WHO’S DRIVING McCAIN’S POLITICAL VEHICLE, STEVIE WONDER?
WHO’S DRIVING McCAIN’S POLITICAL VEHICLE, STEVIE WONDER?
By
Ken Eliasberg
In the film Die Hard, Bruce Willis’s character makes the comment, “who’s driving that car, Stevie Wonder?” referring to the directionless manner in which a police vehicle was meandering about. I get the same impression as I watch the McCain campaign (if one could call it that) in its aimless (but always lofty) perambulations. Or, as Gertrude Stein put it in her rather unkind reference to Oakland, “there’s no there there.” Or carrying it a bit further, I feel like one of those infants in the back seat of a parentally guided vehicle who is constantly asking “are we there yet?” Actually, it’s worse than that — the vehicle to which I refer does not appear to have left the garage, let alone have embarked on the journey at hand. In other words, when does the McCain campaign get started? Hopefully, it will be some time before the election, although one can’t help but wonder when do you reach a point of no return in getting started?
Let me make it clear at the outset that I enthusiastically support John McCain for 2 very fundamental reasons: (1) There is no doubt in my mind that, given where the U.S. finds itself in 2008, John McCain is not merely the best candidate for the presidency, he is the only candidate, which leads inexorably to my 2nd point; (2) the alternative is unthinkable — it could well be a defining moment in the declining fortunes of Western Civilization.
And, while it is neither a consolation nor an explanation, McCain’s directionless campaign seems very much to be a microcosmic metaphor for the Republican Party in its entirety — directionless, messageless, and leaderless. And, at this stage of the game, there is no excuse for the lack of either a direction or a message; and certainly not for the failure of leadership.
One has to wonder what McCain’s people were doing during the 3 months when Hillary and Obama were battering one another. Was this not the perfect opportunity to develop a well-oiled machine with a clear game plan for the coming campaign? It was, but it was an opportunity which apparently his people were unable to perceive, let alone grasp. And please don’t misunderstand, John McCain must accept more than his share of the blame for this missed opportunity, one that may dearly cost him before this is over. Further, his campaign has had serious problems almost from the onset of the Primaries, leading some critics to argue that if the man can’t run a campaign, how’s he going to run a country. This is not the sort of ammunition you wish to make available to your enemy. McCain must seize the moment, or risk losing an election that I not only believe he should win but one that I believe he can win.
Moreover, McCain’s penchant for insisting on the noble path — i.e. he insists that he will not engage in negativity of a personal nature — is somewhere between absurd and insane. When your enemy brings a gun to the fight, you are ill-advised to pack a knife. This seems like politics 101. Negativity is not only employed, it is a Democratic staple, and, to their credit, they understand that it is employed because it works. On top of that McCain compounds this felony by (1) hamstringing his surrogates from carrying the fight (and, make no mistake about it, it is a fight where the stakes may very well be the survival of the United States) to the enemy (and, again, make no mistake, the Dems are the enemy, and (2)throwing some damn good and helping surrogates under the bus when they display some measure of negativity, e.g. Phil Gramm. Politics is a blood sport, and, while good manners are a wonderful trait, they are of small and inadequate consolation if by their use you have allowed the country to fall into dangerous hands.
Again, partly in McCain’s defense, this too is a Republican trait — failing to grasp the seriousness of the confrontation and thus the weaponry it requires.Whereas Democrats confuse good intentions with good results, Republicans seem to believe that good manners are more important than good results. To a Democrat, the means — any means, no matter how ruthless, dangerous, or destructive — justify the ends (the attainment of power). To a Republican, the means seem to be more important than the ends. Now I ask you, in a fight to the death — i.e. one in which survival is the stake — with whose side wouldyou wish to align yourself?
Actually, it’s worse than that, not only does McCain appear to deplore and resist negativity, he can’t seem to find an issue to be negative about. In addition, his style is perplexing, and, on occasion, off putting.That is, you don’t get the feeling that he is comfortable in his own skin; this quality makes it difficult to make converts — they need to feel your comfort to make themselves comfortable in supporting you. Further, McCain is not a good speaker — he needs to improve measurably in this area if he is to win over the uncommitted. Finally, like Hillary Clinton, you occasionally feel that he struggles with containing his anger — this too is not an attractive quality in a candidate, whose job it is to win voters over to his side. I have often felt that the key to success in life is getting out of your own way, or, better yet, not getting in your own way in the first place. McCain seems not to have mastered this skill.
That said, I think McCain is more than just an American hero and patriot; he is agood and decent man, who is the perfect man to lead the country at this time. Moreoever, I believe that he has been summoned to do so. And to do so, all that he has to do is commit to the process and to determine to win this election by any and every means necessary.Enough of this Sir Galahad crap — take off the gloves and start doing what Harry Truman did — giving em hell. I guaranty you that when McCain finally decides to run a campaign, Americans will come out of the woodwork to support him. I believe he can win this election, and I and many others want to help him do just that — all that we ask is that he not only allow us to do so, but, more important, that he clearly and unequivocally commit himself to the fight, unencumbered by silly and unnecessary self-imposed limitations.