I came upon this link while taking my daily fill of trash on http://election.twitter.com:
Senators Obama and McCain Exchange Letters on Ethics Reform
What the fuck was that? (Answer: John McCain being a douche and Barack Obama maintaining his composure)
Seriously, though, this reminds me pretty strongly of the Presidential debate last week. John McCain acted insulted that a young whippersnapper was arguing with him about foreign policy, and Barack Obama almost seemed disappointed in McCain’s behavior. I really do believe, reading these letters, that Obama isn’t just saying that he respects McCain for points. Kudos to him for not writing back a more appropriate (in some sense) email, telling McCain that he knows where to stick his false airs at bipartisanship (note: Joe Lieberman is about as Democratic as Rush Limbaugh – last I heard, the Democratic party was considering censure and asking Lieberman to resign from the party).
I think, at the end of all this, I’m going to be just as disappointed as I usually am. Sure, I’ll be excited that our President (Obama, god willing) is capable and has intentions that match many of my convictions, but that wasn’t the real victory I was going for.
When this all started, when Obama started to be a challenger to Clinton, I got excited in a way that The West Wing excites me (and not just because of the strong, talented women). I enjoy watching the West Wing because in that fantasy world, at various points in time, people try goddamned hard to “raise the level of debate in this country”. I blame Aaron Sorkin, in a backwards way, for fueling my disillusionment with the whole process. Almost every West Wing episode has, at its core, an issue too complicated for a “ten word answer”, and Sorkin does (in my mind) a good job of presenting both sides. Both parties (in the West Wing and, I can only hope, the real world) have members of outstanding character, honesty, and intelligence. There are bad apples in each party, but in this fantasy meritocracy that (I hope) every person dreams of, the better voices drown them out.
So when this ends, I’m still going to be angry, and I’m going to be angry about John McCain. Obama is going to win, in part, because he stepped down into the pit of politics that McCain had dug out and starting fighting hardball. I’m glad that it should win him the election, because, all ugly politics aside, I agree with Obama’s ideals much more than McCain’s.
But, in the end, my dream of a political campaign where people get to discuss the real questions will never happen. For once, I’d love to see Republicans and Democrats argue the merits of a completely deregulated financial system versus some regulation. I’d love to hear arguments about federal vs. states rights. I want to hear arguments about abortion that don’t include phrases like “baby killers” and “freedom haters”, and instead center on the rights and responsibilities of government and the difference between what is moral and what is legal. Is that too much to ask?
I’ll close here with three clips from one of my favorite West Wing episodes. It is Season 4, Episode 6: “Game On”. The clips are from the debate between President Bartlett and Governor Ritchie. Ritchie is essentially a charicature of Republican (although you might recognize some parts of his speech as being eerily similar to pieces of McCain’s performance at the first debate), which is why he gets trounced so easily. But I think the underlying criticism is about the system itself, not the Republican party in particular.
Debate opening – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4O0Lh3TgSUY
Debate middle – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n22VycQ5Jo
Debate ending – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIy0AP1Sbrk