The 2008 Presidential Campaign: What Happened and Why?

[Pearly Di]

Okay, so my American friends (the ones not online) are asking, "Why do the non-Americans care so much? Why are they so thrilled that Obama was elected? Why did they hate Bush so much?"

I've given some answers as best I could, but I would be interested in hearing the direct answer from some of you.

Anyone game?

Lali

I am.

Obama
He looks and sounds like a world class statesman. He has dignity. I think he will be a very good rep for America on the world stage.

And he's a family man. Happily and faithfully married to his wife for 16 years.

He's also right about healthcare (in my humble opinion, having benefited from 'socialised medicine' all my life ). As to whether it will be possible to reform the healthcare system in the US, with a deep recession looming, I don't know. Your new President-elect has the intray from hell. But I hope and pray he is the man he appears to be and that his supporters believe him to be.

And I can't deny the fact that America does now have its first biracial President speaks volumes about your nation's ability to rise above its past and prove that it really does believe in the ideals and principles that the Founding Fathers enshrined in the Constitution. Every African-American kid now knows it's possible they could become President, if that was their ambition!

We all found America absolutely inspirational this week. The American dream is not a kitsch, shallow thing, it's for real.

Bush
I despised the Bush administration. They came across as arrogant. And I disliked this attitude emanating from them that if you weren't for them, you were against them, that if you criticised America, you hated America. Rubbish. I love my country deeply, but I criticise its leadership all the time. That's the privilege of living in a democracy where ideas are not censored!

I support the fight against al-Queda in Afghanistan (and it appears that President-elect Obama does too) but I thought the invasion of Iraq was ill-considered and ill-judged. Tony Blair was a popular PM but his popularity plummeted here after that. People were not happy about his reasons for the invasion, especially as those reasons never materialised. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad Saddam was ousted. But I think the war was a terrible drain on reserves and distracted away from the actual fighting against the Taliban in Afghanistan. I can't deny that the surge in the spring worked. Just as well.

And yet I could have forgiven/overlooked that (since I believe Blair was sincere in wanting to get rid of a tyrant) were it not for other things ...

I was appalled by Bush's sanctioning of waterboarding, of torture.

I was unhappy with his attitude to Guantanamo. If you suspect someone of plotting terrorism against the US or the UK or anywhere else, then arrest them and charge them. Don't bang them up for months, years, without a trial. To my mind, this is not how a civilised Western democracy should behave.

The Patriot Act. What is THAT about? I have similar concerns in Britain. Vigilance against terrorism should not mean a slow whittling away of civil liberties.

New Orleans. OK, so the US is a lot bigger than Britain, and the stricken city was not the easiest to get to, but a leader has to show that they care. During World War Two, the King and Queen went on walkabout in London to talk to and empathise with Londoners who had survived the previous night's bombing raids. Of course the Royal Family had their own royal bunker. But the thing is, they showed their people that they CARED. A huge psychological booster.

[Lalaith]

Thank you, Alatar, Tosh, and Di (and Holby).

I have been on target on some of the things I've said but off target on a few others. I'll make sure I fix that.

What role did his religious convictions play as far as not liking him--i.e., the fact that he says he portrays himself as a evangelical Christian?


Lali

[Holbytla]

I read the responses to Lali's question and for the most part I agree with the assessments. I don't seem to remember the Bush hiding thing though. I seem to remember him giving a press conferenve at Ground Zero while the rubble was still smoking. Maybe after that he seemed scarce, but I always had the impression that it was Cheney who was at an undisclosed location. Maybe my memory is bad on this.

[Lalaith]

I think you're right. I don't remember Bush hiding at all, except in those first few chaotic hours when it would've been very prudent for him to do so, since we all had no idea still what was going on or if the attacks were over.

(I know he certainly wasn't bunkered down somewhere. Fighter jets flew over our air space, breaking the sound barrier, to secure it before Air Force One flew over. We found that out later, and let me tell you that a sonic boom is just a TEENY bit frightening when you're still wondering where the next plane is going to be crashed or if there are bombs set to go off.)


Lali

[Pearly Di]

What role did his religious convictions play as far as not liking him--i.e., the fact that he says he portrays himself as a evangelical Christian?

Since I gladly identify as an evangelical Christian, that's neither here nor there as far as I'm concerned.

I don't believe that people who share my beliefs necessarily make good Presidents.

