Trying to explain the inexplicable – McCain Vs Obama

Why is America trapped in support for a failed ethos? The question needs to be looked at when the country is apparently divided between a sad old relic of a discredited past and a fresh and dynamic candidate willing to look to the future.

For a political tragic it is easy to perceive the masses as politically ignorant, disinterested, unengaged or in their own words so often, ‘just too damn busy’.

The deep emotional bonds; the patriotism, national pride, country first attitude makes a lie of the too busy argument. The now self evident economic pressure, something that must be a plague in nearly every household, screams for serious engagement, but it isn’t happening.

This campaign appears to be teaching us the real reason for what we see as voter apathy – pure fear. What if I get it wrong? We have muddle through this far, perhaps no decision is the best decision… After all, governance is a complex set of paradigms, best left to those who know. Even, it seems, when they manifestly don’t know.

Quite possibly the fear became the fuel of the culture right from the start. The American myth is based on the threat of evil forces which are set to destroy the beautiful dream. That dream machine, Hollywood, has revealed the myth many times. Two that come to mind instantly are ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and Okalahoma, and in both those good overcame evil for no other reason than it was right and proper.

Now, having fallen from a lofty leadership perch, at least to the outside world; facing an economic disaster of mammoth proportions, the polls are suggesting something close to ‘business as usual’. It doesn’t make sense in any logical way, only in fear and an strange blind faith in what seems to always have been.

But that doesn’t make sense either, not if you take a critical look at the country’s past. Okay, we don’t do self criticism, so I’ll help out. For at least the past 30 years the USA has been living on debt. For many years the world went along with and enjoyed some of the results. But sooner or later that debt is called.

Obama would do well to lose this election, because as winner he will need to (with reference to comments from Lindsay on my previous post); increase taxes – increase interest rates – strip the financial sector of the burden of wasteful and needless layers, and that is just for starters.

A President Obama would need to seriously reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuels, turn family homes back into family homes rather than wealth generators, focus agriculture on food rather than wealth production. In short, America is facing the wake up call that is clearly driving deep fear and insecurity across the nation.

Check out Lindsay’s McCain speech - Trying to explain the inexplicable