Saying one thing to voters but intending to do another. Embellishing about one's past, in an attempt to ingratiate one's self to an audience. Employing lofty, uplifting speeches in order to unite us, but stauchly defending a personal advisor whose words betray an angry divisiveness.
Based on his rhetoric, Barack Obama would seem immune to the practices listed above, but recent revelations would argue otherwise. Untruth and the parsing of words is considered Clintionian by some, but Obama is apparently taking pages from the successful duo's playbook. I was quite surprised about how casually Obama, (H.Clinton included), spoke about unilaterally tearing up NAFTA. I thought strong unilateral action was a Republican trait, and an undesirable one at that. Yet there was both Democratic contenders attacking what was considered a signal North American trade accomplishment. Publicly alienating Canada, ( a stauch ally in Afghanistan and No.1 importer of U.S. goods), may be one thing, but secretly assuring the Canadians that this NAFTA tough talk is all just campaign jibberish to appease American primary voters is quite another. In a speech in Alabama, Obama shared with the audience that during the Selma civil rights marches in 1965, his parents were inspired to have a child (him). Except Obama was born in 1961. In Hawaii. PreacherGate is the latest (and perhaps greatest?) of the inconvenient truths about Barack Obama's life/campaign to come out. The vicous vitriol that Obama's spiritual advisor employed is, describing it mildly, upsetting. Whatever Rev. Wright's qualms with America and her social ills, demonizing others is no way to start a dialogue. By Obama's own admission, Wright has had a tremendous amount of influence over him, which begs the question: just how much?
A potential Obama Administration was supposed to provide a "new" brand politics, a politics of the future. Being a newcomer on the national stage, we as voters have little to gauge Senator Obama by, except his rousing speeches. In the end, though, what are speeches? Just talk.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
What will it be for the Chinese Olympiad?: Berlin '36, or Tokyo '64?.
What ties all three of the above mentioned Games together? In each case, the Games symbolize(d) a global coming-out party for the host countries concerned. Berlin of 1936 and Tokyo of 1964 were both eager to prove that their respective countries had fully recovered from recent wars that had ravaged them.
In both cases, the recoveries were seen as nothing short of miraculous. After World War 1, the Germans were a beaten people, forced to push around wheel-barrels of near-worthless currency to buy bread. With many Japanese cities left smoldering in World War 2's aftermath, Japan found itself under foreign occupation.
From here, however, the two aggrieved states depart from one another. Hitler, fresh from his swastika-bedecked Games, went on to start World War 2 in Europe. By 1964, Japan was already the world's third-largest economy, but she contented herself on eventually becoming the second, brought about by a postwar version of bushido practiced in boardrooms and on factory floors rather than battlefields.
And here now is China, a country with her own historical baggage of past wrongs committed by predatory foreign powers and self-inflicted economic and social misery. Presently, China can boast about 10% GDP growth and a rapidly growing middle class. Already the Earth's 6th largest economy (based on it's own accounting), China is well on her way to global economic super-stardom. Alarming though, is the fact that with some of the proceeds of her surging economy China is rapidly adding technological sophistication to the hordes of the People's Liberation Army, and it cannot be forgotten that Beijing is committed to bringing Taiwan under it's control, one way or another.
Which path then, will China choose? The bellicosity of Berlin, or Tokyo's benign economic assent?. A hybrid course is equally plausible. It's indeed a funny thing how these Games tend to find powers on the rise. The United States hosted her first Olympiad in 1904, the dawn of what is widely considered the American Century.
In both cases, the recoveries were seen as nothing short of miraculous. After World War 1, the Germans were a beaten people, forced to push around wheel-barrels of near-worthless currency to buy bread. With many Japanese cities left smoldering in World War 2's aftermath, Japan found itself under foreign occupation.
From here, however, the two aggrieved states depart from one another. Hitler, fresh from his swastika-bedecked Games, went on to start World War 2 in Europe. By 1964, Japan was already the world's third-largest economy, but she contented herself on eventually becoming the second, brought about by a postwar version of bushido practiced in boardrooms and on factory floors rather than battlefields.
And here now is China, a country with her own historical baggage of past wrongs committed by predatory foreign powers and self-inflicted economic and social misery. Presently, China can boast about 10% GDP growth and a rapidly growing middle class. Already the Earth's 6th largest economy (based on it's own accounting), China is well on her way to global economic super-stardom. Alarming though, is the fact that with some of the proceeds of her surging economy China is rapidly adding technological sophistication to the hordes of the People's Liberation Army, and it cannot be forgotten that Beijing is committed to bringing Taiwan under it's control, one way or another.
Which path then, will China choose? The bellicosity of Berlin, or Tokyo's benign economic assent?. A hybrid course is equally plausible. It's indeed a funny thing how these Games tend to find powers on the rise. The United States hosted her first Olympiad in 1904, the dawn of what is widely considered the American Century.
Monday, March 24, 2008
What the Republican Party was, and should forever be...
The Republican Party is accused by some of being the party of inequalities of all kind, when in reality, the Party's genesis is owed to it's strident belief in the equality of all. The GOP has been framed as the party of environmental corruption, but alas, it was under Republican Presidents that the first national parks and the Environmental Protection Agency were established. Many assume that the Party is the unabashed guardian of big business, but here again, Republican chief executives moved first to limit industrial monopolies and corporate malfeasance.
What then, are the true core tenets of the GOP? They are justice, trust, and freedom. This is expressed by the GOP's insistence that people and their enterprises be given the freedom to flourish, so long as they are just in their operations. Further, the Party insists that every citizen should be trusted to make the core decisions of their lives.
The Republican party is an optimistic party, unashamed in it's pride in America, and respectful of the traditions and innate wisdom of the people that make up this nation.
Or at least it should be.
What then, are the true core tenets of the GOP? They are justice, trust, and freedom. This is expressed by the GOP's insistence that people and their enterprises be given the freedom to flourish, so long as they are just in their operations. Further, the Party insists that every citizen should be trusted to make the core decisions of their lives.
The Republican party is an optimistic party, unashamed in it's pride in America, and respectful of the traditions and innate wisdom of the people that make up this nation.
Or at least it should be.
Introduction to The Central Phoenix Republican
Greetings to all who read this!
The intention of this page is to share my musings on all subjects political, historical, and perhaps, even the non-sequitur. Please be forwarned that I may approach subjects from a moderately Republican point-of-view. Feel free to chime in, but please, let's be civil!
The intention of this page is to share my musings on all subjects political, historical, and perhaps, even the non-sequitur. Please be forwarned that I may approach subjects from a moderately Republican point-of-view. Feel free to chime in, but please, let's be civil!
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