I mean, Jimmy Carter was an evangelical Christian and he was the most unpopular President your country has ever had. Thing is, I always think Carter was just a bit too nice for the job. He's been involved in humanitarian/Christian work ever since and I dare say he's been loads happier. He's always struck me as a thoroughly genuine Christian. Just not the best leader at the time.

Tony Blair was unusually forthright about his Christian faith. (He was Anglican but has now become a Roman Catholic). This was regarded with suspicion by many: by the Left, certainly, but also by Christians who felt that Blair should have acted more on his Christian convictions. Under the Blair government, faith-based academies were set up. (This means all faiths).

Britain is more secular than the US (despite the fact that we have a national Church ) and the British tend to regard religion as a private affair. They can be very suspicious of what they see as over-enthusiastic expressions of faith -- in a leader, at any rate. Any political leader who claimed to hear directly from God would be treated with huge suspicion and in fact downright mockery.

I understand there are still prayers held in the House of Commons though, and there are certainly practising Christians MPs in all the three main political parties. They even meet to pray together.

But being a Christian and actively involved in politics is one thing, tying a particular faith to a particular political party is another. A lot of secular Britons are alarmed by the Religious Right because they are deeply uneasy about a mix of politics and religion. This may be because of our own history, e.g. religious wars which were all tied up with politics.

[Alatar]

What Di said.

[ToshoftheWuffingas]

About Bush hiding. A little hyperbolic perhaps but I consider the duty of a leader to talk to his people at such a time and not just his officials. In the time line I went to Bush is informed of the attack at 9am.

http://www.historycommons.org/timeline. ... 1_timeline

(This is 4 hours after being informed of the attack and being flown to different parts of the US)



President Bush spends most of his time at Barksdale Air Force Base arguing on the phone with Vice President Dick Cheney and others over where he should go next. The media are now starting to ask about the president’s whereabouts, and why he has not returned to Washington. “A few minutes before 1 p.m.,” Bush agrees to fly to Nebraska. As earlier, there are rumors of a “credible terrorist threat” to Air Force One that are said to prevent his return to Washington. [Daily Telegraph, 12/16/2001] At 1:25, Bush speaks with his chief of staff Andrew Card and the head of the Secret Service detail. He tells them, “I want to go back home ASAP. I don’t want whoever this is holding me outside of Washington.” But the Secret Service agent replies, “Our people say it’s too unsteady still,” and Card adds, “The right thing is to let the dust settle.” Bush acquiesces. [Sammon, 2002, pp. 119] In a book about the Secret Service, author Philip Melanson will later comment on the president’s failure to promptly return to Washington: “If the president appeared less than resolute at any point… it was the fault of agents who were overzealous in their desire to protect him, administration sources have offered.” Yet, “The Service, whose first duty that day or any other day is to protect the president, has never publicly pointed out that Bush could have overruled them at any time and ordered Air Force One to Washington, DC.” [Melanson, 2002, pp. 326

.......................snip

Having left Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana at around 1:30 p.m. (see (1:30 p.m.) September 11, 2001), Air Force One lands at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Nebraska. President Bush stays on the plane for about ten minutes before entering the United States Strategic Command bunker at 3:06 p.m. [Salon, 9/11/2001;
....................snip
(3.55pm) White House adviser Karen Hughes briefly speaks to the media and says President Bush is at an undisclosed location, taking part in a video conference. This is possibly the only in-person media appearance by any Bush administration official since the attacks and until a news conference by Defense Secretary Rumsfeld at 6:40 p.m. [CNN, 9/12/2001]
................snip
(6:54 p.m.) September 11, 2001: President Bush Returns to White House President Bush arrives at the White House, after exiting Air Force One at 6:42 p.m. and flying across Washington in a helicopter. [Salon, 9/11/2001; CNN, 9/12/2001; Daily Telegraph, 12/16/2001; Associated Press, 8/21/2002; ABC News, 9/11/2002; Washington
.......................snip

(8.30pm)From the White House Oval Office, President Bush gives a seven-minute address to the nation on live television. [CNN, 9/12/2001; Woodward, 2002, pp. 31] He says, “I’ve directed the full resources of our intelligence and law enforcement communities to find those responsible and to bring them to justice.” In what will later be called the Bush Doctrine, he states, “We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them.” [US President, 9/17/2001; Washington Post, 1/27/2002]

In other words he spends most of the day travelling from one spot to another and doesn't address the citizens of his country (and then for only 7 minutes) until 12 hours later.
That wouldn't do for us.

