Genii Weblog
Imagine for a moment
Thu 30 Oct 2008, 12:10 AM
Tweetby Ben Langhinrichs
Leave aside the question of who would be a better President, who would be a stronger leader, who would have policies that would help or hurt or whatever...
Imagine various candidates over the years magically handed a half-hour opportunity, six days before an election, to share their vision, uninterrupted and with full production values, to the entire country.
Imagine Ronald Reagan painting an optimistic picture of America as in the Shining City Upon A Hill. Imagine Bill Clinton describing the hopes and fears of ordinary Americans as in I Still Believe In A Place Called Hope. Imagine Abraham Lincoln giving voice to our underlying spirit as in his Gettysburg address. Imagine Franklin D. Roosevelt bolstering a scared and beleaguered American public with the Only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Imagine Harry Truman rousing the populace as in his whistle-stop Give them hell speech.
Now imagine if John McCain had been handed this opportunity yesterday, no strings attached, with the production team, the money to produce it, all his current advisors available to help him create it. Imagine John McCain given free reign to paint any picture he wanted, create the ultimate "game changer", put his vision in front of the American people. Again, leave aside the question of who would be a better President, etc. No matter what your political beliefs, just imagine that half hour. Then go look at the polls and see if they make sense to you.
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What has been said:
725.1. Rodney Scott (10/31/2008 10:31 PM)
Maybe I'm missing the point, but this comment seems refreshingly open-minded, even bold (considering where your daughter works). It seems like you're not blind to the positive aspects of the other side, which is a very difficult approach for almost anyone to take, regarding politics. I appreciate that, and would be interested in reading any elaborations.
725.2. Ben Langhinrichs (11/01/2008 11:08 AM)
Opportunity is a double edged sword. I honestly think that if John McCain could have created a half hour positice piece about his beliefs and ideas for America without a single mention of Barack Obama, it could have given his campaign a huge boost, although I am not sure it would have been enough even then. Sadly, I doubt that he would have taken that opportunity. Instead, I think he would likely have used the entire piece to attack and build a case against Barack Obama, whic would have likely failed miserably and sunk his campaign further than it is now. It is due to the latter approach that his polls are sinking, in my opinion.
725.3. Rodney Scott (11/03/2008 03:43 PM)
That sounds like a fair statement, and I don't want to end up turning your blog into a political debate. But do you honestly believe that both Obama and McCain have been treated equally by the media? I feel that McCain might have been under the impression that he needs to say what the media fails to point out. Some restraint on his part would have been helpful, but I actually think he and Palin were surprised when the media failed to treat them and their opponents equally.
725.4. Rodney Scott (11/03/2008 05:50 PM)
Actually, a second look at my question makes me realize that if you answered, this particular post would probably turn into something like a friendly debate, but debates are clearly not the main purpose of your site. I still would like to know your thoughts on the matter, however, if you'd be willing to share. If you would like to discuss the media issue further but don't wish to do so on your website, please e-mail me at rdnyscott@yahoo.com. Of course, I understand that you are also probably too busy.