A Gaseous Wheeze of Windy Orotundities

New at Reason: Jesse Walker bats back some of the presidential campaign's favorite received ideas.

Comments

[nobody]

"The press is more interested in the horse race than the issues. Maybe it is, but in this election the horse race is an issue."

Doesn't the press use this observation as justification for their horse-race coverage every election year? This year is somehow different? I doubt it.

[Jesse Walker]

Actually, it is different, because it's the first time in ages that there's been this much uncertainty about who would get one of the nominations. The question of whether a candidate is "electable" has a lot more riding on it, and thus becomes an issue in the campaign.

[nobody]

'whether a candidate is "electable"...'

I am hearing that a lot. Not "qualified", but "electable." Does that sentiment qualify as "cynical" in this modern era?

I don't remember much more issue-oriented coverage the last time around, but there are many more "information" outlets now. The most popular seem to be catering to what we want: polls and more polls.

[R. C. Dean]

When the main criteria in a primary is "electability", the main value of the constituency is power for its own sake. The question isn't "what should we do for the country", it is "how do we get back in the seat of power." No one seems to care nearly so much what is done with that power, as they are with having it in their own sweaty fists.

So yeah, I think it is pretty cynical. Corrupted and decadent also come to mind.

[dhex]

was it ever different?

or did people more readily believe the fairy tales that priests and teachers and politicians spun at one point?

[Russ D]

"electability" may be cynical, but cynicism's been around a looooong time.

[Ambrose]

I think it was a cynic who coined the phrase "for the good of the country".

[nobody]

So I guess we should vote for the lesser cynic.

[Jason Ligon]

Interesting that it isn't "the economy stupid", because it isn't nearly as bad as the Dems want it to be.

Every economic salve they would normally propose, like subsidizing unemployment to make it go away, will now be looked at with raised eyebrows.

Take that away from them, and they are left with "I hate Bush more than you," at first, followed by, "I'm more like him than you are. I'm more electable," second.

Does anyone even know what Kerry's platform is?

[Andrew]

Bush could be defeated.

One thing cynics have really missed: right or wrong, the war in Iraq was an enormous political gamble for the president (much more than for Tony Blair...it could all go to hell, and Tony MIGHT survive-- Bush goes down with the policy).

Does anyone really believe that Karl Rove was telling the president in 2002/03 "Don't just coast on Afghanistan, it's imperative politically to invade Iraq this year!" Horse-shit!

In the end, there is only one reason Bush decided to invade Iraq-- and it wasn't some "wag-the-dog" scenario (working out great, huh?), any more than it was oil. He went because he believed in it, and had the balls to take the risk. A coward would have taken a pass.

Libertarians are watching a president risk everything doing the one thing libertarians believe a president legitimately is supposed to do-- defending our nation...and they pine for the collectivist social engineer Clinton, and HIS political hacks mumbling "What's foreign policy?"

Ironically, if a Democrat gains the White House this year, he will inherit a world much safer for the absence of Saddam, and can pusue a conspicuous "multilateral" foreign policy with a strong (but unseen) Unilateralist tail-wind. A lot of the real work will have already have been done-- how would Clinton have handled Kuwait?

[Warren]

I'm every bit as cynical over Bush as the Dems. I'm hoping to see mud-slinging ads featuring clips from his 2K campaign ("smaller government", "humble foreign policy")

Check out this weeks Onion
Bush 2004 Campaign Pledges To Restor Honor And Dignity To White House ...

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