[Maria]

Here's an interesting series called "Secrets of campaign '08"
http://www.mlive.com/elections/index.ss ... gn_08.html

With the 2008 presidential campaign wrapped up, reporters are opening up about what they saw on the trail and revealing previously undisclosed accounts and insights.

Perhaps the most ambitious and encompassing of these accounts comes from Newsweek, who Wednesday began publishing online their seven-part series "Secrets of the 2008 Campaign," written by a series of reporters who were were granted special year-long access provided they not publish their findings until after Election Day.

The page I linked to is a description of the series, and there is a list of each chapter linked under that. The first chapter link, however, is wrong and links to chapter 3. You can get to chapter one through a link on chapter 2, though.

[sauronsfinger]

Maria
Thanks much for that link to the Newsweek series. I just looked at it and read the article on the Debates and it is great stuff indeed. Can't wait to read it all. And I wonder what books we will see next year on all this? It should be good.

[vison]

Tosh, that post agrees exactly with my recollection of 9/11.

That, and the fact that the only planes to get off the ground in the aftermath in the USA were to fly the Bin Ladens home.

I wonder how many men are in Guantanamo prison because of "close associations" with "terrorists"? I wonder how many of them are named Bin Laden?

Just to be clear: I don't think Osama Bin Laden's family was part of the plot. But other people are being held, have been held for up to 7 years, for less association with terrorists.I sincerely and deeply hope, from the bottom of my heart, that Guantanamo prison is closed and burned to the ground. A vile stain on the American nation.

[Cerin]

Lalaith

I believe the thing people regarded as unsettling about Bush's faith, was his conviction that he was chosen by God to lead the US, and his conviction that his ideas about policy were God's ideas. If you believe you are doing God's will, then the only conclusion to draw about people opposing you is that they are opposing God's will, and are in fact agents of evil.

This is the same attitude Sarah Palin seemed to have (being on God's side, being chosen by God to be in politics), as was shown in the various excerpts from her church, and from the campaign trail. This is why she was so fervently embraced by the religious right -- the people we've seen in news snippets revealing their belief that God is on their side politically, and that Sarah Palin was raised up to lead them, their modern day Esther. And this is why Sarah Palin sent shudders down the spines of so many -- not the fact that she is a Christian, but the fact that she blends her religious beliefs with her political beliefs in a way that is always very dangerous, regardless of who is doing it.

[Primula Baggins]

I would say Palin was embraced by "some on the religious right," Cerin. We need to watch out for sweeping statements. There were certainly conservative Christians who disapproved of Palin's selection for a wide range of reasons, including some of the reasons I shared, and some you named.

[Cerin]

So it looks like Lieberman is not being dispatched quickly or with any passion. I suspect the additional 3 Senate seats still up for grabs may determine what happens to Lieberman. I would not be at all surprised to see some arrangement worked out which strips Lieberman of his chairmanship, keeps him as a Democrat and treats him as a back-bencher in the caucus.

My understanding is that Lieberman is going to fight the loss of his chairmanship, and that he's talking to Republicans about caucusing with them. He's certainly not going to take a demotion lying down.


edit: cross-post

Thanks for the reminder, Prim. I did try to qualify who it was that I was specifically referring to.

[Primula Baggins]

No problem, Cerin.

I think Lieberman has few options at the moment. As I have seen pointed out, if he becomes a Republican or caucuses with them, he has zero chance of reelection as a senator from Connecticut. So if he does do that, he is just picking which form of political suicide he prefers.

[Cerin]

I can imagine him running as an Independent again, even if he's been caucusing with the Republicans. Of course, I have no idea how sentiment toward him is running in Connecticut right now.

