Tuesday 2 September 2008

Experience? In what?

I love Ed Cline's piece on 'Demagogues and Circuses,' which includes a pithy observation on the latest American issue du jour: political experience, As you'll see, it has a local resonance, perhaps even to John Key's claim in this interview to be like Obama.

    Much has been made during the presidential campaign of the candidates' experience or lack of it, in both domestic and foreign affairs. This is a straw man...  not a single candidate lacks experience in corruption, venality, malfeasance, concession, logrolling, compromise, theft, and a multitude of other misdemeanors.
    Obama is not the stainless prophet ready to lead the country in a "new direction." He is as guilty as any of the rest of them.
    John McCain is an enemy of freedom of speech. His campaign finance law has made it more difficult for any one to oppose the collectivist policies that his alleged opponents "across the aisle" regularly propose...
    What all the candidates seem to have lacked are any commitment to freedom, and the integrity to proclaim it and act on it. But, it would be an error to think that. Neither the Democratic nor the Republican Party is a friend of those things. In point of fact, both parties are committed enemies of freedom. Whether McCain or Obama wins the White House in November, there would be no "change" and no "new direction," but more of the same movement in the same direction, which is statism. The only difference between the candidates is the preferred rate of acceleration in that direction.

Et tu John Boy?

4 comments:

Jeffrey Perren said...

"The only difference between the candidates is the preferred rate of acceleration in that direction."

Mr. Cline is wrong. There are substantial differences in the types of Supreme Court Justices that would be selected, whether, how fast, and to what degree (and with what compromises) oil resources will be freed up, etc.

But even assuming he is correct, I vote for the slower acceleration. That gives the maximum time for better ideas to move the culture in the right direction.

Berend de Boer said...

At least in our country the choice isn't between gender or race.

I agree, the choice between same and more of the same isn't appealing either, but as the US indicates, it can get even worse than that.

Unknown said...

Good good good......

Andrew B said...

Key is like Obama - they're both socialists.