With both the Republican and Democrat conventions over, I would like to share some reflections with Meridian readers on what I have seen thus far in this season of political football (it is football season, after all).
Let me set the game narrative. We are in the 4th quarter and the game is still tied, at least on the Brad Oates “Independent American” scoreboard. The “2 Minute Warning” will start with the debates in October. The game has been pretty brutal for both teams thus far with a number of “political injury timeouts” on both sides (e.g. “You Didn’t Build That” and “Corporations Are People, My Friend”). Both teams have experienced quarterbacks (Barack Obama, Mitt Romney) that have won championship games before. How they perform in the last 2 minutes will decide the game. Basically, who makes the most “big plays” will likely win the game.
Now, let me give you some takeaways from the conventions.
Both the RNC and DNC were professionally managed productions and full of carefully scripted messages (you decide whether this is a good thing, or not, for self-governance). The women speakers stood out, particularly Ann Romney and Michele Obama giving great “endorsements” of their candidate husbands. Senator Marco Rubio showed great political communications skills; Vice President Joe Biden-not so much, in my opinion (I am still trying to make up my mind on Rep. Paul Ryan). Clint Eastwood can speak for himself. He “made” some people’s day; others, maybe not. And, then there was former President Bill Clinton.
Well, what can you say about Bill Clinton? Probably not more than what Bill Clinton can say about Bill Clinton. Let’s leave it at that. The Democrat game plan for having Bill Clinton in the game was definitely a gutsy “long ball” play for the end zone. There are many who think he scored a touchdown and was last seen dancing in the end zone.
There were plenty of politically witty comments from speakers at both conventions that are memorable, for the moment, at least (political comments have such a short shelf life). We now know, as if we didn’t before, that Obama is focused mainly on “rising seas and healing the planet” and Romney needs to first conclude a “debate with himself.” Witty, indeed (sarcasm intended). And, most every major media channel dissected these witty comments ad nausem. We have become more a nation of political “sound bite” junkies, in my opinion.
Both Romney and Obama “generalized” five priorities they would each build their presidency on if elected (or re-elected) President. Romney “generalized’ energy, job training, trade agreements, federal finances, and helping small businesses as his priorities for the country. And Obama “generalized” education, energy, manufacturing, national security, and deficit reduction as his priorities for the country.
Neither candidate really “connected the dots” on how they would actually accomplish what they think America ‘s priorities should be. There are party loyalists on both sides that will give each candidate a “pass” on the specifics and just “trust’ that they will do what they say they can do. Probably not independent voters. They will vote for the candidate that can complete the most policy “passes” in the debates. Specifics do matter to independent voters; trust me” is not a winning game plan for them.
But, I want to focus on one very interesting aspect of the conventions that deserves some additional reflection. Most of the presidential elections over the past 60 years have turned on whether the majority of voters were more “center right” or “center left” on matters of security and national defense. The Republican party was perceived more as “center right” and the Democrat party was perceived as more “center left,” at least historically. I know this is an over-generalization and there have been a couple of exceptions to this general rule; but, stay with me for a moment here. If a visitor to America , with no background in American politics, attended both the RNC and the DNC, I think it would be a safe bet that visitor would come away thinking the Democrats are more “hawkish” in matters of national security and defense than Republicans. It is an unusual political game plan for the Republicans to not rely, in this election, on the historically proven political “sound bite” that Republicans will keep you and your family “safer” than Democrats. We are going to find out in November whether the Republicans called the right play.
Let me conclude with how I see the choice in this presidential election. It is really quite simple. It can be boiled down to a choice as to how much government Americans want in their lives. The Republicans are not as “you are on your own” as Clinton would have you believe. And, the Democrats are not as “we are all in this together ” equally as Clinton would have you believe. He was, after all, the only former President to speak at both conventions. So, I quote him. The Republicans see government having a “limited” role to play in our lives. And, the Democrats see government having “more than a limited” role in our lives. And, for the first time in a long while, how the majority of Americans see government playing a role in their lives on social issues and economic issues (rather than national security issues) will be the deciding factor in November. Stay tuned. You won’t want to miss the last 2 minutes of the game. I have a feeling that the “Kicking Game” (last football analogy, I promise) will play a key role in who wins and who loses.
