Strange Legacy

Memorable 2008 Election Quotes

With the 2008 presidential election soon to reach its conclusion, I think it’s fun to look back on some of the most memorable quotes uttered by politicians aspiring to the nation’s highest office. Here are some of the great zingers and one-liners that stand out in my mind:

“This is a lot like ‘Law & Order’. It has a huge cast, the series seems to go on forever, and Fred Thompson shows up at the end.”

The memorable quote was uttered by Mitt Romney during a Republican primary debate. It’s interesting to remember how everyone predicted an especially contentious and drawn-out Republican primary, only to see it come to an abrupt end after “Super Tuesday”.

“What in my background equips me to deal with evil and bad men?”

Wow, this was a fun one! Hillary Clinton used this sarcastic rhetorical question to refute the sexist doubts that some people raised about her ability to deal with tough and “evil” leaders in the world. Most people listening to this remark immediately saw it as a reference to her unfaithful husband (and former president) Bill Clinton. She denied this explanation, but never offered a convincing substitute.

“Yes.”

This, of course, is the one-word response that Joe Biden – a politician famous for talking too much and saying ridiculous things – gave during a Democratic primary debate when the moderator, Brian Williams, asked him if he had the discipline to avoid committing such “faux pas” as president. It took everyone a moment to realize that Biden wasn’t going to say anything more than this, and this simple answer served as one of most ironic and funny moments in the election.

“…and those styrofoam Greek columns are hauled back to some studio lot…”

This is perhaps one of the most biting and innovative insults uttered by a politician during this campaign. Making reference to the fanfare of the Democratic convention (one of the largest and most energetic in recent history) Sarah Palin sought to compare Obama and his candidacy to the decorative columns on the stage where he gave his speech. It doesn’t take a genius to see that Palin was comparing these decorations – which look impressive, but have no substance – to Obama himself.

“John McCain says he’ll follow Osama Bin Laden to the gates of Hell, but he won’t even follow him to the cave where he lives.”

If Senator Obama didn’t come up with this line himself, he needs to pay a big bonus to the campaign staffer who did. Obama delivered this stunning rebuke during a debate with McCain to diminish the claim made by the latter of superior national security judgment, specifically when it comes to the War on Terror.

“(For a middle-class voter to vote for John McCain)…is like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders…”

This is the final quote I wanted to highlight, and was uttered yesterday by the AFL-CIO secretary treasurer, Rich Trumpka, while introducing Democratic V.P. candidate, Joe Biden, at a rally in Ohio. Regardless of whether you agree with this remark or not, the imagery is laugh-out-loud funny.

These are some of the memorable quotes and zingers which have stayed in my mind during this election. Feel free to comment below on any others that have made an impression on you.

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A Good Rebuttal for Obama

I’ve noted in a previous post how Senator McCain seemed to prevail against Barack Obama in the first presidential debate (albeit slightly). He did this by questioning Obama’s experience in dealing with important foreign policy issues. McCain also capitalized on his support for troop “surge” strategy, which seems to be vindicated by the recent progress that has been made in Iraq.

I think the Democrats need to tread very carefully here. Obama is correct to point out that we never should have gone to Iraq in the first place, but McCain has a very strong rebuttal with his focus on the future. According to McCain, how we got into Iraq is far less relevant than how we get out – whether it be with victory or defeat (anyone who is familiar with the principle of “sunken costs” in economics will immediately understand the philosophy behind this position).

If Obama attempts to deny the success of the surge, he risks being seen as a defeatist who is all-to-eager to snatch failure from the jaws of victory. At the same time, acknowledging its success seems to play to McCain’s favor. The challenge Obama faces is trying to point out to the American people that if McCain was wrong about the invasion of Iraq in the first place – regardless of whether the surge has worked or not – he might make a similar mistake in the future. If Obama is going to make this distinction, without alienating those who are encouraged by the recent progress in Iraq, I would recommend he use the following as his rebuttal:

“It’s obvious that Senator McCain and I disagree strongly when it comes to foreign policy. John is correct when he says that I opposed the surge when it was first proposed. Let’s be very clear about something: my opposition had nothing to do with my confidence in our troops, or my confidence in our generals. Ultimately, I was concerned about the surge because of the man who was managing it from very the top – namely George W. Bush. The success of the surge has been a pleasant surprise in a war that has been disastrously managed by this administration from the beginning.”

“I think it’s important for my opponent to acknowledge that while the surge has been successful, it can’t completely undo the damage done by a war we never should have fought in the first place. Regardless of the outcome of Iraq, our children will inherit a tremendous debt of hundreds of billions of dollars. Saddam Hussein was an evil man, and I’m glad he’s gone – but he was one of the biggest enemies of Iran, another major threat to stability in the Middle East. Now that he’s gone, Iran has more influence than ever before. Make no mistake – Iran’s rising power is a direct result of the failed foreign policy of George W. Bush and John McCain.”

“John McCain likes to talk about how he supported the surge when it was unpopular. He deserves credit for taking a stand on difficult issue. I also took an unpopular stand when I opposed the Iraq War from the beginning. The question I would ask my fellow Americans is this, “Do you want a president who only has the ability to partially fix the mistakes he makes, or a president with the judgment to avoid making these types of catastrophic mistakes in the fist place?” That is the judgment that America needs, and that is what I hope to bring to this great country when I’m president.”

This rebuttal has a couple of things going for it. First, it acknowledges the success of the surge and our troops in Iraq. Obama doesn’t come off looking like a defeatist who is unhappy with the progress we’re making. At the time, it provides an excellent reason for someone to have voted against the surge: specifically, his confidence (or lack thereof) in President Bush. Obama can take a very painful stab at the President (and at John McCain as well) by reminding everyone of how badly the war was managed in the years leading up to the surge.

