Color me skeptical. I was looking around for the perfect article on which to opine about some potential presidential candidates....Well actually, I was looking for the perfect article about McCain-Feingold so I could tell you all, my loyal 2 readers, why I think McCain is the devil. More on that later I assure you. So, I found this Unity.08 mess ,which is a McCain spawn in that it is a 527. On the surface it looks good, moderates come together, unity, bipartisanship, fix the two existing parties, blah, blah, blah. From their FAQs, uneasiness starts:
"Question: Will Unity08 have a platform?
Answer: No. It will have an agenda of crucial issues, as determined by professional surveys of the delegates and public at large, and it will expect those seeking its nomination to provide their platform addressing the Unity08 agenda of crucial issues. Unity08 will not play the charade game of today’s two parties of adopting a platform the candidates feel free to ignore. "
Crucial issue eh? What's that? From the site:
"In our opinion, Crucial Issues include: Global terrorism, our national debt, our dependence on foreign oil, the emergence of India and China as strategic competitors and/or allies, nuclear proliferation, global climate change, the corruption of Washington’s lobbying system, the education of our young, the health care of all, and the disappearance of the American Dream for so many of our people.
By contrast, we consider gun control, abortion and gay marriage important issues, worthy of debate and discussion in a free society, but not issues that should dominate or even crowd our national agenda.
In our opinion – since the disintegration of the Soviet Union – our political system seems to have focused more attention on the “important issues” than the “crucial issues.” One result: The political parties have been built to address the interests of their “base” but have failed to address the realities that impact most Americans. "
Global terrorism, agreed, crucial and a key function of a National government to provide external security.
Dependence on foreign oil. Crucial yes, but what exactly will their as yet unchosen candidate do about it? If what they propose doesn't involve reduction of energy consumption(see populataion growth control below), massive new initiatives to build nuclear plants, more domestic drilling, and support for emerging hydrogen technology then it is just eyewash.
The emergence of China or India as strategic competitors/allies. Crucial, but again what will their candidate do? Sign Kyoto and let China run all over us economically more than they do now since they would not hamstring their manufacturing economy with carbon caps and costly clean energy? Unity.08 promises a consensus candidate. Best thing we can do to prepare for emergent superpowers is to maintain a strong military and shore up relations within our sphere. Monroe doctrine anyone? While accurate predictions are hard, both China and India will soon run out of resources for all their people. So they will either manage their growth and use resources wisely(not likely) or they will strike out in all directions to get more ala Japan and Germany about 75 years ago. I say China will be looking at Siberia first. (Yeah it's a Tom Clancy novel, but so was crashing a jumbo jet into the capitol) Those will be interesting times, especially if you are a consensus candidate instead of a LEADER!
Nuclear proliferation. Again, an issue that we need to elect a leader for. Mark my words, a leader picked by opinion polls will be bound by them. We already have this to some degree, the Unity.08 deal promises to be the grandest of them all. Will a consensus candidate have enough moral courage to say, preemptively strike a country that poses a nuclear threat? If that is not what the Unity.08 virtual democracy wants would he then be branded a traitor to his movement?
Global Climate Change. Again, what is the plan? Sign Kyoto and let the rest of the world compete unfairly? Piss away a bunch of money on useless technology like wind and ethanol? See foreign oil dependence, it is the same issue. Most folks believe the current junk science of the day, apparently there is a movie about it that sounds like this blog's title. :)
Lobbying Corruption. One way to fix that, line item veto and a president willing to use it while asking "Why is the federal government paying for this?" Ted Stevens, yes, I am talking about your bridge. How will one unity candidate fix this problem? Lobbying is there because money is there. Get the money out of Washington and the lobbying will go. Not that I believe lobbying is all bad, I like being able to send someone money to pay them to annoy the hell out of congresscritters. I do not know how this will get fixed because it requires a massive amount of power to be ripped from Congress. That is the power to take taxpayer money and deliver it to their home districts to buy votes and be popular. Bread and Circuses. That is the same money Congress uses to bully states, withholding federal highway funds if states do not enforce a speed limit(Carter years) or play the "Click it or Ticket" game. How will one unity candidate take that much power from Congress? Will they have the courage to fight for a line item veto and then use it, again ever mindful of their status as the candidate of popular choice.
Education, Health Care, and the American Dream. Not. A. Federal. Government. Responsibility.
"Important Issues"
Gun Control. Nope sorry, crucial issue. While I don't like to think about; we the people (this people at least) reserve the right to effect a change in government by the most extreme means. Not open to debate or discussion.
Abortion and gay marriage. Neither should be political issues. I personally think not much of either practice, but it is political smoke and mirrors to distract and divide, on this I agree with the Unity.08 bunch
Notably Absent Issues
Immigration. Maybe their "professional surveys" will pick up on this, but the career backroom politicians who started this mess do not see it as crucial. Without immigration control you cannot have population growth control. Without population growth you cannot do anything meaningful to curb energy use, you cannot protect the American dream as these cats want to do, and you most certainly cannot do a damn thing about global terrorism coming to your grid sector of the globe.
Elimination of McCain-Feingold. Touchy subject that, since Unity.08 is an indirect spawn of the act. Until it is struck down entirely, this legislation will ruin America. It is gas on the forest fire of divisive politics to allow groups accountable to no one to smear candidates. (Moveon.org) I give Unity.08 credit for listing their donors, but nothing says they have to, so who is to say what would happen if someone came to Unity.08 with 5 billion in their pocket? Before the McCain bill we had unions and big organizations in the country pouring money on politics. Now to me it seems way easier for foreign money to flow in through 527s with no accountability.
Entitlement Reform. You want no national debt? Good, eliminate Social Security.
Lastly, my thought is that we are a Republic, not a democracy, nor a virtual democracy as this group is pushing. I could care less about "professional surveys" determining crucial issues. I care about electing a leader who would stand as the figurehead for America in the face of the world, and at home would care about all the people, not just the 50.51999% majority that elected him. Unity.08s info takes shots at our current politicians pandering to their base, how will theirs be any different? They will just have to pander to the top box in an online poll. Mobocracy. Tyranny of the majority. That said, a candidate that could articulate to the public why now more than ever we need the electoral college would be welcome.
