Reply to James Fallows of the Atlantic Re His Endorsing Obama for President.
Mr. Fallows writes, "Three negative reasons, one positive, to believe that Barack Obama's victory will advance America's interests, and that John McCain's would be severely damaging:"
Mr. Fallows writes, "Negative 1: Accountability. There have been minor positive aspects to the eight-year Bush-Cheney era now coming to an end. But when the diplomatic, fiscal, Constitutional, economic, and other civic consequences are viewed as a whole, this era has, in my view, been a disaster for the United States.
And evidently this assessment of our recent history is not just my view. That is what the record-low approval ratings for President Bush, and the record-high "wrong track" poll readings indicate. For America to return the incumbent party to power after this record would make a mockery of the idea of ballot-box accountability and two-party competition. If an incumbent party retains power after this record, what is the meaning of party competition at all?
I have spent a lot of time as an American overseas, starting in the bitter Nixon years of the early 1970s. Never has the "brand identity" of being an American suffered as much as it has under George W. Bush. Any American business person operating overseas will confirm this fact.
John McCain (right, last stop in Colorado on Election Day) pretends that he is not from the incumbent party. But in economic policy and international diplomatic/military vision there is no significant difference, none at all, between his policies and what the Bush Administration has offered. The "maverick" distinctions boil down to McCain's acknowledgment of climate change, his wildly disproportionate emphasis on the "earmark" menace, and -- to his credit -- his early opposition to the Bush-Cheney torture policies. Those matter but are not enough."
_____
Reply to Negative 1. Mr. Fallows endorses Mr. Obama because he is not named Bush or Cheney and because he comes from the party that is not called Republican. This is not a reason to believe in Mr. Obama. This is not a reason to vote for anyone. It is in fact just an explanation for why you are voting against a lame duck president who was elected feebly by a Supreme Court non-decision in 2000. I note that Mr. Fallows does not mention either Barack Obama or Joe Biden in his primary reason to endorse the Democratic ticket.
_____
Mr. Fallows writes, "Negative 2: Leadership style. John McCain is not willfully ignorant and incurious, which is a welcome contrast to George W. Bush. But he has shown during the campaign that he shares Bush's weakness for impulsive, gut-instinct decisions. For Bush: the Iraq war; for McCain, the choice of Sarah Palin and the short-lived "emergency suspension" of his campaign.
Some presidential decisions do require quick, "3 am" instinctual responses. Most do not -- and instead require a willingness to think broadly and dispassionately about the consequences of each alternative, since big decisions have effects that ripple for years. (See: "Iraq war," above.) Like Barack Obama, McCain does not have a record of executive decision-making. Unlike Obama, McCain has provided powerful reasons to doubt his judgment under the kind of pressure that matters most: the pressure to make decisions that are not quick but wise.
Reply to Negative 2. Again, Mr. Fallows is unhappy with the fact that John McCain is a product of forty years of the sort of reckless, impetuous, stubborn and intuitive conduct that is appropriate to an Annapolis grad and carrier-based aviator who survived a Sam missile, five years of sadism and thirty years in Washington's moral swamp. Being a war hero means never having to say you are sorry for being alive. Mr. Fallows avoids commenting directly on Mr. Obama's record of decision-making because obviously there is no record unless you rudely mention his choice of political associates and money-raisers.
___
Mr. Fallows writes, "Negative 3: Sarah Palin."
Reply to Negative 3. Joe Biden. More completely, Barack Obama has no concept of who Joe Biden is, what he considers important, how he works, and how he behaves. Choosing Joe Biden has the singular strength of being entertaining. Is Sarah Palin ready to be POTUS? Not when she was chosen. Is Joe Biden ready to be POTUS? Yes. And that is the problem for Mr. Obama.
___
___
Mr. Fallows writes, "Positive: The tone, the policies, the cast of mind, the talent, and, yes, the hope consistently represented by Obama during these past two years on the trail. If he is elected, disappointment will certainly follow. The expectations now projected upon him far exceed what any mortal can achieve. But to give the country a new chance, a leader must inspire, and he can."
Reply to Positive 1. This is strangely fearful and does not require a detailed analysis. The sit com show of Mr. Obama (right, or "Obama, The Musical" now in Nairobi, Nigeria) that his campaign has edited and re-edited and blanked out these last 21 months, since the announcement in February 2007, is two dimensional and not at all compelling after November 4. Mr. Fallows knows this. We all know this. Now begins the three-dimensional reality TV show and it is not at all happy or explicable with bromides or sound-bites. There is a beginning and a middle and an end to the reality TV that is about to open in the Chicago-based transition and the Washington-based first 100 days of the new administration, and each of the phases will include the name Tony Rezko and the mansion at 5046 South Greenfield Avenue. Bill Ayers will delight us; Jeremiah Wright will thrill us; Louis Farrakhan will confound us; but Tony Rezko we will understand. Cook County we understand. Patrick Fitzgerald and Richie Daley and Rod Blagojevich we understand. Elliot Ness and Al Capone we understand. The "Chicago Way" we even like. "They pull a knife, you pull a gun," Sean Connery told Kevin Costner (below, 'The Untouchables," 1987) "He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That's the Chicago Way."