Most importantly, this rebuttal would knock the wind out of McCain’s strongest selling point on foreign policy. McCain has used his support of the surge, and the prospect of success in Iraq, to counter the overwhelming criticism of the way the war has been handled by a Republican administration. Nevertheless, we all remember the saying, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Or, more to the point, the judgment to avoid serious problems is better than the judgment to fix them.

Obviously, Senator Obama has a talented staff advising him and helping him develop his rebuttals for the remaining debates in this election. Those advisors would do well to take a similar approach to the one I’ve demonstrated above, or they may find their candidate struggling to battle the same concerns over and over again. After all, Senator McCain’s attacks seem to have served him well to this point, and kept the race close in climate that would otherwise clearly favor the Democrats. Unless compelled to do so, I don’t believe McCain will abandon his strategy anytime soon.

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A Pivotal Moment in the 2008 Presidential Campaign

Well folks, we’re just a day away from the vice presidential debate. To be perfectly honest, I’m a lot more interested in this veep debate than I was in the first presidential debate. Sarah Palin has been on a see-saw of public opinion since John McCain declared her his running mate about a month ago. Thursday will show us whether his gamble has any chance of paying off.

At the risk of alienating many of the Democratic readers of this blog, I have to agree with the pundits who called the first debate in favor of John McCain. I do this reluctantly, given my distaste over the tremendous arrogance his campaign displayed by declaring him the winner before the debate even happened. But I have to call it like I see it. Barack Obama started the debate off strong, scoring some early hits on McCain by tying him with President Bush and the current economy. Nevertheless, near the end of the debate McCain launched a brutal assault against Obama with the assertion that the latter lacked the strength and experience to guide U.S. foreign policy. By failing to respond forcefully to these accusations, and appearing weak and timid, Obama reinforced the very perceptions McCain was seeking to instill in the minds of the American people. Ultimately, victory in these debates isn’t so much about who gets the facts right, but who creates the right perception of the facts.

Speaking of perception, it’s interesting to look back in time at the debates between Al Gore and George W. Bush in 2000. Al Gore criticized George Bush’s proposed economic policy, stating that it would create huge budget deficits. Bush responded with a wink-and-a-smile by accusing Gore of using “fuzzy math”. This rather unscientific rebuttal appealed to many Americans, and Bush effectively dodged Gore’s attack. Despite the fact that Gore’s predictions have been famously vindicated, Bush’s victory shows that “We the People” are suckers for a great punch-line.

While perception played to McCain in the first debate, it could come back to bite him with a vengeance in the V.P. debate. The importance of this debate could easily overshadow the first presidential debate, and the remaining presidential debates to follow. Many have noted the tremendous pressure on Sarah Palin given the simple truth that John McCain would be the oldest president in U.S. history. Those evaluating Palin correctly point out that she could easily wind up being president herself, and that she merits a higher level of scrutiny than what is normally given to a V.P. candidate.

I would argue that the pressure on Palin goes beyond concerns that many have about McCain’s age and health. I think Palin’s performance will also be a direct reflection on McCain’s judgment – more so than any other V.P. candidate in recent history. This unique circumstance stems from the conditions under which Palin was selected as McCain’s running mate. Generally speaking, presidential candidates choose their running mates from a list of obvious suspects. The media has plenty of time to give us the skinny on each potential selection. When the choice is finally made America is interested, but hardly surprised.

Not so with Palin. She came out of nowhere. Without so much as a hint that she could be a serious contender for the #2 spot on the Republican ticket her selection sent shockwaves throughout the political arena. By straying from the “safe” list of candidates, McCain immediately took hold of the national consciousness. America is rightly asking whether Palin’s selection was the result of careful (albeit secret) consideration on the part of John McCain, or a political stunt designed to steal some of the celebrity spotlight (as well as disaffected Hillary supporters) from Barack Obama.

Opinions are mixed. Independents and political moderates have been put on something of a roller coaster when it comes to Sarah Palin. Personally, when I first heard the announcement my reaction was, “Sarah who?” The shocking choice smacked of a desperate cry for attention on the part John McCain. Nevertheless, her speech during the Republican convention presented us with a strong, confident V.P. candidate whose charisma might just carry the Arizona senator to the White House. I began to think McCain’s decision wasn’t so strange after all – until Palin began giving interviews. Her inability to effectively answer basic foreign and domestic policy questions gave rise to serious doubts about her ability to intelligently discuss the most pressing issues of our day without the help of a teleprompter. Attempts by the McCain campaign to shelter Palin from the media haven’t helped much either.

Whether McCain’s decision to put Palin on the ticket is ultimately percieved as the product of unique insight and wisdom, or a desperate bid for campaign victory, will largely come into focus Thursday night. While many are already dismissing Palin based on her recent interview performance, I wouldn’t be so quick to write her off. The McCain campaign is sure to be working furiously to prepare her for this vital performance. It should also be noted that the setting of a debate appears to be more conducive to Palin than a regular television interview; by its very nature, Palin will have more opportunities to go on the offensive and rely on her penchant for razor-sharp barbs against Obama. Add to that the fact that Biden is likely to tread lightly to avoid the appearance of sexism, and the odds against Palin seem to diminish. If she can avoid being caught off-guard by an important question – and inadvertently channel the ghost of Admiral Stockdale in the process – she just might be alright. If not, it will take an act of God to get John McCain into the White House.

I’m interested in what you have to say about this article! Whether you agree or disagree, please feel free to leave a comment. If you are reading this article from the main page, you can get to the comments area by clicking on the “Comment” link seen below; otherwise, just type your comment in the box displayed below. You can also use any of the social networking links below to recommend this article to others. I look forward to hearing from you!