[Holbytla]

About Bush hiding. A little hyperbolic perhaps but I consider the duty of a leader to talk to his people at such a time and not just his officials. In the time line I went to Bush is informed of the attack at 9am.

http://www.historycommons.org/timeline. ... 1_timeline

(This is 4 hours after being informed of the attack and being flown to different parts of the US)



President Bush spends most of his time at Barksdale Air Force Base arguing on the phone with Vice President Dick Cheney and others over where he should go next. The media are now starting to ask about the president’s whereabouts, and why he has not returned to Washington. “A few minutes before 1 p.m.,” Bush agrees to fly to Nebraska. As earlier, there are rumors of a “credible terrorist threat” to Air Force One that are said to prevent his return to Washington. [Daily Telegraph, 12/16/2001] At 1:25, Bush speaks with his chief of staff Andrew Card and the head of the Secret Service detail. He tells them, “I want to go back home ASAP. I don’t want whoever this is holding me outside of Washington.” But the Secret Service agent replies, “Our people say it’s too unsteady still,” and Card adds, “The right thing is to let the dust settle.” Bush acquiesces. [Sammon, 2002, pp. 119] In a book about the Secret Service, author Philip Melanson will later comment on the president’s failure to promptly return to Washington: “If the president appeared less than resolute at any point… it was the fault of agents who were overzealous in their desire to protect him, administration sources have offered.” Yet, “The Service, whose first duty that day or any other day is to protect the president, has never publicly pointed out that Bush could have overruled them at any time and ordered Air Force One to Washington, DC.” [Melanson, 2002, pp. 326

.......................snip

Having left Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana at around 1:30 p.m. (see (1:30 p.m.) September 11, 2001), Air Force One lands at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Nebraska. President Bush stays on the plane for about ten minutes before entering the United States Strategic Command bunker at 3:06 p.m. [Salon, 9/11/2001;
....................snip
(3.55pm) White House adviser Karen Hughes briefly speaks to the media and says President Bush is at an undisclosed location, taking part in a video conference. This is possibly the only in-person media appearance by any Bush administration official since the attacks and until a news conference by Defense Secretary Rumsfeld at 6:40 p.m. [CNN, 9/12/2001]
................snip
(6:54 p.m.) September 11, 2001: President Bush Returns to White House President Bush arrives at the White House, after exiting Air Force One at 6:42 p.m. and flying across Washington in a helicopter. [Salon, 9/11/2001; CNN, 9/12/2001; Daily Telegraph, 12/16/2001; Associated Press, 8/21/2002; ABC News, 9/11/2002; Washington
.......................snip

(8.30pm)From the White House Oval Office, President Bush gives a seven-minute address to the nation on live television. [CNN, 9/12/2001; Woodward, 2002, pp. 31] He says, “I’ve directed the full resources of our intelligence and law enforcement communities to find those responsible and to bring them to justice.” In what will later be called the Bush Doctrine, he states, “We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them.” [US President, 9/17/2001; Washington Post, 1/27/2002]

In other words he spends most of the day travelling from one spot to another and doesn't address the citizens of his country (and then for only 7 minutes) until 12 hours later.
That wouldn't do for us.

My list of grievances with Bush runs long and deep, but this isn't one of them. If you listen to the FAA recordings from 9-11, the whole country was in chaos. Nobody had solid information about what was going on. Nobody had any idea if the attack was over or what was coming next. For Bush to take a circuituitous route back to Washington seems pragmatic to me and that was what the secret service suggested. Bush opposed it, but left the decision in the hands of the people whose job it is to protect him at all costs.
Air Force 1's specific purpose is to allow the president to fly safely while maintaining control. Honestly even in retrospect I think that was the right decision.

[sauronsfinger]

The problem with Lieberman joining the Republicans is that they can do nothing for him at all. They may take him because he does add one to their total and gets the Dems farther away from that magic 60 they so dearly covet. But it does nothing for Lieberman. Being in the majority party with benefits is a good thing. Going to the minority party with no benefits is not a good thing.

[Primula Baggins]

TPM has an interesting bit summing up Lieberman's situation (hint: unenviable). An excerpt:

And the simple fact is the Democrats don't need Joe Lieberman. He's not in a position to call anything 'unacceptable'. The Democrats didn't get to 60 votes or at least it now seems highly unlikely -- which was his only hope to have any continued relevance or position to bargain from. And the truth is that filibuster-busting votes are often made on an ad-hoc basis rather than on a party line. In any case, there'd be no more reason to trust he'd be there as a 60th vote as a Democrat than as a Republican.

Link

[Holbytla]

I hope no party ever gets to 60. Ever. I am uncomfortable enough as it is having the president and congress from the same party. I want some form of checks and balances in place.

[Primula Baggins]

Yes, six years of that from 2000 to 2006 was not good. But we'll see what happens.