A New Prez

This opinion piece appeared in the Townsman, October 30 edition

By this time next week we will have a new president of the United States. I realize there is still the formality of an inauguration, not scheduled until January 20th, 2009, but with W's approval rating in the tank with Lehman Brothers, real estate, the American auto industry, the stock market and the Detroit Lions (0-8) I don't think we can expect much leadership from the White House after next Tuesday. (Some of you will argue there was none before.) Exceptions to this may be W's forceful turn of the switch to light up the national Christmas tree, last minute appointments to federal benches, and then, of course, the issuance of pardons. Maybe Senator Ted Stevens has got a chance, after all.

With both major party candidates, including Senator McCain from his own party, repudiating W's conduct of the Iraqi War and his stewardship of the economy, no matter who wins the election next week the Age of W will come to an end sometime around midnight, November 4. With things being as they are I don't know whom I will pity more, the loser or the winner of the election to succeed him.

Both major candidates have followed paths toward the White House with unusual and counter-intuitive steps. Obama, representing the party that back in the post-Watergate era passed campaign election reforms that included public financing of presidential races in order to level the playing field, has eschewed public financing and has raised a huge wad of cash that would embarrass the most connected Republican fat cat. McCain's campaign retired poor, old Pat Nixon's "Republican cloth coat" in order to doll up its vice-presidential candidate in duds that would not embarrass Paris Hilton. I find these ideological shifts equally fascinating, but I think the former will have more impact, for better or worse, on our future elections than the latter.

The respective campaign mantras have been condensed to "Change" v "Experience." One promises a steady visit "across the aisle" to obtain compromise, the other promises a "steady hand on the tiller." Since neither of these assurances is detestable America's choice will not be guided by mantras, but by deep, personal responses to the men chanting them.

If you are looking for my endorsement of either Obama or McCain you won't find it here. Yes, I've made up my mind; yes I write an opinion column that gives me the freedom to publicly endorse. But I won't. If you are that curious you can drive by my house and see what lawn sign sits among the un-raked leaves. Please don't waste the gas. At this late stage of the game I don't think my opinion will affect yours.

If you vote for the candidate that I don't support I might, in a test of the bounds of friendship, tell you that your choice was ill conceived, hasty, fatuous, nearsighted, or dumb. But mind you, that would be my opinion of your choice, not you, so I hope we will be able to still shake hands afterward.

No matter who wins next week, we must agree to respect each other and work together for the good of the nation. I fear that we are in for a rough ride ahead. The Boomers, of which I am one, are finally going to understand the meaning of sacrifice. (I exclude from this the 8.7 million Americans who served in Viet Nam, 58,000 of them killed, 303,000 wounded, who unfortunately have seen their sacrifice conflated with futility, a fault of their leaders, not their's.) An environment that calls for sacrifice amid uncertainty will come as a tremendous shock to us. There will be hot heads to both sides of us urging us toward low feelings and rash actions. We must resist them, the way our parents and grand parents (oh, that more of them were still alive) resisted hot heads during the Great Depression, and held together to overcome fascism and totalitarianism and then build the nation of affluence that has spoiled us so.

The first job of the next president, who again will begin his presidency on November 5th, the day after the election, will be to level with us, tell us what the real problems are and how deep the hole we're in. Whether it's giving a "middle class tax cut" or vetoing "all pork barrel spending," either perhaps a successful campaign promise, neither is by itself a panacea for what ails America and our place in the world. I don't want to listen to a victory speech, even if it is my candidate delivering it. I want an honesty speech. Campaign's over; tell us what to expect from you, what will be expected from us, sound the bugles and get to work!

My generation will have one last opportunity to be Great. It's not to say we haven't done good things and even some nice things; we have. But Greatness is not possible without sacrifice, and there we have not been tested. It sure is a lousy time in our lives for it, what with loosening teeth and creaking joints, but really, with out this opportunity how would history look upon us? Frankly, I would like to be remembered for something more than taking advantage of easy credit. Wouldn't you?

By this time next week we will have a new president, and maybe the Detroit Lions' record will be 1-8. It will only be a start.