Last week, the Republicans congregated in Minnesota for their national convention. McCain was saddled with the challenge of distancing himself from the deeply unpopular Bush, while not alienating Conservatives. During his speech accepting the Republican nomination for President, McCain asserted "change is coming". The McCain campaign realizes it must overcome a toxic political environment, so it must argue McCain will push for reform if he is elected President. Thus, McCain is making the case he will bring change, but can he be believed? What is the likelihood McCain will usher in much needed change when he has reliably voted for much of the Bush agenda, and hardly acknowledges the serious economic challenges facing the country?
The Republican convention was remarkable in at least one respect. It plodded along seemingly oblivious to the worsening economic conditions in the country. August was another bad month regarding employment with the unemployment rate edging up to 6.1%. With the economy in a funk, the Republicans understandably didn't want to talk too much about the sagging economy. So how is McCain planning to boost the economy if he wins the election? I'm not sure he even knows, but I didn't get the impression the Republicans had a satisfying answer to the question. Like an alcoholic who hasn't yet admitted he has a problem, the Republicans don't seem to be too alarmed about the shaky economy. And if the Republicans are too blind to admit there is a serious problem, it stands to reason they won't be able to make things better. Besides, the tired Republican leadership(and McCain) seem to think there is only one prescription for the economy regardless of what ails it and that is too further slash taxes. I shouldn't have to tell anyone that more tax cuts don't make any sense when we are facing large budget deficits and are engaged in major military missions. This is a road to nowhere that will further exacerbate the budget deficit, and put downward pressure on the dollar. A better course in alleviating the current economic crisis would be to jump start the moribund economy by investing in the nation's infrastructure and committing more money to renewable energy sources. During the next year or so, we will need a more active government that will extend unemployment benefits and increase funding for food stamps during rough economic times, and with McCain we will be stuck with another President obsessed with unwisely emptying the Federal treasury.
There is little doubt voters want change. The McCain team understands that, so McCain is now positioning himself to be an agent for change just like Obama. It was a bold stroke to pick little known Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate, because it bolsters McCain's argument he is an agent for change. Now that McCain has anointed himself the candidate for change, what change will he bring? Here is where things get sticky. McCain might give a tad more attention to the issue of global warming than Bush, but McCain isn't too serious about global warming given that he is pushing for more offshore drilling and picked a VP candidate who hasn't been bashful in showing her zeal to drill more. McCain favors more tax cuts which isn't exactly revolutionary change. And if McCain has seen anything to protest regarding Bush's reckless foreign policy, he isn't sharing. One can't help but draw the conclusion McCain is being more than a bit disingenuous to portray himself as the man to change things, when his record in Congress reveals that he is a Senator who votes with his party much more reliably than a true maverick.
The growing angst in the populace necessitates that the Presidential candidates offer change. McCain will spend the rest of the time before the election trying to convince Americans he will bring change to Washington. Though it is possible McCain is suddenly committed to advancing change, it is more likely the change McCain will bring won't get much beyond his name not being Bush.
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