Bush as Symptom

There has never been a coup in the United States. No military leader has assumed the presidency by force of will or army. Nevertheless, we have had a president for the last six years who has proven time and again that he cares not what anyone thinks. He does what he wants in dictatorial fashion.

But America is a democracy and Bush is not really a dictator. The American people are responsible for putting George Bush in office. He is thus a symptom, but not the illness. The illness is one of collective bad judgement by us Americans, and a laziness in the way we gather information about, and come to understand, those who would be our leaders.

We’ve become extremely ideological and narrow minded in the way we treat politics. Too many of us look for a President who promises movement on a narrow though understandably important issue, such as moral direction, without taking into account the competency of the candidate to reach such a goal in a way that is inclusive, as our democracy is meant to be. And, believing that the candidate is dedicated to leading the country down a moral path, we fail to see the signs that the very candidate himself lacks the moral compass to lead us there. Bush has proven his lack of such a moral compass on many occasions, the most recent being his decision to send more troops to Iraq. This decision has to do with Bush’s unwillingness to admit his policy has failed, rather than doing what's right. American soldiers’ lives are the pawns in Bush’s game of ego.

So, America made a big mistake in electing Bush. His low approval rating among his constituency is evidence of how we feel. The question is, what can be done to limit the possibility that we’ll make such a mistake again?

We are politically naïve and horribly underinformed. We rarely take it upon ourselves to seek information about candidates, relying instead on TV ads to tell us all the bad things the other guy has done. We don’t really know what a candidate stands for nor do we know much, really, about his past decisions as a politician.

However, much of this information is out there. In the days before an election newspapers devote pages to candidates, dissecting their views and actions to get beyond heresy and offer a real analysis of what a candidate plans to do. Candidates' actual platforms, with plans laid out on paper, are printed in the papers.

But, people don’t bother to look. Often, they don’t know such resources are available.

What we need is a web site, special high-visibility newspaper, or TV show dedicated to presenting a candidate’s platform as the candidate him or herself lays it out. The format would include key categories such as healthcare, taxes, war policy where the candidate would clearly, concisely and briefly write exactly what he planned to do and where he planned to get the money for it. There would be no mention of other candidates. The site, or paper or program would be heavily advertised.

Surveys would be sent out to all constituencies asking voters to rate the top seven issues of importance. These issues would be ranked and the candidate would have to outline his policy on each, and how he would vote. He would then include an additional seven issues that were not ranked by the public but which he thinks need to be addressed. Politicians should be visionaries who have an idea of what’s important regardless of the actual publicity an issue receives. He would state his policy on these issues and how he would vote on them.

Then, he’d say where he’d get money from. And, he’d be forced to say which programs he’d cut, if necessary, to make budget. This would force him to come clean about issues that he doesn’t view as important. To keep him honest, he’d have to justify how cutting those programs would allow him to come up with enough money to pay for what he wants to do. That way, he can’t squeak by saying that he’d cut insignificant programs no one cares about anyway.

This whole program would be funded by tax dollars. Outrageous? Not when you consider that the government funds the candidacy of presidential hopefuls. It makes perfect sense that government fund the awareness of its people as well. Candidates such as Hillary Clinton and John Edwards have already stated their intention to forfeit the $150 million offered by the federal government to fund their campaigns. Use that money, instead, to fund a program of awareness and knowledge, to counteract the misinformation and negative campaigning that has kept many American from developing opinions about their candidates that are based on fact.

Tiki's Retirement a Good Thing. But not for Collinsworth.

