During the second day of the Republic National Convention, Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman surprised the audience with a speech that was very telling of the times.
The gist of the speech can be summed up in Lieberman’s own words:
Our founding fathers foresaw the danger of senseless partisanship. George Washington himself, in his Farewell Address to our country, warned that the “spirit of party” is “the worst enemy” of our democracy and “enfeebles” our government’s ability to do its job. George Washington was absolutely right. The sad truth is – today we are living through his worst nightmare, in the capital city that bears his name. And that brings me directly to why I am here tonight. What, after all, is a Democrat like me doing at a Republican convention like this? The answer is simple…country matters more than party.
Country matters more than party. Country first. Change you can believe in. More of the same.
These are all slogans that capture the essence of this unique election. Both citizens and politicians, regardless of party, strongly desire voting to not be split 50/50 as it has been during the last two elections. Nobody wants this election to be decided by a single state like it was in the last two elections.
Don’t let anyone fool you – the greatest danger facing America is not the War on Terror, but rather the ideological infection that has convinced one half of America that they know better, and therefore are inherently better, than their other half. Which half am I speaking of? Both.
And in this election we are being forced to choose between a Republican candidate who preaches unity under the slogan “Country First”, and a Democratic candidate who preaches unity under the slogan “Change You Can Believe In”. The pundits will tell you that the deciding factor must be experience. But if experience is the key factor, and the goal is the highest executive office, then, as has been pointed out by Babeled’s own commentators, the only person on either ticket with relevant executive experience is the Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin.
Obviously, experience will not be the deciding factor.
Rather, the ability to inspire both Republican and Democrat to rally under one candidate will be the deciding factor in this election. If Barack Obama wins the election by one state because the country has voted 50/50 again, you can be sure real change has not occurred. And if McCain wins in the same way, you can be sure that voters did not pick country first.
Nowadays, real change is putting your country first and not voting based on how you identify with a particular party or label. To do otherwise would be to forsake your right to independent choice – and that’s about as Un-American as it gets.
7 Comments
Andrew, have you been appointed the official DNC and GOP blogger for the conventions? lol It would be nice to hear what other people have to say about it, not just in their comments.
No, I haven’t been appointed anything besides czar of my apartment.
I’m just into politics, and you only get an election once every four years – might as well not hold back on the coverage. Don’t worry, you’ll be hearing from the others in the days and weeks to come.
I know I was just messing with you. Politics, during an election year, makes it’s way into blogs with a force greater than gravity. It cannot be helped and I love it!
It would be great if their was some sort of regulating committee that financially supported independent parties to run for President. I think this might stimulate the election process and get more people involved. The bipartisan nature of politics makes me sick, whether it’s Dem. v. Rep. or conservative v. liberal.
Blogging about politics is akin to masturbation. Not that there’s anything wrong with it, but it really is just stroking yourself.
Well said Jason!
I love stroking myself.
No seriously. I love it.