Will the U.S. pass the Obama test?
By
Max J. Castro
With
Barack Obama’s victory consummated and Hillary Clinton’s belated
concession delivered, the race between the future and the past has
begun.
It
is as if Jack Nicklaus, the best golfer in the world in the sixties
and seventies, were to come out of retirement to challenge Tiger
Woods. Nicklaus was a great golfer, but even in his prime he was no
Tiger Woods. Now he would have no chance. McCain is a decent man and
politician, at least compared to the other Republicans that he beat
in the primaries. But in his prime, during the 2000 campaign, he
could not even beat George W. Bush, one of the least gifted orators
and most inept leaders in the history of the country. How can he
stand a chance against Barack Obama, a stellar campaigner who has
overcome the Clinton juggernaut and the legacy of racial prejudice to
make history?
On
this basis alone, the contest between Obama and John McCain should be
no contest.
By
Max J. Castro Read Spanish Version
majcastro@gmail.com
With
Barack Obama’s victory consummated and Hillary Clinton’s belated
concession delivered, the race between the future and the past has
begun.
It
is as if Jack Nicklaus, the best golfer in the world in the sixties
and seventies, were to come out of retirement to challenge Tiger
Woods. Nicklaus was a great golfer, but even in his prime he was no
Tiger Woods. Now he would have no chance. McCain is a decent man and
politician, at least compared to the other Republicans that he beat
in the primaries. But in his prime, during the 2000 campaign, he
could not even beat George W. Bush, one of the least gifted orators
and most inept leaders in the history of the country. How can he
stand a chance against Barack Obama, a stellar campaigner who has
overcome the Clinton juggernaut and the legacy of racial prejudice to
make history?
On
this basis alone, the contest between Obama and John McCain should be
no contest. But that is only the tip of the iceberg. Americans favor
the Democrats on nearly every issue. The image of the Republicans is
in tatters after multiple scandals and a dismal performance at the
helm of Congress (2000-2006) and the executive (2000-2008). The
president’s approval ratings are minuscule. And, on the crucial
issues — the disastrous war in Iraq, the looming economic crisis,
health care for all, fairness to the middle class and the poor versus
largesse to the very rich –McCain is a clone of George W. Bush.
So
why are the polls showing McCain running neck and neck with Obama?
The
mainstream media’s pat answer is that McCain has been such a
dissident from Republican orthodoxy that he is able to transcend the
devalued condition of the “Republican brand” and the undertow of
Bush’s unpopularity.
That
explanation is bunk. McCain voted with Bush 95 percent of the time
during the last year. These votes were not on trivial issues. McCain
voted with Bush to deny health care coverage to lower income
children. He joined the president in opposing a bill to fund the
restoration of the Everglades. He stood with Bush to block a law that
would have made torture and other forms of abuse by the CIA illegal.
Why
is the mainstream media buying and constantly putting out to the
world the myth of McCain the maverick? In part, it is the media’s
attempt to attempt to reach a false balance where there is no
equivalence. Obama is a political superstar and a harbinger of the
country’s multicultural and global future. McCain is more of the
same, an old white guy running for president after beating a bunch of
other white guys in identical suits with ideas that were tired and
worn in the days of Herbert Hoover, all competing for who could be
more of a throwback to Ronald Reagan. How do you balance that?
More
importantly, the mainstream media is inclined to buy the myth of
McCain as independent-minded because it wants to dance around rather
than confront the real reason the polls are showing it a close race
when, by all odds, the Democratic candidate should be massacring the
Republican.
The
main reason that is not happening is that race matters. It matters a
lot. Yes, racism is in decline. The triumph of Obama in the primaries
has proved that. But racism has not died altogether, and there may be
still enough of it around that the best man may not win in November
simply because of his race. The mainstream media has a hard time
dealing with that reality.
Race
is Obama’s main electoral challenge — one he wisely will never
address directly because that would only aggravate the problem. But
racism is not the main reason Obama will be attacked fiercely by
right-wing Republican elites, even though they will use the race card
against him whenever they can get away with it. The main reason Obama
will face a withering assault from right-wing elites is ideological.
While no revolutionary, Obama will not advance the project of
plutocracy at home and dominance through shock and awe abroad that is
so dear to the heart of many Republican leaders.
Obama’s
triumph is worth celebrating. Yes, his positions are not as
progressive as those of Dennis Kucinich. Edwards was better on issues
of economic fairness, and Hillary Clinton’s health care plan may
have been better. But, overall, Barack Obama’s positions are as
progressive as anyone’s and his political skills are superb.
Barack
Obama has passed every test. Will the country?
