Not surprisingly, the argument that a vote for John McCain is a vote for a third Bush term is often met with resistance by those who plan to vote for John McCain. They often bring up McCain's reputation as a maverick. He's different! He goes against his party! He's for campaign finance reform! He's reached across the aisle! (To Joe Lieberman who agrees with him 100% that the war in Iraq was a good idea.)
They sometimes forget that George W. Bush campaigned as somewhat of a maverick, too. Only he called himself a "compassionate conservative," and touted his reputation as a "uniter, not a divider." Never mind that in Texas even the Democrats are Republicans, Bush promised to usher in a new era of bipartisanship when he arrived in Washington. I wonder how that worked out?
It's all fine and good to get seduced by the guy at the top or to put all of your hopes and dreams for the future in the hands of one person. Supporters of Barack Obama have been accused of falling under the candidate's spell, too, and who wouldn't want to live in a world where one person had what it takes to change everything?
Leave it to one of my favorite writers, Sarah Vowell, to explain what really happens when you vote:
Senator McCain’s name will not appear on ballots under the category “Maverick.” A vote for him is a vote for the Republican Party, which is to say the people who were standing there on the floor in Minnesota all week long chanting, “Drill, baby, drill,” or rattling maracas to cheer on Mitt Romney as he bragged, “Just like you, there’s never been a day when I was not proud to be an American.” Really? Not even on Abu Ghraib thumbs-up photo day? Or Superdome bedlam day(s)?Those conventioneers are the party faithful Senator McCain will appoint to run our government. Those are the people who have his ear, the people who chose his running mate, the people who will choose his — or in the event of his demise, Sarah Palin’s — Supreme Court appointments.
If McCain could nominate Sarah Palin to the Vice Presidency -- meaning that she could conceivably, you know, become the president of the United States -- just to placate the right wing of his party, who would he appoint to less visible but still important offices? Do we need more Michael Browns directing hurricane relief or Monica Goodlings deciding who's in and who's out at the Department of Justice? Because if you vote for John McCain, that's who you're going to get leading your government. Political capital lies not in the hands of the man who wins the election but in the hands of those who got him there.
So, knowing that thousands of people get nominated or appointed to positions within a new administration, who would you rather have serve this country: thousands of Sarah Palins or thousands of Joe Bidens?
Posted by Doug at September 8, 2008 10:20 AM