Nathaniel

Shockey

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September 15, 2008

Obama Owns ‘Change,’ And McCain Should Know the Word is Worthless

“I've been talking about change since we started this campaign. I talked about change when we were up, I talked about change when were down. But now suddenly John McCain and his running mate Sarah Palin, they're out there saying 'we're for change.' 'We're for change too.' Well I'm glad that they now agree with me but we've got to change America. But let's be absolutely clear about what change means – change isn’t just a word.” – Barack Obama, Democratic Presidential Nominee

Although, in case change is just a word, it’s Obama’s word, not McCain’s.

It’s true. “Change” has been Obama’s motto since the beginning, and now McCain has fallen in love with the word, too. Everyone is laying claim to the enchanting word, “change.”

But really, is there a more obvious, arbitrary, general word than change?

If the approval rating of any person is around 30 percent, no schmuck trying to succeed him would run with a campaign theme, “More of what got us here.” If McCain, Obama or any of their political advisors were to read this, I’d urge them to call a quit to the change tug of war, because anyone with more than an acorn for a brain is getting extremely tired of it. But Obama is busy writing speeches and McCain is still wrestling over why, exactly, he is so obsessed with Obama’s word. So once again, it’s up to us to peer through the political fog.

The truth is that Obama deserves the word. Compared to the level of divergence between Obama and Bush, McCain is not far from being Bush 2.0.

Obama wants to increase taxes on the rich and the big corporations. McCain and George W. Bush don’t.

Obama is unpredictable at best, and more likely weak, concerning national defense. It’s very easy to imagine him getting carried away trying to reason with the unreasonable leaders of Iran, North Korea, Hamas or any other dangerous enemies. McCain and Bush are obviously both strong on national defense, and would not be afraid to shoot before asking why.

Obama would inevitably fall back on his only-child treatment by the media on issues such as offshore drilling or global warming-related legislation. McCain and Bush would care considerably less, if only because Republicans have as good a chance with the media as a dog in China.

Obama would do his utmost to universalize health care. McCain and Bush would do their best to privatize it.

Obama has shown little concern about the influx of illegal immigrants. McCain and Bush are both in favor of a really big wall.

There are many more reasons suggesting that Obama is a much bigger change. But as change has seemed so unbelievably fashionable to the likes of McCain, he just couldn’t resist taking a bite out of the pie. Obviously, he’s just trying to separate himself from Bush because that is the hip thing to do right now.

The thing about trends is that they are weightless. They come and go because they are never rooted in anything of substance. And the widespread anti-Bush sentiment is little more than a tragic trend of the media, passed on to all of us.

Bush did botch things up in Iraq. He squandered tax dollars, and in case no one told you, is not the greatest orator in history. He has had many other faux-pas, which conservatives and liberals alike have noticed. But if there is any justice, history will not remember him the way he was described while in office.

I wonder if history will remember him as one who courageously confronted terrorism when no one else would; if it will remember him as one who fought to lower taxes, causing one of the greatest growth periods our economy has ever seen, and some of the lowest average unemployment we’ve ever known; if history will remember him as one of the first to step up and legislate against earmarks; if Americans will eventually remember him as a Dirty Harry, always getting the short end of the stick.

All McCain’s efforts to distance himself from Bush, despite their agreement on most issues, is not a change. It’s not new at all, really. All McCain’s talk of “change” is little more than following a ridiculous trend.

© 2008 North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.

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