Bush failed miserably as President. Obama will fail miserably as President. As for McCain, he would have done no better as President than either of those two wretches, but instead he will be remembered merely as the Presidential candidate who lost a race. Fate can be strangely kind.
Florida gone with the wind: Fla. Gov. Charlie Crist skipping GOP "Victory Party" in St. Petersburg, citing a need to return to Tallahasse to address legal issues. less than a minute ago
Kenneth - count me amongst the 28% who still believes that this president has tried his best to be a good president. See: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/11/an_election_day_note_thanks_pr.html
I know there have been mistakes but I do not 'buy into' the dogma coming from the Left and disenchanted conservatives that his presidency has been a 'failure.' Like Krauthammer, I believe 'history' will treat Bush more kindly than do the current press and assessments.
The Democrats and even Republicans in Congress deserve their share of blame for disatisfaction.
As for BHO, I am very fearful of what we DO know about his agenda - and there is plenty we have yet to know. Again, be careful what you all wish for.
Twitter Congressional Quarterly "President Obama" staff speculation begins with reports of Rahm Emanuel considering chief of staff role. http://tinyurl.com/6axp8z 9 minutes ago.
Sure. Agonizes. He needs time to burn the letters he has written to Blago demanding the Obama Senate seat.
Good God JB!
If Fla is gone it is hopeless at this point..only by winning California can McC win.
I pray Gov Crist is wrong.
God help us all.
I don´t see it so much as Bush having failed; I see it as Americans having failed Bush. They have allowed themselves to be caught up in a ceaseless orgy of Bush bashing. As such, they were willing to suspend reason and trash the President, the country and ultimately themselves. Eventually they will awake from their frenzied bloodlust and wonder what happened. They will attempt to point fingers (at the media, at Hollywood, at Democrats) not realizing that when you point a finger at somebody, three are pointing back at you.
Who will be the next victim to be pillaried on the altar of American politics? Who will be the next to be fed to the lions? Not Obama; he´s been ordained teflon-coated and, hence, will remain untouchable. One thing is for certain: The day will come when Americans will wish desperately for another Bush in the White House, if for no other reason than to once again be able to generate laugh lines by the water cooler.
10 pm...obama 200; McC 124 w/Fla & Cal. still not in,(27 & 55)and 121 electoral votes still in space, floating...floating
Results are from www.marklevinshow.com interactive map
AL: if this goes Dem: turn out the lights, Last Republican in the Senate:
Congressional Quarterly Twitter
With 49 percent of Alabama precincts reporting, incumbent Mike Rogers is ahead by a mere 588 votes over Democratic challenger Josh Segall. 9 minutes ago
Polls still open in Florida for long lines.
And so far, the Blue is running the table except for Foley's old rat's nest:
Florida Democrats Lead in Early Returns
By Rachel Kapochunas, CQ Staff
Democrats are poised to pick up several House seats in Florida, according to early returns.
Democratic lawyer Alan Grayson led Republican Rep. Ric Keller 52 to 48 percent with 80 percent reporting in the Orlando-area 8th District. Democrat and ex-state Rep. Suzanne Kosmas led Republican Rep. Tom Feeney by 58 to 41 percent with 71 percent reporting in the East central Orlando-area 24th District. Keller’s district has become increasingly Democratic due to an influx of new voters — especially Hispanics — and Feeney has been attacked for his connections to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
The fate of brothers Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart , Republican congressmen in the 21st and 25th districts respectively, remained uncertain.
Republicans may offset losses by toppling Democrat Tim Mahoney in the 16th District. With 23 percent of the vote reporting, Mahoney trailed GOP lawyer Tom Rooney 59 to 41 perce
Peter - thank you...sometimes I feel all alone out here..yes, BHO will be so untouchable, the MSM will not be able to pillory him the way they have done to Bush - but since they're already in his pocket, they won't feel the need...Remember that famous comment from Ray Donovan "Where do I go to get my reputation back?"
Noting results of increase in Democrat voting in previously Republican areas outside urban areas - I see this as an unintended result of the a better economy for most of Bush's terms - including more prosperous black families and wage earners. Yes, we're heading into a recession now - but for most of Bush's term, life has been getting better with more minority families entering the middle and upper-middle class.
"Again, be careful what you all wish for." Good advice, that.
As for myself, upon careful consideration I wish for a President who does not seek to export at ruinous cost democracy to distant peoples neither desirous of it nor suited to it.
