of people who went from “no way, not McCain” to “if McCain isn’t elected we’re all doomed” with a complete disregard for what McCain stood for and his similarity to the policies on which Obama ran.
These thoughts are developing in my mind, and I think I’m going to write more about them in another post so more people see it.