The following is a comment I added to a Charlotte Observer editorial by Taylor Batten entitled "We ignore bias charges at our own peril." His article was published Sunday, September 20, 2009.
Showing posts with label political psychology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label political psychology. Show all posts
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Yes, we have at last overcome...but the world is still a frightening place!
Unbelievable!
I must admit I was not prepared when the announcement finally came that Barack Obama would be our next president. I'd been so focused on getting him elected it somehow never occurred to me that the decision might be imminent.
I was still prepared to lose the election to the Bradley effect or, short of that, to face a long struggle through the courts. If it came to that, of course, the Supreme Court would probably throw the election to the Republicans again and for no other reason than that their deeply dishonest, corrupt souls wanted to! At the very best, it was going to take days to sort things out. That's what I thought.
But no! Here it was before midnight and McCain was already conceding! Not just conceding, but doing so in the most magnanimous way possible! That concession speech, in fact, may go down as the most important and profound in our nation's history. He must have realized—as we all do, but dare not admit—that the chances of Obama finishing his presidency alive are slim!
Lest you think me cruel, you must remember that JFK was president during my formative years and that I not only lived through his assassination, but that of his brother as well. When you add the assassination of MLK on top of that, the result is a profound dread on my part! For me, it's not a question of "If," but "When?"
That was the subtext for John McCain's speech last night. He knows the dangers that lurk in the shadows ahead. The only question is why he poured his whole heart and soul into that concession speech. He didn't have to. Except for one fact, it's difficult to believe that he was even capable of such a grand gesture. "What fact?" you ask.
I was still prepared to lose the election to the Bradley effect or, short of that, to face a long struggle through the courts. If it came to that, of course, the Supreme Court would probably throw the election to the Republicans again and for no other reason than that their deeply dishonest, corrupt souls wanted to! At the very best, it was going to take days to sort things out. That's what I thought.
But no! Here it was before midnight and McCain was already conceding! Not just conceding, but doing so in the most magnanimous way possible! That concession speech, in fact, may go down as the most important and profound in our nation's history. He must have realized—as we all do, but dare not admit—that the chances of Obama finishing his presidency alive are slim!
Lest you think me cruel, you must remember that JFK was president during my formative years and that I not only lived through his assassination, but that of his brother as well. When you add the assassination of MLK on top of that, the result is a profound dread on my part! For me, it's not a question of "If," but "When?"
That was the subtext for John McCain's speech last night. He knows the dangers that lurk in the shadows ahead. The only question is why he poured his whole heart and soul into that concession speech. He didn't have to. Except for one fact, it's difficult to believe that he was even capable of such a grand gesture. "What fact?" you ask.
Bridget McCain—the dark-skinned woman shown in the image above! Cindy McCain found her in a Bangladesh orphanage sponsored by Mother Teresa—an abandoned three-month baby in need of medical treatment—and decided to adopt her! What's more, John McCain lost the 2000 election in part because of rumors in South Carolina that Bridget was his illegitimate, Black child!
In other words, McCain has experienced racial prejudice from the receiving end. That ultimately explains why he chose not to run any Reverend Wright ads, and it explains last night!
In other words, McCain has experienced racial prejudice from the receiving end. That ultimately explains why he chose not to run any Reverend Wright ads, and it explains last night!
This image of Jesse Jackson illustrates how I felt when the news finally broke. I couldn't control the tears! The weight of history finally overwhelmed me. Even now the tears are beginning to well up again. It's an almost impossible dream!
For me personally, it feels like Camelot's been reborn again. "Camelot?" you may be wondering. That's what the JFK era was called even at the time. This goes far beyond the Clinton years. It belongs to an entirely higher realm—an almost mythical realm where history is written on the stars!
For me personally, it feels like Camelot's been reborn again. "Camelot?" you may be wondering. That's what the JFK era was called even at the time. This goes far beyond the Clinton years. It belongs to an entirely higher realm—an almost mythical realm where history is written on the stars!
The emotion felt at the sight of the newly elected president and his young family was also reminiscent of the Kennedy family. The growing sense of awe was only heightened by Obama's remarkable reserve. He didn't celebrate. He quietly comforted and calmed. He was, if anything, pensive. He even undercut his usually soaring rhetoric. "Yes we can" was more of an afterthought than a exclamation.
As a result, the effect was not jubilation, but introspection. There was a sense of relaxation, but not victory in the usual sense. It was a gathering in of breath as if preparing for the long road ahead. As he said, this was not the change itself, it was only the opportunity to make the change. Now the real work begins!
As a result, the effect was not jubilation, but introspection. There was a sense of relaxation, but not victory in the usual sense. It was a gathering in of breath as if preparing for the long road ahead. As he said, this was not the change itself, it was only the opportunity to make the change. Now the real work begins!
Some of you, I know, think I shouldn't have mentioned my fears...as if that alone may jinx Barack. It's certainly not mentioned on the media, for instance. This unspoken foreboding, however, only demonstrates how profound our fears actually are. They cannot even be mentioned! They must be mentioned by someone, though, if only to make sure that everything possible—and I mean everything!—is being done to keep him safe.
Congratulations, Nation! It's a new day after the long, national nightmare that was the Bush years.