I wish for a President who does refer to the Constitution that he swore to uphold as a "Goddamned piece of paper."
I wish for a President who does think that the same nation--I respect the English language too much to use the word "Republic" any longer--that won two World Wars and a Cold War without the use of torture should now should now openly and unashamedly enshrine that barbaric practice because we fear a handful of criminal fanatics.
I wish for a President who does not allow our country to be overrun by millions of legal and illegal immigrants and thereby transformed into a multicultural powder keg because that sweaty little homunculus Karl Rove calculated (incorrectly) that this would somehow curry favor with Latino voters.
Not to worry, Mombam. My prayer seems to be in no danger of being answered any time soon.
On some level John McCain has been let down by his country again.
Peter:
Bush's failure was one of perception, which is usually the expertise of politicians. It's as if he never stuck up for himself and on top of it, I believe, he chose people around him that were not the best picks for the situation at hand. He put too much emphasis on party and personal loyalty and not enough on efficacy (Rove is an exception, but he he has cost Bush as well). In the end, because of this, he let the media and his enemies define him. It's still a major flaw in leadership for this to happen. Will history be kinder to him? Probably, but what will it matter. The damage is done.
Word to Bush: sometimes you can't wait on History's verdict -- you have to take care of the present. See Truman.
Word to Rama: Putin will give you a hard lesson in judo.
Word to GOP: don't interfere with Putin's judo lesson.
Now let us consider our places of exile...
A pair of teeth-gnashing corrections to my 11:08 post:
"I wish for a President who does refer..." should read "I wish for a President who does not refer..." And "I wish for a President who does think..." should read "I wish for a President who does not think..."
Gentlemen, it is very late. Why let the slow-motion collapse of Western civilization interfere with a good night's sleep? There is such a thing as perspective.
"And so to bed," to quote a noted diarist.
I very deeply hope that I'm wrong in my estimate of President elect Obama. We shall see.
It seems like the pendulum has swung very far left. I just hope it will manage to swing right next. Remember Reagan followed Carter.
Remember Martin Luther King's wish that his children be judged by the quality of their character.
I wonder what MLK would have said about this election where people voted for Obama just because he is black?
Jim, I don't think people voted for Obama JUST because he's black. They voted for him because he is articulate (unlike Bush), academic (unlike Bush), young, and not part of a paternalistic American political dynasty (unlike Bush). They voted on emotion, partly because the media didn't do a good job of providing them fact. They voted for him because they don't think European socialism is a bad thing, and they don't have enough education in civics or history to recognize the dangers lurking in Obama's proposed programs.
I think MLK would have been proud tht 40 years after his "I have a dream" speech, there is a black person in the oval office. He would say his work is done, time to move on.
JR - the media didn't WANT to provide too many facts about Obama's plans - they didn't want to look too deeply..and, for the most part, the media is quite admiring of European socialist societies. Combine that with necessary vagueness from the candidate himself "This will not be easy. This will require sacrifice...." yet being unwilling to lay out precisely what he means beyond " a new spirit of service...a new spirit of sacrifice..." (see last night's acceptance speech). "95% of families will get a tax cut" (even though this is impossible since 40% already pay no Federal income tax - and no one ever asked him whether this means a cut of $1 or $2000), all the media wanted was to provide just enough information to propell THEIR chosen candidate over the finish line.
There's just a LOT that will need to be revealed - and there'll also be a lot written into rules and Congressional bills that will never see the light of day but will have an impact on the rest of us.
The Dems have 'won it' - now they 'own it' - so we wait to see what they'll do with it.
MLK would have undoubtedly forgiven you for your ignorance.
Oddly true. Who would want the job?
I think we did the right thing- Obama is an emotional choice no doubt- Although appearing slick at times- he also seems humble, smart, and deliberative. All things we desperately need now. Personally I went with a write in, because I believe none of us should do any less than vote for the very person we think best suited for the time- we are free not to choose the self-anointed. Reps and Dems who play a ying yang game to eek out their 51 percent. They have no core beliefs any longer as parties- they simply play a numbers game which they keep between themselves. What I'm most interested in seeing now is something Obama writes about in his memoir- that unlike bush and clinton- he doesn't "feel" the same battles these older generations feel. This to me is truly exciting- It is an important break with history. One of the most damaging things humanity does is to rear it's children with a sense of guilt over the sins of their mothers and fathers. This is wrong- mom, dad- I love you, but I will not pay for your mistakes. (this is why reparations are wrong, and also, I believe played some role in why Obama, as a black man was able to win) I wonder what Putin will think if Obama says- yeah, cold war, shmold war- big deal- now, how are you doing mr putin? I would love to see Obama- refuse to take up the weapons, the conflicts- the beef of the past, of our parents- and instead take up only what was good.
I e'er thought i would bump such a comprehensive article.Thanks you . mattress bedroom furniture