After heartbreaking losses in 2000 and 2004, the Democrats are hoping for a little change.
Will this finally be the year? Will the third time be the charm? Can the Democrats do it?
By all accounts, the Democrats should be waltzing into the White House. The last seven-and-one-half years under Republican rule have been some of the worst years this country has seen in decades: We’ve been teetering on the brink of recession for months; inflation is through the roof; home foreclosures are at rates that rival the Great Depression; unemployment is beginning to creep higher; and we’re approaching our sixth year in an unpopular war that was founded on dubious details.
Throw in the most exciting, inspirational and charismatic candidate since JFK and it should be game over.
But it’s not. Despite Obamamania and George W. Bush’s best efforts to serve up the White House on a silver platter, it appears that the presidential race could come down to the wire. Somehow, John McCain and Barack Obama are neck and neck.
On Saturday, September 6, a poll released by Zogby International had McCain at 49.7 precent and Obama at 45.9 precent Yesterday, Rasmussen Reports had Obama and McCain each getting 46 precent of the vote.
How can this be? The polls must be wrong. There’s no way the presidential election can be this close.
Then again, maybe the polls are correct. The Democrats have not done themselves any favors and continue to shoot themselves in the foot.
Perhaps their greatest mistake was not getting the troops out of Iraq following the November 2006 elections. In that contest the voters spoke loudly and clearly. They gave the Democrats the edge in Congress, and, with it, a mandate to get us out of Iraq.
But the Democrats didn’t deliver. They hemmed and hawed and made excuses on why they couldn’t end the war.
Then there was a change in strategy. The surge took hold and U.S. casualties have been reduced dramatically. The war was the big issue on the Democrats’ side — especially Obama. He had the judgment to know that invading Iraq was a bad idea. But now the War in Iraq is hardly mentioned.
The next big blunder belonged to Obama: After his dramatic primary victory, he should’ve chosen Hillary as his running mate. I understand why he didn’t, but it could cost him the White House. After JFK defeated LBJ in the 1960 Democratic Primary, JFK chose LBJ as his running mate. Even though there was no love lost between the two men, JFK did it because he wanted to win. It worked: Kennedy squeaked by with a narrow victory.
At the very least, Obama should have chosen Al Gore. That would have sealed the deal, too. Gore is hotter than a polar bear in July.
Instead, Obama chose Joe Biden. For a campaign that has used “change” as its mantra, they couldn’t have selected a more entrenched political figure than Biden. He’s been in the Senate for more than three decades. Mix in a little Reverend Wright, some verbal gaffs and a couple of the usual slip-ups and we’ve got ourselves a race.
But McCain also deserves credit. For a while he looked tired, destined for Davy Jones’ Locker. But he turned it around. It’s amazing that this is even a race. He’s running a great campaign and his choice for VP, Sarah Palin, has invigorated him and the Republican Party.
McCain is so psyched he even stole Obama’s message of “change.”
With less than two months until the election, it’s do or die for the Democrats. If they can’t win it this year, they might not ever win it. Between Bush and Barack, it’s their campaign to lose.
Can they do it?
Contact Jeremy Madden at Madden@maddenatmaddenamerica.com