The best thing Tiki Barber could have done at this stage of his football career was retire, and Chris Collinsworth's remarks to the contrary are surprising. As a retired pro who surely wakes up with aches and pains and has a lifelong subscription to Advil, Collinsworth must understand the virtue of getting out of football while one's body is still relatively intact.
That Tiki is still relatively healthy and has not sustained any single serious injury is the best reason to get his 31 year old body out now. He's enjoyed a long career and still performs at his best, but taking his age into account, the start of an inevitable athletic decline is imminent. Tiki's recent comments about the increasing toll each Sunday's game has taken on his body hints that such a decline may already have begun. It would slowly tarnish the memory of years of great performances, culminating in the last regular season game he played, the best single game of his career.
Tiki has shown a high level of intelligence, maturity and foresight that is uncommon among professional athletes. He understands that few pro running backs have made it much past their early 30's. There is no reward for declining performance, especially if it results in injury that makes the remainder of life a pain filled nightmare. His team, the New York Giants, seem to be going nowhere, making it doubtful that more years would bring more fun than he's already had. And Tiki has made it clear that his passion for the game has waned.
So, what was Chris Collinsworth thinking when he said that Tiki Barber made a mistake by retiring early? Maybe Collinsworth is jealous of young athletes able to play at their best. These are the people he has to admiringly talk about every weekend as he announces NFL games. Inside his own mind he might be making comparisons, saying to himself that such and such player is good, but couldn't compare with Chris Collinsworth in his day. But Collinsworth is no longer an elite athlete, and maybe he hates himself because of it. It must be extremely frustrating for an individual who has built his success on his body to watch as that same body inevitably and unceasingly declines. Maybe Collinsworth's criticism of Tiki's decision to retire is really about being afraid to face up to the fact that all athletic careers eventually come to an end. Even Collinsworth's.

Early take on the Democratic Presidential Candidates

This morning I read that Barack Obama announced he’s running for president.

I’m not sure I’d vote for Obama, but if no other, more compelling candidate appears, I’ll give him a try. He doesn’t have a lot of experience but, shamefully for our country, he has more national political experience than just about any other black candidate ever has: Barack is only the third black senator since the Reconstruction, 150 years ago. I know little about his politics but hope he isn’t simply a welfare democrat who appeals to the disenfranchised. Democratic economic populists generally do little more than run the economy into the ground, and eventually everyone suffers. In order for me to vote for him, he’ll have to show balance– that he supports policies that promote economic growth and stability while at the same time shows a strong social conscience, promoting improved healthcare access, concern for and action on environmental issues, and a spine in the face of pressure. Can he play politics with the good ole’ boys in Congress and still get his agenda through? Will the democratic congress self-destruct over the next two years, making it doubtful that he could get anything done even if he does succeed in getting elected President? I want a President with a heart, but who can play hardball and is a realist. Clinton was the recent President who most fit this mold. Obama can play the race hand, and I think it’s exciting to think of having a black president. But his politics will have to be broader than those demanded by underdog constituencies, and I don’t want to see the country edge back to the wasteful and economically disincentivizing welfare politics that began under Johnson.

I’m not very enthusiastic about Hillary Clinton. I can’t locate her soul. Six months ago she mounted a campaign to make flag burning illegal. This is normally a far-right crusade. Her action seemed to be one of political expediency; she was trying to broaden her appeal to the right well in advance of any future run for the presidency. The initiative petered out but she may have gotten the mileage she wanted just by having championed the cause. However, her motivation was political and her cause fundamentally opposed to principles of free speech, which demonstrates that she’s willing to put votes in front of values. Which means she’ll have to convince me that she has integrity before I’ll vote for her, and that won’t be easy.

John Edwards still seems green, and by making his campaign one for the underprivileged he scares on the economy. He’d better hope the economy does poorly over the next couple of years or his campaign will fall on deaf ears. If the economy does falter, the country may hold the democratic Congress to blame and Edwards won’t seem like such a good choice anyway.

Denis Kucinich of Ohio is a nut.

John Kerry is the same guy he was during the last election, and I didn’t have much respect for him then even though I voted for him as the lesser of two evils. I don’t want to see him get the nomination, and I think most democrats see him as a choice only when all else fails. His mention of Dick Cheney’s gay daughter during the final presidential debate is burned in my memory. Another candidate who will stoop very low for a vote.