Upcoming Essays...
First on Deck: Updating Sir Francis Bacon's 'Four Idols'
Second on Deck: Obama vs. McCain: Sound Bites (Part 2) -- On The Charge of 'Not Being Experienced Enough'
Third on Deck: Obama vs. McCain: Sound Bites (Part 3) -- On The Charge of 'Not Being Tough Enough'
Fourth On Deck: Wittgenstein vs. DGB Philosophy (Part 2): On Science, Epistemology, Rationality, and Narcissism
Fifth on Deck: Nietzsche vs. DGB Philosophy: Existential Extremism vs. Homeostatic Balance
Sixth on Deck: Gods, Myths, Philosophers and The DGB Model of The Personality
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Now Up...
Obama vs. McCain: Sound Bites (Part 1) -- On the Charge of 'Elitism'
We have to remember that any essay is a 'sound bite' of its author's overall philosophy and intentions. This is no different than a politician's speech -- or a poliitican's answer to a journalist's or a citizen's question -- which represents an even 'smaller sound bite' which has an even greater potential to be taken out of context and/or to deliver a smaller, sometimes much smaller, component of the author's overall philosophy, motivation, and intentions.
The wrong soundbite can destroy a politician's career, or cause 'giant spikes or crashes' in a politician's positive or negative reception with the audience that the politician is trying to impress or 'win over'.
Recently, in the American presidential race, McCain didn't win too many people over with his off the cuff comment that a rich person is someone worth '5 million dollars or more'. Similarily, Obama's 'inflate your tires' comment didn't go over too well with citizens everwhere getting 'pulverized at the gas pumps' by big oil companies and/or 'the free oil market'. And again, McCain's 'Ask my staff how many houses I own...' didn't go over too well either with wavering prospective voters.
In some ways, it is easier to be a philosopher or a journalist or a political analyst and do all our 'Monday morning quarterbacking' when these poltiicans have to be 'very fast on their feet' when they are reacting to some very difficult personal and professional questions. How many of us non-politicians would like to deal with these types of questions on a day to day, moment to moment, basis, not to mention having our persnal biographies put under a microscope, and being the subject of opposing 'political smear campaigns'. In the dog days of August, as we get closer and closer to -- what is it, a November election? -- 'politics rears its ugly, narcissistic head' in the name of winnning.
Has anyone forgotten the 'Florida voting scandal' where Bush squeeked in front to the finish line of the last American election -- at the expense of democratic fairness? How many 'prospective Democratic voters' didn't get to vote in the Florida election process?
Narcissism and power politics usually wins over ethics, morality, and integrity. Does anyone think that the type of 'dirty politics' played here in America is any different than what Americans are complainng about now relative to China 'doctoring the passports' of two or three of its youngest gymnnasts? Or the steroid scandal?
It's all called 'cheating' -- and both athletes and politicians will do it in the name of 'winning'.
Now, personally, I think Obama missed a political opportunity.
Obama has been hit with the criticism of 'elitist' by the Republican camp.
The trick for Obama -- as I see it -- is 1. how to answer criticisms like the charge of 'elitism' -- I heard the comment reported on CNN that Obama has been portrayed as a 'latte-drinking Liberal' -- 2. how to be aggressive back and land some of his own 'haymakers' against McCain and the Republcan Party ('the best defense is a good offense'); and 3. do this all in an ethical, upstanding, non-dirty, non-tit-for-tat' -- 'latte-drinking' (if you will) -- way.
To bring in a boxing metaphor, if McCain is 'Sonny Liston or Joe Frazier or George Foreman' -- the 'straight-ahead warrior' -- then Obama has to show that he is 'Cassius Clay a.k.a. Muhammad Ali -- in his prime -- a politician who is quick on his feet, and even quicker with his hands (brain and mouth), with a lightning-fast retaliatory jab that makes McCain pay for any smear tactic -- like 'elitism' -- that McCain throws Obama's way.
Now permit me the luxury of being a philosopher-writer who has much more time to think than a politician improvising on-stage. Furthermore, permit me the 'projected fantasy' of steppig into Obama's shoes for a minute or two, of trumpeting a bit of DGB Philosophy which I believe is closer to Obama's 'integrative-differential-unity' philosophy (or visa versa) than it is to McCain's more 'Conservative-Republican-Laissez-Faire-Capitalism-let's not raise anyone's taxes, let's just let the rich keep getting richer, even if it is at the expense of financially hurting the middle and lower classes...(like the oil companies getting richer and richer beyond belief from gouging pump prices).
Anyway, here's my speech:
McCain and the Republican Party label me as an 'elitist'. And yet McCain said that a rich person is someone making over 5 million dollars. McCain said that he can't remember how many houses that he owns. McCain said that he will not tax the rich anymore than they are currently being taxed. McCain said that he will still subsidize big oil companies even though they are currently bringing in record profits that defy belief.
So I ask you: Who is being the elitist?
Furthermore I ask you: Who is more interested in the problems -- and particularly the financial traumacies -- of the lower and middle class? Who is looking to bring down the cost of education? Who is aiming for universal health care and health insurance? Who is looking to bring down the cost of gas? Who is looking to change the way politics is conducted in the White House and in Congress?
Who is looking to stop the way that 'lobbying' is done in Washington? Who is looking to stop special interest lobbyist groups from undermining democracy and preferentially treating one class of people -- usually the already very rich (yes, Mr. McCain, that is people like you and me both who are worth more than 5 million dollars and therefore, by your own stringent definition, deserve to be called 'rich') -- while systematically exploiting one or more other classes of people (usually the middle and lower classes)?
Is it you, Mr. McCain who is promising to do these things? Or is it me? And therefore -- I ask you again, and I ask the American people -- who really deserves to be called 'the elitist'?
-- dgb, August 22nd, 2008
