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Pack the Bags and Fold the Tent of Fear
Fear about the Economy or Anger on the Campaign Trail?
The moral bankruptcy of the McCain-Palin is apparent for all reasonable people to see. In the politics of fear, hatred, anger and incitement, the experiment of American democracy should grant no do-overs. A supposed independent maverick for much of his political career--though with the exception of campaign finance legislation, the accomplishments don't exactly pile up--John McCain has utterly debased himself with appeals to the worst instincts in his fellow citizens. It's sad but he's the big loser here. And it's deserved for playing by the rules that once dragged him, unfairly, through the filth of a particular brand of politics that have crippled our nation these past 8 years.
Of course, to be fair, hatred and xenophobia are hardly new to American politics. It's just that they have been so masterfully used to anesthetize the electorate for the duration of the Bush years that it's kind of like that shocking and disorienting sense of having awakened up from a bad, bad dream.
(Oh, to the moral equivalence-izers out there: Is the Obama ("That One") campaign using anger about the war and the economy on the trail as well? Yes--but always to the end of solving our problems through a message of hope and cooperation, not demonizing people based on race or faith or ethnicity.)
McCains sins are many: he's hammered away at the William Ayers connection to Barack Obama to such an extent that his rabid audiences now threaten the lives of both Ayers and Obama--this despite the fact that the American legal system dropped the case against Ayers (who never denies the evil he committed but who also gave up the cause and is a productive citizen, working on education reform with Republicans and Democrats in Chicago, which is the point!) because of Republican misconduct orchestrated by Richard Nixon's Attorney General John Mitchell; the specious lies about Obama being a Muslim; Palin's innuendo about Obama being some kind of European socialist at best and un-American at worst; and the half-truths about ACORN and voter registration drives all paint a grim picture for the either the end of McCain's career or what appears to be a near impossibility, a McCain Presidency.
By the way, don't be fooled into thinking that there are certain cards McCain won't play because of his principles. Why won't McCain bring up Jeremiah Wright? Because McCain has Rev. Hagee's endorsement; because Sarah Palin's church has its own share of weird, End-of-Days preachers and she herself has spent plenty of taxpayer money standing on pulpits across her state; because her husband was a member of a potentially treasonous party--the Alaskan secessionist party!
The fear out there about the American economy will pass. It always does. The wake up call has been heard by a cross section of the country's political and economic elite as well as Main Street and solutions, hard ones, are already on their way.
But subjecting the electorate to McCain's own wartime traumatic echo by invoking the specter of anger and hatred, racism, and xenophobia have been truly grotesque. War is hell and not a single individual with heart denies the horrible suffering John McCain has endured in his life. Now, however, he is subjecting the nation to his own traumas by unleashing the same forces that abused and humiliated him in 2000. It's classic. Just ask your own therapist.
For the good of the country and his family, he should retire and spend the remainder of his years healing from the deep wounds he has endured. His public humiliations at the hands of George Bush, Dick Cheney and Karl Rove; the War in Iraq; the crash of his own economic policies; and the bitterness of his imminent defeat by a younger, brighter, more hopeful man, have done him in.
As for Governor Palin: the media scrutiny of the last six weeks has shown, thank God, that she is not particularly good or ethical at governance. I do maintain that she has a promising career as a television personality, which suits her.
The most honorable "Country First" thing John McCain and Sarah Palin could do now is resign themselves to defeat and pack away (until some other person releases them) the demons of American democracy: racism and xenophobia.
In the meantime, a solid majority of Americans are beginning to focus on cleaning up a mess. It won't be easy but it's what you do when you put Country First.
By
Andy Bachman
|
October 20, 2008; 8:26 AM ET
| Category:
Morality
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Posted by: Farnaz2 | October 20, 2008 8:37 PM
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" kert1
"Wow, talk about hate filled rhetoric."
Shall we?
" I'm not really seeing any argument here to even respond to. The best argumentment you can come up with is McCain should retire in the middle of his campaign."
Actually, considering that Mccain and Palin aren't even *planning* to govern well, but are pursuing a 'scorched-earth' policy, suggesting that concerns of honor and the national good come into it, well, that's the best 'argumentment' I've heard yet about what 'Country First' might mean right now, in this particular circumstance.
