The Difference Between Obama and McCain - Obama Is A Leader, McCain Is A Figurehead

[Median Democrat]

The stories coming out of the McCain camp, particularly regarding the selection of Sarah Palin, describe a man who has a compelling biography, and a stubborn personality, but there is no comprehensive vision for America. McCain has talking points instead of a clear idea of how he can improve America, which is why he does a terrible job of selling his ideas. There are not his ideas. The ideas belong to advisors, and he just gives them a celebrity endorsement without actually understanding these proposals or how the proposals fit together. McCain's policies are just a patchwork collection of right wing talking points relating to cutting taxes and spending.

The Palin episode illustrates how little control McCain has over his own campaign. McCain's advisors continuously fight for influence, and McCain is easily swayed and manipulated. This is why he ended up picking a Vice-President that he appears to dislike. The New Yorker and NYT describe how the selection of Palin was 100% political in that McCain was simply looking for a boost in the polls, rather than trying to choose a person who could actually serve as President.

In contrast, Obama's campaign has matched Obama. It is not reactionary. Obama's message of change and inclusive has remained consistent, as well as his contrasts between his proposals and Bush's administration. If you have read the Audacity of Hope, it is clear that Obama's platform and proposals, even if developed by other experts, are entirely consistent with his overarching theme and vision of Government. No one can expect a President to be an expert of everything. However, it is reasonable to expect a President to prioritize and have a working knowledge of his proposals and how they fit together. Luckily, Obama has the intelligence to understand his programs, and the vision to piece them together into a cohesive platform.

The biggest problem I see with John McCain is that he resembles Bush to much in terms of lacking an understanding and cohesive vision of Government. Thus, like Bush, I fully expect a McCain government to be disjointed and run by a small group of advisors who continuously vie for influence, because McCain himself is empty vessel. Even worse, McCain is impulsive, thus a McCain government is likely to lurch from talking point to talking point, and crisis to crisis, without a clear direction or philosophy.

The MSM talks about Obama's message discipline. However, I don't think this is just a simple matter of Obama having the right campaign coordinator. I think it is a reflection that Obama has a central vision, and those folks involved in his campaign, generally believe in that overaching vision, rather than behaving as hired guns who don't really believe in what they are trying to sell.

Sadly for McCain, in focuing on trying to "disqualify" Obama, McCan has been his own worst enemy in reminding people of how George Bush campaigned. Bush never really tried to sell his programs. Instead, Bush focused on attacking the character of his critics. The sad irony is that McCain was Bush's first victim, and now McCain has simply adopted Bush's approach to politics. The tragedy is that John McCain is the person most culpabale for destroying the myth of John McCain.

[raysr]

1. Figure head?

No, DICK head!