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America’s distrust of Washington

These days I don’t know many nonliberals.  The one “independent” I do know is a really smart person, who, last time I spoke to her, was undecided because she saw no difference between the two parties.  From her perspective, corporate money corrupts both parties and all of Washington.

So, I think McCain’s utterly bizarre and contradictory invitation to his own party to join him in fighting … ur, themselves … may not sound as totally insane to some people as it does to me.  After all this administration has done, a lot of people still think “it’s both parties.”  So, saying you’re going to stick it to Washington may just be a more effective strategy than to have your one and only message be that McCain is more of the same because he’s a Republican.

Democrats are by no means saints, but there are by no stretch of the imagination as corrupt and greedy as the modern Republican party.  But I fear that a lot of Americans just don’t see it that way.  People who like to think of themselves as “reasonable” gravitate instinctively to the comfortable soft middle of “everyone does it.”  They resist views that make them feel partisan.

Obama’s more of the same message is sounding stale and flat to me.  He needs to forcefully remind people that the Republican party is dangerously reckless, untrustworthy, and for eight years has not put America first.  He could even say that there are very honorable conservatives out there, and he welcomes they participation and counsel, but that few right now or for that past eight years have been in power.

His message should be that McCain waivers between maverick-style recklessness and putting the party before his country – as evidenced by his Rovian campaign.

Obama can’t sit back and rely on the administration’s terrible record to move people to vote for a democrat.  McCain will pin that record on both parties, and cast himself as the outsider reformer.  Add to that the deeply personal attacks that the dems won’t engage in, and we have another Republican administration.

Posted on 5 September '08 by Suzanne, under Uncategorized.

7 Comments to “America’s distrust of Washington”

#1 Posted by Sebastian (05.09.08 at 13:52 )

This is the “both sides do it” refrain that I get really sick of rebutting. It’s a tough sell.

But that said, I’m much less pessimistic than you — maybe the subject of a future blog post.

#2 Posted by vshawnt (05.09.08 at 14:09 )

I know a lot of people that call themselves independents, but I call them “independents”. I think that they like the idea of suggesting that they’re above easy partisanship, but if you listen to them over time, they often betray their bias.
In 2000 these “independents” suggested that Bush/Gore were virtually the same, and the Dems had the past 8 years, so…
In 2004 these “independents” said that we couldn’t change horses in mid stream.
In 2008 the one I am hearing a lot is that the Dems are going to control congress, so the WH should be in the hands of the other party to provide balance. Hmm…strange that I didn’t hear the flip-side in 2004.

I don’t have the liberal-leaning “independent” rationalizations…probably because most people know I’m solidly on the left, so they don’t feel they have to justify their positions.

#3 Posted by Suzanne (05.09.08 at 15:30 )

Yeah — I agree, “independents” end up parroting Republican talking points in each election, and in this election the “both sides do it” refrain could become even more salient, as McCain tries to condemn both parties for Republican sins. That’s why I’m worried.

From what you wrote above, the so-called indepdents are either Republicans who don’t like to identify as such, in which case we’re screwed, or they are not very critical or engaged news readers, in which case we’re also screwed.

#4 Posted by vshawnt (05.09.08 at 16:03 )

I’m sure there’s not just one answer…but, from my perspective, there’s a simplistic allure for those who aren’t very engaged in politics to 1) think they’re above party identification…they just like the idea of “voting for the best candidate”, so calling themselves independents, and 2) identify with the more simple Republican popular identity - i.e. small government, fiscal conservatism, strong military, personal responsibility. If you’re not very versed in politics, the more complex Democratic platform is tougher to swallow.
So, I think these “independents” often tilt mildly Right.
That said, I think that Bush has probably pushed a lot of these barely-politicals toward Obama.

#5 Posted by Suzanne (05.09.08 at 16:05 )

Your explanation sounds pretty plausible. And I REALLY hope your last point is right!

#6 Posted by Dillon (05.09.08 at 16:29 )

Empirically, people who call themselves independents are less likely to have an interest in politics than others, and as a result are less likely to vote.

But speaking of so-called independents, our independent senator Bernie Sanders up here in Vermont has made a big show of campaigning for Obama. Sanders argues that as an independent, he might have more credibility with other independents than party-line Democrats might. We love ya, Bernie, but I don’t think most independents are your kind of independent!

#7 Posted by Moses (06.09.08 at 06:40 )

There is a point where you just have to trust whether people get it or not. The only way I was able to get through the Bush victory in 2004 was to reflect that people will get exactly what they ask for. In fact that they got even more. That is democracy for better or for worse.

In this election, if our country’s collective mindset can only bring itself to elect McCain then I am not sure why I should shed tears for it. Let small town America pick its poison. For some reason the last eight years were not enough pain for them.

This small town America line that keeps getting repeated sounds desperate. While watching the convention I saw the nearly all white crowds and could not feel a sense that these people know how the world is changing around them. However, they are completely not ready for it. They do not educate themsleves for it. Have you ever watched news or read the newspapers in these markets?

In many ways (which I will post about later) Palin is the republican Obama. She is a blank slate that reflects many of the values that they have. Small town, hunter, mother, pro life, not ivy league educated, simple and not complex, not an international traveler (and has no interest for it). I can sympathize with why they love her because they also want change but unfortunately their party has done nothing to prepare for it since they have been causing a mess the last eight years. How they reflect on India and China or the changes in technology when most of them have only come to master the process of forwarding emails. Maybe I am east coast snob…actually I know I am but there is some truth to what I am saying.

Which makes me believe that what we are seeing are the last death throes of a kind of America that will no longer exist in 10 years. Once this country is not majority white and once our large immigrant community truly begins to vote, the republican party is going to be in a whole lot of trouble for a long time until it changes.