Between A Rock And A Hard Place

The anti-intellectualism of America is still quite alive and kicking. The Republican party does its best to turn this sentiment into votes as it attacks Senator Obama, the Harvard Law School graduate, by calling him “out of touch” with the needs of the American people. Today’s political arena is much different than that of our Founders. Instead of directly engaging in politics, we see intellectuals taking a different route – aggressive avoidance. William Buckley once famously stated that he would rather be governed by the first 2000 names in the Boston phone book than the entire Harvard faculty, and his idea seems to have stuck. So, as we see the Republican Party turn away from intellectual leadership – as well as an intellectual constituency – and turn to more radical, rural votes, we also see the development of Election 2008: Class Warfare.
Who would you rather have a beer with, George Bush or John Kerry? Just the simple fact that this question was a leader in influencing undecided voters in 2004 is testament to the notion that America is turning from the intellectual. Though both attended Ivy League universities – and are far from the “common man” – they tried to attract the “average voter” by presenting themselves as “normal citizens”.
Now this is not a bad thing. In fact, it is important that constituents trust their leaders. But, as the political constituency of the Republican Party continues to turn away from the cities and metropolitan areas, it is leaving behind a group of intellectual Republicans as it pursues the rural votes that it has depended on over the past eight years. This can be clearly seen in John McCain’s selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
When the “maverick” Senator got the nomination, the Bush Republicans began to lose faith in “their party”. So who else to nominate in order to excite these voters than Sarah Palin – a pro-life, anti-stem cell research, anti-gay marriage governor of Alaska. Of course!
But now, where does this leave Republicans like myself? California Republicans are a little different than most. We’re all about leaving the economy alone (even though that’s basically not an option anymore) and we are a lot more lax about social issues. I’m stuck because I don’t want to vote for Obama-Biden because taxing the rich is not the answer, but voting for McCain-Palin leaves me with less hope than I have in Obama.
So today, I think it’s one of the hardest elections for the intellectual Republicans out there. We understand it is time for change – but Obama wants us to pay for everyone else to get in on it and Palin wants us to finally believe that the dinosaurs died 4000 years ago.
We really are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Change Ain't A Comin'

Though Barak Obama has faced much criticism already this election cycle, he has continued to struggle in foreign policy. So, naturally, he would select a foreign policy buff for vice president. But rather than following his own ideals, Sen. Obama has followed the party in selecting long-term Senator Joe Biden. In a campaign centered around “Change We Can Believe In” (he even sells this phrase on a t-shirt on his website), it is difficult to expect anything other than traditional party politics. With his selection of Senator Joe Biden of Deleware, Sen. Obama simply confirms that he is willing to play all the political games of the past.
Joe Biden joined the Senate in 1973. Nixon was still in office; Vietnam was still ongoing; Elvis was still alive. Barack Obama was only 12 years old. Sen. Biden is now serving his 6th term, the sixth longest period among current senators. He is a powerful veteran of the political world. Senator Biden ran for and failed in his first attempt at the presidency in 1988 (the same year that Obama joined Harvard Law School). Since then, he has been an influential chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.
In 2002, Biden stated that Sadaam Hussein was a threat to national security and that the threat had to be eliminated. He supported the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq which justified the war. But this is the same for many Democrats who feel they were tricked, with false military information, by the current administration. What is odd is Biden’s exit plan: Biden is an advocate of breaking Iraq into three ethnic states. He supports neither the current plan for Iraq nor a withdrawal plan, as Senator Obama does. His desire to have Iraq broken in to three eithnic states was released in a comprehensive outline, and as a result, Iraq’s political leadership and the American Embassy in Iraq both denounced the plan. And further, some senior military planners cautioned that this type of policy could lead to up to the addition of 100,000 troops in the region, over the coming years. This Iraq War strategy is a far cry from Senator Obama’s plan, The Iraq War De-Escalation Act of 2007, which the senator himself introduced and promotes troop caps and benchmarks.
“We are the change we seek.” (Barack Obama, 5 February 2008). But, Biden may not be. Though, he was selected for a reason. And he may just be the ticket to the Presidency for Barack Obama. Biden has a few important political qualities: he appeals to many middle class and blue collar workers and he is willing to criticize Senator McCain. He’s rough and tough, just what Senator Obama was lacking. He also has much experience in Foreign and National security which is one point that Senator McCain continues to point out as Sen. Obama’s weak spot.
With no incumbent president, a woman on the Republican ticket, and an African-American on the Democratic ticket, we are geared toward change. Though Sen. Biden may be one of the most senior members of the Senate, and though he may have an outburst or slip of tongue during the campaign trail, he may be exactly what Presidential hopeful Barack Obama needs.