Change can mean a lot of things. To the optimist, change implies progress, innovation, and movement away from the status quo. It generates a sentiment that the grass will indeed be greener on the other side. To the cynic or one of a more static nature, however, change is far more ominous. It forecasts a journey into unknown territory where danger and uncertainty will lurk around every corner. Whether you are an optimist or a pessimist, however, it seems clear that the concept of change is one of the key issues of the 2008 Presidential contest between Barack Obama and John McCain. While both are qualified to run this country, the United States is in a perceived position of turmoil where our next President will be chosen based on how the two address this concept and how the voting public responds to their ideas.
Although John McCain has tried, I can easily say that there has never been a candidate in my time that has stood for change more than Senator Barack Obama. To gain the momentum needed to seriously contend for the Executive seat, Obama has constructed the narrative that he is the sole advocate for change and that only he possesses the vision and determination to guide America toward the change that is so needs. With slogans such as "Change We Can Believe In" and "The Change We Need", Obama conveys the image that, as a minority candidate, he understands that most Americans are the optimists described above who want a different breed of Executive to guide their country on a different path away from the bipartisanship and poor decision making that have plagued our country in the recent past.
To counteract the momentum gained by Obama as the candidate for change, Senator John McCain has done as everything in his power to construct a counternarrative that champions him as the voice of change. Although not an easy sell considering he still supports the war in Iraq and has voted with along the lines of a President with 30% approval ratings on nearly 90% legislation, through his selection of Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate, John McCain has provided evidence that he is more against the norms of the GOP than originally perceived. Through Palin, McCain is able to market himself to a much wider audience and attract those voters who would have voted for Senator Hillary Clinton simply because she was a woman. Besides appealing to new voters, McCain has also created the potential to steal votes from voters who supported Obama simply because of his presence as a minority on such a large, national stage.
The 2008 Presidential Election is one that will go down in history as being one of the most important and closely contested elections of our time. The people of the United States are calling for a brand of change that could take our country to depths that it has never reached. While both candidates are trying to create the image that he is the true crusader of change, only time will tell who will win the Presidency and the resultant change that will ensue.
1 comment:
The points that you bring up about the similarities and differences between Obama and McCain in terms of the "original" Obama mantra for change remind me of what we discussed today in class. I agree that McCain doesn't even come CLOSE to making one of his main messages about change like Obama, but it is definitely interesting in the way that McCain has decided to adopt this message, especially since his decision to choose Sarah Palin as his running mate.
In your blog you state, "through his selection of Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate, John McCain has provided evidence that he is more against the norms of the GOP than originally perceived. Through Palin, McCain is able to market himself to a much wider audience and attract those voters who would have voted for Senator Hillary Clinton simply because she was a woman. Besides appealing to new voters, McCain has also created the potential to steal votes from voters who supported Obama simply because of his presence as a minority on such a large, national stage."
I think it is so tactical that John McCain chose Sarah Palin because she is a woman. He started his acceptance speech mentioning his family, like any other candidate would, but most importantly he highlight his wife cindy mccain and his mother. By highlighting these women and saying that these women are what shaped his values and are the people who inspire him the most, I think he was definitely trying to reach out to those hilary supporters who are supposedly not behind Obama and the Democratic party. By citing the women in his life that were so influential and then going directly into his introduction on Sarah Palin was extremely tactical. I think that he is trying to say that he can be change by making a "radical" choice of choosing a woman candidate, Sarah Palin.
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