Immediately following George W. Bush's re-election victory in 2004, Britain's Daily Mirror expressed the world's shock with the cover you see at right. "How can 59,054,087 people be so DUMB?" the headline screamed in exasperation, the subheadings calling the news an "election disaster" and a "no brainer" (as in "no brain"). "Doh...!" Homer Simpson seems to say in a banner at the top of the front page, "...4 more years of Dubya!" (click here or image at right to see larger view).
I wonder how dumb the world will think we are if 51% of us in 2008 vote to elect John McCain and Sarah Palin. My guess: Pretty gosh-darn dumb. Dumb as a fencepost. Thicker than two short planks. Just plain stupid. Could it possibly get any dumber than that?
Last week, the Democratic National Convention delivered us a stellar pair of candidates for the office of President and Vice-President of the United States: Barack Obama, a visionary leader who, seemingly out of nowhere, has answered the need to remove Republicans from power with an all-out mass movement for change; and Joe Biden, who complements Obama's vision and ability to inspire with a tough, pragmatic style and a wealth of national and international experience. Should any tragedy or incapacity befall President Obama while in office, Vice-President Biden would be more than ready to step in and fulfill the duties of the president.
This week, the Republican National Convention rolled out a very different package to voters: a bitter and befuddled old war-horse at the top of the ticket, and in the second slot a snarky religious zealot with zero experience in national or international affairs. Following a Democratic National Convention strong on style as well as substance - offering not only an inspiring slate of speakers but also a detailed plan for the economy, health care, energy independence, and foreign policy - the Republicans gave us four nights of smug, self-righteous posturing and snarling rage against "liberals." No plan for the economy or for anything else, just a lot of red meat for the base, a lot of flag-waving, and a lot of lies.
In any other modern democracy the outcome of such a contest would be a foregone conclusion, and the smart, progressive side would have little if any reason to fear. Only in America, for some strange reason I have yet to fully untangle, does the Dumb Ticket actually have a chance of winning. After all, who else in the world would have re-elected Bush/Cheney in 2004? Nobody, that's who.
Make no mistake: the editors at the Daily Mirror were not saying that all Americans are dumb, only those who voted for Bush despite overwhelming evidence that his administration was a disaster of global proportions. Almost as many Americans voted for Kerry/Edwards as for Bush/Cheney in 2004, but as we know, almost doesn't pay the rent or put intelligence in the White House.
After eight years of dumb, Americans have no excuse this year for doing something even dumber than what 51% of us did in 2004. Let's try and get it right this time.
Mark C. Eades
http://www.mceades.com
