What It Takes

If you were to have the opportunity to compete for your dream job, would you? Would you do whatever it took to get that job? 

These are the questions that should flutter in your head as you look at the coverage of the election this year. Sure, American politics can get dirty and Republicans and Democrats may go at it quite a bit, but that’s what it takes. Who wants it more?

Often, we admire people who put their hearts and souls into attaining something they dream of. In fact, we tend to admire athletes and sports teams that do whatever it takes to win. Teams that scratch and claw their way to the top. Even when they have little chance, or everyone tells them they can’t do it they do it anyway. Look at the past two Super Bowl champions, the New York Giants and Indianapolis Colts. The Giants were going against the undefeated New England Patriots and no one thought they could do it. Yet, they did. The Colts had a horrendous run defense, yet they turned it around and won it all.

This could be what’s happening to the McCain campaign.

I was watching Obama’s interview on Countdown with Keith Olbermann and something interesting caught my ear. Obama said something to the effect of: I believe the American people will realize McCain represents the past and Bush policies. Now, either Obama is being way too political or he’s making a huge error. To beat McCain, he’s going to have to smash the American people over the head with constant links to the current President. Not only that, but he’s going to have to do one important thing.

He’s gotta keep it simple.

McCain is doing his job and is doing it well. He’s up in the polls, his VP pick is dominating the current media coverage, and he’s finally united and energized his base. John McCain is leading his party and leading it well. He’s actually doing it a lot like the NY Giants did. He’s scratching and clawing. He’s even resorted to hiring former enemies. Enemies that ran against him in 2000 when he ran against George Bush in the primaries.

Before the Republican National Convention, all the pundits had counted McCain out. He had no chance, Mitt was going to take it. Well, McCain easily cruised through the primaries and became his parties nominee. Now, he’s closing in on November with a lead in the polls. His VP has been a hit so far and his ads work. Sure, they might not all be true (when do politicians tell the whole truth anyway?), but they work.

In the end, he could come up short. Look, his VP pick’s honeymoon period still isn’t over, but if she passes all the tests and remains a rock star he has a very good chance at becoming our next President.

And all he’d be doing is whatever it takes.

Rebuilding the Republican Party

Astounding is the word I think after watching the Republican National Convention, and it’s not because of Sarah Palin’s speech. It’s not because of Rudy Giuliani’s speech. It’s not even because of John McCain’s acceptance speech.

It’s because Bush is no longer welcome.

He didn’t attend the convention. Instead, he stayed in Washington, D.C. and addressed the RNC via satellite. 

In tonight’s acceptance speech, McCain didn’t even reference him by name.

They’re slowly rebuilding themselves. 

The choice of Sarah Palin excited the conservative base and started the rebuilding. Conservatives suddenly became excited for the ticket that they were once skeptical of. Now, I understand not all conservatives like Palin because of her lack of experience and certain scandals brewing about her, but I digress.

McCain has capped off this rebuilding by essentially denouncing Bush in his speech tonight.

There’s a question remaining, however:

Will the rebuilding and the mentioning of ‘change’ actually work?

GOP YouTube Debates a doozy.

Just a couple days ago the Republicans had their very first YouTube debate on CNN, and boy did they go after each other.

Numerous heated exchanges were the highlight of the debate, with McCain and Romney battling it out over torture and Romney and Giuliani duking it out over ’sanctuary mansions’ and the claim that Romney employed illegal immigrants.

Two people stood out of the debate and the rest made me cringe. Huckabee is a great talker and is easy to like, even though I don’t totally agree with his policies the way he talks makes me understand why he thinks the way he does. The others, like Mitt Romney, just rub me the wrong way and make it seem like they’re ‘double talking.’ Romney’s response to whether he supports homosexuals serving openly in the military was one such example.

Another one that stood out was Ron Paul. He seemed like the only thinker at the debate and he had the best points and arguments in my view.

The Republican side is a mixed bag to me, one on hand there’s candidates like the flip flopping Romney, Bush #2(McCain), and The One Who Relies on New York(Giuliani) and then there’s Huckabee and Paul.  I would not be surprised to see either pick up the nomination, especially since they’re the only ones who performed well at the debate. Well, at least in my eyes.

By far, the worst showing was by Romney. Not only for the attacks by his opponents, which he didn’t defend well. Not only for his constant flip flopping. Not only for his response to the homosexuals in the military question. But also for how he answered the question about black on black crime in urban America: black people just need better parents.

Yes, that’s essentially what he said, and honestly… it’s absurd that he thinks that. Maybe he should have listened one of the twenty times Giuliani explained how he lowered the crime rate in New York City.