The Golden Report for Sunday October 12
It’s a good time to step back and pose some hypotheticals as we approach the three week mark. Here are some thoughts (in no particular order)
What if Hillary Clinton had been the Democratic nominee during this current economic crisis? How would she have handled it—better or worse than Obama—many will say that they would have handled it about the same way. Would the Bill Clinton economic policies—Greenspan, et. al.—had become a larger issue if Hillary had been the nominee. Would she, in some way, had been blamed for the policies put in faith by her husband—and would the McCain campaign had used that against her? Would she had been more compassionate with the everyday down home blue collar “Joe six pack” voter and taken a commanding lead of the race that way?
My thoughts are on Hillary Clinton because she appeared on stage with Joe Biden today in Scranton Pennsylvania. Watching her reactions, it was clear that thoughts of the presidency or vice presidency were running through her head. But if the change/reform message that Obama is on had been in anyway derailed by a trip down the path of Bill Clinton economic policies, then the decision to not pick Hillary Clinton looks even wiser in retrospect.
Speaking of the Biden/Clinton rally, it has to be mentioned that Joe Biden is completely in his element out on the campaign trail—he fired up the crowd today and completely seized the momentum that he sensed from them, in his home town nonetheless. At one point when the crowd starting booing McCain’s economic policies he very confidently raised his hands as if to say, “It is okay to boo but I want to finish my statement,” and the crowd immediately hushed as if mesmerized. And why wouldn’t Biden love every minute? This is his last national election for sure, and he has worked his way up to this point through an entire career, marred by tragedy but also patched with periodic moments of the public limelight. Now, Biden has the limelight all to his own and he is as confident and controlling as ever.
AND he hasn’t made a serious gaffe yet. Sure, he had the remark about FDR and Televisions (a momentary forgetting of the Fireside Chat) but there have been no YouTube moments and nothing for the Obama Campaign to fret about.
What if…McCain had chosen Mitt Romney as his vice presidential running mate as many had suspected and many Republicans had hoped? Certainly, Romney was not McCain’s favorite pick—they just don’t have the chemistry to get along—but imagine the economic argument that Romney could have brought to the McCain side. In an economic crisis that lacked a spokesperson, lacked a leader, Romney—on behalf of his running mate, a beleaguered Republican party and a lameduck Republican incumbent. Romney no doubt would have kept Michigan in play for McCain. He would have provided legitimacy instead of the mockery that the campaign has experienced from Sarah Palin. We are beginning to hear a louder cry, where before it was only a soft murmur, from the group that can best be described as the Washington Republican Elites…the thinkers who have been around and seen the party through decades of campaigns, that the Palin Pick was a fatal flaw. It might have brought a campaign back from a mid-summer slump, but the enthusiasm could not carry past the four-week point. Then Palin became a laughing stock, she’s been discredited by the media (she still hasn’t held many interviews, news conferences, or answered unscripted questions…has she had an interview since the debate other than FOX?), mocked on all of the comedy shows, and even boo’ed on center ice at a Philadelphia Flyers game last night. One can only wonder how things would have been different if McCain had picked a different running mate.
This leads us to the giant What If question…What if Romney had been the Republican nominee? And this brings us the larger—maybe the largest---paradox about this race. If the economy had been in serious crisis during the primary season, and banks had been failing as we have seen over the last month, would John McCain or Barack Obama had won their party’s respective nominations? Probably not. Neither have distinguished economic bona fides—and all faced challengers within their party how would have risen to the moment and seemed a more justifiable choice. One wonders how things would be different, not only in terms of the race, but in terms of the economy---as we look for an answer to the question breaking this Sunday night: If the Federal Government is set to announce a “Comprehensive” Fiscal Overhaul on Tuesday, as reported on CNBC during a special report tonight, then why hasn’t the response over the last month been comprehensive? And what kind of damage was done before the crisis was deemed large enough for a “comprehensive” response?” It is the classic example of a vacuum of leadership.
It’s easy—and quite fun---to play the what if game because it provides hours of conversation material which may come in handy should Election Night turn very long and fresh material dry up in the early morning hours. Back to reality, and a brief observation about the great time that we are living in, in the midst of a presidential race which could only happen in this remarkable country. After nearly two years of campaigning, millions of miles crossed around the country, an extraordinary primary season, debates, town hall meetings, interviews, world events, game changers that turned out to be and game changers that did not, and the introduction of so many terrific characters, we are nearing the end. It is such a purely American tradition to see candidates campaigning door to door, holding rallies, shaking hands, in the crispness of the autumn air in this country. It’s a great feeling to watch and be a part of. This is how we—this country—elects its next leader. This is how we elect our Representatives. We don’t do it through intimidation or fraud and forgery (although just like the best novels, we have our fair share of all in our history), instead we leave it to the wisdom and ingenuity of the individual voter, to make a decision that will affect and their collective communities.
Labels: The Golden Report
posted by Chris Golden @ 11:16 PM
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