Perpetual Notion

Our nation, the United States of America, is as a whole Republican. To look at the country alone, and to see the climate of political varieties within, one would not come to this conclusion. Instead, to see this one must look at our country and its place in the world.

We want democracy for everyone, but will not cede our power to anyone. Democracy reigns supreme, unless the United States is present. In which case, the United is President of the World, and democracy is Vice-President.

Domestically, we must retain control of our own homestead, just as we must globally retain our homeland. The government is not welcome in our home to document our guns, nor is any foreign government welcome on our soil to oversee our nuclear capability. The liberals and intellectuals in Los Angeles/New York can not tell us what is right for our families, just as the foreigners in France/Venezuela can not instruct us how to run a country.

And the list goes on. For the environment, we make no significant commitments. Economically, we would never do anything that could cripple our market. Aid to nations in poverty is sparse. We are after all, capitalists, and they, are competition.

Whatever we may feel that our identity is domestically… we are by our own standards, conservative abroad. I do not align with a national identity such as this, but what can be done? There needs to be a paradigm shift. In a world so globalized, it is unhealthy to retain an elite nationalist self image. There is a greater community beyond our borders that we as a nation have yet to recognize. But until that day, this is a red state.

Once more it is election season, and political spirits are awoken. With them come ghosts of campaigns passed. As George W. Bush rides his last year of office, it is easy to think and question what might have been. The 2000 election was an exciting and close contest. Even today there is discussion over the legitimacy of the final result.

I shall dispense with Bush quickly, as he is not today’s subject. His two terms have taken a greater toll than expected by most everyone. The United States was attacked, we are at war, Environmental policy is weakening, the dollar is doing poorly, and our international image is suffering. Noted issues merely scratch the surface of our present political situation.

So, what might have been? It has been a common understanding that these last seven years could have been better. Much better. I will qualify by noting that this is a common understanding within my circles, and my circles do not involve NRA meetings or megachurches. These years could have been better under the leadership of Al Gore.

The nation and Al had a chance to align in the year 2000. They did not. The nation and the world are now worse off for not realizing this merger. Certain issues will be matters of opinion, but the disapproval ratings of our current administration can attest great lengths that Al Gore could have been a better option.

The aftermath of the 2000 election has bred a loser, and it is not Al Gore. The end of his political career breathed new life into Al. What was stale, starched, and stagnant is now a conscious pulse. Since the millennium Al Gore has reinvented himself. He has given his energy a direct focus, to an end that he has been quite productive and effective. His two books, a movie showcasing his efforts, and a Nobel Peace Prize have shown that he not only relevant but also hip. Such exploits stand tall in a field that is known for fading away, as ex-politicians are not big in the public eye.

The 2000 election was a victory for himself, because that is who Al got to spend some much needed time with. He is a better man now for having lost then. Websites have popped up to draft Al Gore to run in the 2008 election. For whatever reason he has opted not to fuse his new found popularity with politics. Not political office anyway. The man has found himself, and we are lost.

I am not saying that propaganda is bad. It is just a tool as any other similar thing. It can and will be used. Therefore it is important that people recognize its usage, or else they will find that they themselves are what is used. I do not despise propaganda. I despise the inability of some to see its application. It can be delivered as simply as a pretty face and soft voice to match.

It need not come from above, but can rise among the youth and sing all the credibility that a grass roots effort can offer. Such is the case, that everyone is susceptible to being drugged, and everyone is equally capable of handing out prescription. One candidate stands above all others in this realm. And while the polls may not always show it, the public embraces him in a manner that makes the competition salivate.

The campaign of Barack Obama is formed upon an image far more those of others running. This is not say that his merits are superficial. It is likely that Obama has substance. But who will see it when we are so filled with the wonderment of his coolness. A strong and successful image goes a long way and can be a great asset. It can also be a handicap. Pleased with the immediate impression, voters may feel less a need to dig deeper into what makes up the candidate.

A person faces no greater scrutiny than by running for the office of president. But then… what really would they have to hide if the public is not even looking. The current state of things bolsters my confidence that I could in fact build up a campaign around a cardboard cutout. Granted I would need to add a few celebrity endorsements and a sound byte or two.

Our system of democracy allows for us to be skeptics. The three branches of government are even arranged so as to be actively skeptical of one another. We do no justice to ourselves, our neighbors, our country by electing the most handsome grin. Let us ask of our candidates all the substance that they have to offer, and when there is no more, we can ask “why not more?” For we will only get as much as we ask, so why not ask everything?