Monday, November 3, 2008
The Benchmark for Measuring the Bradley Effect
Here's the final CNN Poll of Polls (ending Novmber 2, 2008):
- 51% Obama
- 44% McCain
It's against this measure that tomorrow's results will be judged, especially the Bradley effect!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
The Beer-Babe Test
The accepted truth about how Americans choose a president is The Beer-Buddy Test. In other words, "Who would you most like to have a beer with?"
When the choice involves the opposite sex, though, there's a problem. Sex rears its ugly head! Palin is very attractive. There's no doubt about that. It undoubtedly plays a factor in the huge crowds at her rallies.
That's not the problem, though. The problem is why McCain chose her. She's so patently unqualified it raises the question of whether McCain's judgment was impaired by sexual attraction!
When the choice involves the opposite sex, though, there's a problem. Sex rears its ugly head! Palin is very attractive. There's no doubt about that. It undoubtedly plays a factor in the huge crowds at her rallies.
That's not the problem, though. The problem is why McCain chose her. She's so patently unqualified it raises the question of whether McCain's judgment was impaired by sexual attraction!
Let's call this The Beer-Babe Test. The fundamental question is "Was he seduced?" Ask yourself these questions:
- Did sexual attraction play a role in his choice?
- Did it cloud his judgment?
- Was he so flattered by her attention he chose her in spite of her shortcomings?
If you can answer yes to any of these questions, the candidate should automatically be disqualified for office. (When the roles are reversed, the same questions apply. Only the pronouns change.)
The Beer-Buddy Test is only a metaphor. The real question is "Who's best on TV?" In other words, who can you live with the longest knowing you're going to have to watch him or her on TV for the next four years? Let's call this The TV-Tolerance Test.
It's still a ridiculous standard. Why can't the question be, "Who's the best qualified?" Call this The Qualified-Voter Test because unless you can answer this question rationally, it's you who's not qualified. If you haven't studied the issues, in other words, why are you voting?
The Beer-Buddy Test is only a metaphor. The real question is "Who's best on TV?" In other words, who can you live with the longest knowing you're going to have to watch him or her on TV for the next four years? Let's call this The TV-Tolerance Test.
It's still a ridiculous standard. Why can't the question be, "Who's the best qualified?" Call this The Qualified-Voter Test because unless you can answer this question rationally, it's you who's not qualified. If you haven't studied the issues, in other words, why are you voting?
Image:
Image Editor. (2008, October 16). Sarah Palin dresses like porn’s “naughty” school teacher. Retrieved October 27, 2008 from http://www.flickr.com/photos/11304375@N07/2946781686/
The Dumbing Down of the Presidency!
The most disturbing trend in American politics is the embrace of the average Joe as a leader. I'm not only talking about the sitting president—a disaster by anyone's measure—but Sarah Palin as well. After suffering through eight years of incompetency, how could the Republicans, and perhaps the country, embrace yet another know-nothing?
The answer, of course, is childhood anger at people like myself who think we know more than they do. The fact that we do is immaterial. As they used to say about dictators around the world, "He may be a bastard, but at least he's our bastard!" In the case of Bush and Pallin, that should read, "They may be airheads, but at least they're our airheads!"
Image:
Pende, Brad. (2008, August 11). President Bush prepares to 'tap that.'" (flickr: cc-by bpende, August 11, 2008). Retrieved October 26, 2008 from http://www.flickr.com/photos/bpende/2753981194/
Politics Springs from Family!
Politics spring from family! That's the unifying message in this blog. Both Republican and Democratic positions spring from childhood pain and the anger it stimulated.
In the case of Democrats, however, the basic position is less a victim than as an observer of victims—in my case my Mom. Having suffered through fifteen years of screaming fights as a child between Mom and Dad, I swore I'd never allow that to happen again. Thus was born a Democrat!
In the case of Democrats, however, the basic position is less a victim than as an observer of victims—in my case my Mom. Having suffered through fifteen years of screaming fights as a child between Mom and Dad, I swore I'd never allow that to happen again. Thus was born a Democrat!
I was a victim as well, of course, and reserve a well of hatred to this day for the stupid and cruel everywhere, but that's still unlike the basic Republican position in which hatred is reserved for the smart and cruel—those people who told them they weren't good enough!
The fundamental difference is success in school. Being smart and therefore successful in school, I resented schoolyard bullies, not bullying teachers. Thus the Democratic way: protecting the underdog!
We both hate bullies, but of different stripes. Unfortunately, we end up projecting that resentment on each other! That's why both bases—Democratic and Republican—hate each other so much. We recognize too many of each other's traits from childhood. They're the traits of bullies who made our lives miserable back then!
The fundamental difference is success in school. Being smart and therefore successful in school, I resented schoolyard bullies, not bullying teachers. Thus the Democratic way: protecting the underdog!
We both hate bullies, but of different stripes. Unfortunately, we end up projecting that resentment on each other! That's why both bases—Democratic and Republican—hate each other so much. We recognize too many of each other's traits from childhood. They're the traits of bullies who made our lives miserable back then!
Image:
Eddie~S. (2008, May 17). Bully Free Zone. (flickr: cc-by Eddie~S, May 17, 2008). Retrieved October 26, 2008 from http://www.flickr.com/photos/pointshoot/2500644518/
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