I'm a little biased, since I'm an Obama supporter, of course, but I see no good in Mccain and Palin trying to stir up prejudice, denying it, and then expecting they'll somehow 'righteously' be good for the country when they don't even have a *transistion plan.*
Cheating aside, they aren't playing to win, even, they just want to try and make the country ungovernable for the other 'side.'
We don't have time for this.
Our need is upon us. For the good of the country, maybe they *should* be trying to lead their constituency into some kind of modality where they can participate and be heard *without* trying to amp up the polarization and BS that got them convinced a Democratic administration is going to treat them like a Republican Imperial Presidency did to the Democratic half of the American population, to so much of our mutual grief.
What *if* it were about the good of the country?
What would someone in Mccain's position *do,* if that were the overriding concern?
Race-bait? Say the President-elect is a 'terrorist?'
No, that don't sound right.
Maybe America ain't dead yet, though.
Posted by: Paganplace | October 20, 2008 5:23 PM
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Wow, talk about hate filled rhetoric. I'm not really seeing any argument here to even respond to. The best argumentment you can come up with is McCain should retire in the middle of his campaign.
All I can say to people is make up your own mind. Every candidate has good and bad points and the other candidate has a right to point things out. Look at the facts and don't dismiss things because you will called hateful. Knowing truth is power and that is what we need. Investigating accusations only hurts when they are true.
I just wish we could have a meaningful debate instead of being told we are hateful and idiots.
Please America, do your own research and vote your concious. Don't rely on people who can't see the other point of view.
Posted by: kert1 | October 20, 2008 2:38 PM
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Henry James
Yes on FALSE Moral Equilalency
McCain says that the "negative ads" of Obama pointing out that
McCain voted with Bush 90 percent of the time
when
McCain DID vote with Bush 90 percent of the time
is "EQUIVALENT" to
McCain and Palin saying that Obama
IS a TERRORIST
because he "palled around with terrorist William Ayers"
on a board of an organization funded by right-wing Walter Annenberg
is OBSCENE.
How dumb do they think we are?
Posted by: jsmith4 | October 19, 2008 10:26 PM
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Hi! Welcome to our humble slice of the national psychodrama, new columnist. :)
"It's just that they have been so masterfully used to anesthetize the electorate for the duration of the Bush years that it's kind of like that shocking and disorienting sense of having awakened up from a bad, bad dream."
All I can say there is, if the rest of you can handle the waking nightmare, I can go back to tending folks' bad dreams, and then we'd all probably be back in our comfort zones. :)
Posted by: Paganplace | October 18, 2008 11:25 PM
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The comments to this entry are closed.
A supposed independent maverick for much of his political career--though with the exception of campaign finance legislation, the accomplishments don't exactly pile up--John McCain has utterly debased himself with appeals to the worst instincts in his fellow citizens.
I dunno, Andy, I'm just not impressed. Indeed, I've not been impressed by a single one of your columns to date. One expects something more from the rabbi of Beth Elohim, frankly, a lot more.
First, there is the question of information, simple enough to get, and I speak, now, as an Obama supporter. McCain's one accomplishment was not campaign finance reform, although it was an achievement (with which he ended up dissatisfied, btw.). As well, he co-sponsored McCain Kennedy with you know who, which put forth humane immigration proposals. His record on bipartisanship, as the foregoing attests to, is without peer in Congress. Interestingly, one of the few senators who did not work well with McCain was Sen. Obama.
Some of McCain's remarks are indefensible. There is no argument to be made in support of them, as any rational person would assert. And, therein, lies my problem with you, Andy. The easy way, the good liberal way, the somewhat patronizing way, the IN-way is so often yours.
I would have liked to see you attack the media's sexist assault against Sen. Clinton,for instance, an undertaking that would have been healthy for America, but not necessarily the In-thing to do. I would like to hear your thoughts on the Palin tee shirt, so popular at Obama campaigns, but I guess that it wouldn't be politically correct for you to discuss it.
There is a cognitive disaster afoot in this country. I'm on the side of the angels, you on the devils. Would that you would take issue with THAT way of thinking, Andy. McCain's made some very bad moves, and, I do mean, bad, but he ain't the devil, and Sen. Obama doesn't walk on water.