Jersey's Top Lawman Denies 
A Known Quantity versus A Big Question Mark
By J. Daniel Sheehan | August 26, 2008
Soon the gavels will come down on the rostrums to close the political conventions of the Republican and Democrat Parties, but they will also open America to the new order of the day which is electing a leader. We will soon be in the very throes of election 2008 and everyday Americans are focusing their attention on a battle of words and ideas. America, after being unbothered with the up-and-down day-to-day politics of the summer, is about to have a discussion about its future. The conventions and Labor Day mark the beginning, in earnest, of the electoral season. America is now focussed on the matter of choosing a President, and soon commuter trains and water coolers will be the center of discourse as everyday Americans talk to their friends and neighbors and make their choice.
For all spring and summer the presumption has been that we will have a Democratic victory in the race for the Presidency in November. Admittedly there is historical basis for this prediction. The GOP Presidency is dogged by terrible ratings, a precarious economic situation, and has been beset by foreign policy catastrophes - and these challenges have spilled over to the President's entire party. For this very reason John McCain SHOULDN'T be anywhere close to his opponent in the polls. Everything about the political environment suggests difficulty for the Republican Party. Oddly enough, this is not the case though and it has presented quite a conundrum to talking heads and self-proclaimed political experts. While most pundits seem genuinely confused about this phenomenon, the answer to this is in reality quite simple.
The Republicans played it very safe in their primaries and put forward a candidate with a long track record of public service, someone who's been on the record standing for his values for years, and someone frankly that America was familiar with. The Democrats on the other hand took a huge risk. While they too had a candidate with a long track record, and someone who Americans were familiar with, they chose another candidate from the more ideological base of their party. His track record exists, but it doesn't explain what it is this candidate stands for. He has a resume of public service, but it doesn't really have any noteworthy achievements. He has a few books, but beyond them questions linger about who is this man and what does he really stand for? Everything seems to be what people want to hear, but is there anything else beyond that?
John McCain may not inspire much excitement in the local diners of America or even in his own party, but he is someone Americans can connect with. We know his life story, we know his values, we know what he has accomplished, and we know his faults. Americans "get" John McCain, and regardless of his politics, they look at his career in public service and are reminded of his undeniable sense of purpose. This familiarity, combined with his self-deprecating honesty have established John McCain as a known quantity.
Barack Obama on the other hand may inspire great excitement in his party and in certain circles, but outside of this small minority he is a man America has had a hard time connecting with. We know Obama's life story, at least according to him, yet there seems to be some elements missing and a lack of legitimate forthcomingness. We do not know his values, as he has been largely evasive when it comes to addressing issues or while in the Illinois Senate even when it came to voting. We know he has been elected to the Senate, but we also know while in there he never really passed anything in the way of substantive policy. Indeed when America looks at this career in politics, and a country immediately wonders... but what for? What Obama is seemingly missing a sense of purpose. While his election as a Senator and potential election as President present a unique historical event due to his race, many are having a hard time explaining why it is that he is even running in the first place. Too many Americans are having a hard time understanding Barack Obama. Whether it's the local city cop and his family wondering why he acquaints himself with the "Weatherman Bill Ayers" who remains unrepentant in his 1960s calls for violence against public safety officials and acts of terrorism, or the older Irish or Italian immigrant who has a hard time figuring out why Obama would sit through 20 years of a pastor spewing hate about the America that opened them with open arms and gave them a chance. These questions are not going to go away, indeed I expect them to intensify.
This election, as all are, is about who people can trust their cherished America. People get a lot more serious after Labor Day, don't expect them to be wooed by big crowds and overdone events. The question is: do they leave it in the hands of a known quantity, or a big question mark.
Soon the gavels will come down on the rostrums to close the political conventions of the Republican and Democrat Parties, but they will also open America to the new order of the day which is electing a leader. We will soon be in the very throes of election 2008 and everyday Americans are focusing their attention on a battle of words and ideas. America, after being unbothered with the up-and-down day-to-day politics of the summer, is about to have a discussion about its future. The conventions and Labor Day mark the beginning, in earnest, of the electoral season. America is now focussed on the matter of choosing a President, and soon commuter trains and water coolers will be the center of discourse as everyday Americans talk to their friends and neighbors and make their choice.
For all spring and summer the presumption has been that we will have a Democratic victory in the race for the Presidency in November. Admittedly there is historical basis for this prediction. The GOP Presidency is dogged by terrible ratings, a precarious economic situation, and has been beset by foreign policy catastrophes - and these challenges have spilled over to the President's entire party. For this very reason John McCain SHOULDN'T be anywhere close to his opponent in the polls. Everything about the political environment suggests difficulty for the Republican Party. Oddly enough, this is not the case though and it has presented quite a conundrum to talking heads and self-proclaimed political experts. While most pundits seem genuinely confused about this phenomenon, the answer to this is in reality quite simple.
The Republicans played it very safe in their primaries and put forward a candidate with a long track record of public service, someone who's been on the record standing for his values for years, and someone frankly that America was familiar with. The Democrats on the other hand took a huge risk. While they too had a candidate with a long track record, and someone who Americans were familiar with, they chose another candidate from the more ideological base of their party. His track record exists, but it doesn't explain what it is this candidate stands for. He has a resume of public service, but it doesn't really have any noteworthy achievements. He has a few books, but beyond them questions linger about who is this man and what does he really stand for? Everything seems to be what people want to hear, but is there anything else beyond that?
John McCain may not inspire much excitement in the local diners of America or even in his own party, but he is someone Americans can connect with. We know his life story, we know his values, we know what he has accomplished, and we know his faults. Americans "get" John McCain, and regardless of his politics, they look at his career in public service and are reminded of his undeniable sense of purpose. This familiarity, combined with his self-deprecating honesty have established John McCain as a known quantity.
Barack Obama on the other hand may inspire great excitement in his party and in certain circles, but outside of this small minority he is a man America has had a hard time connecting with. We know Obama's life story, at least according to him, yet there seems to be some elements missing and a lack of legitimate forthcomingness. We do not know his values, as he has been largely evasive when it comes to addressing issues or while in the Illinois Senate even when it came to voting. We know he has been elected to the Senate, but we also know while in there he never really passed anything in the way of substantive policy. Indeed when America looks at this career in politics, and a country immediately wonders... but what for? What Obama is seemingly missing a sense of purpose. While his election as a Senator and potential election as President present a unique historical event due to his race, many are having a hard time explaining why it is that he is even running in the first place. Too many Americans are having a hard time understanding Barack Obama. Whether it's the local city cop and his family wondering why he acquaints himself with the "Weatherman Bill Ayers" who remains unrepentant in his 1960s calls for violence against public safety officials and acts of terrorism, or the older Irish or Italian immigrant who has a hard time figuring out why Obama would sit through 20 years of a pastor spewing hate about the America that opened them with open arms and gave them a chance. These questions are not going to go away, indeed I expect them to intensify.
This election, as all are, is about who people can trust their cherished America. People get a lot more serious after Labor Day, don't expect them to be wooed by big crowds and overdone events. The question is: do they leave it in the hands of a known quantity, or a big question mark.
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