Repeat after me

Last updated on: February 1, 2007 at 12:46 pm by Fred Clark

Repeat after me 2007-02-01T12:46:55-05:00 Fred Clark

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

This isn't hard.

If you're a Democratic candidate for president, you will be asked about the other Democratic candidates for president. You will be asked whether or not each of them would make a good president. You will be asked whether you think each of them is qualified to be president.

These are easy questions to answer in 2007, because in 2007 the current president is George W. Bush. And that's all you need to say.

"I'm sure that [Clinton/Obama/Edwards/Gore/Richardson/Biden/Dodd/Kucinich/Vilsack/Other] would be a better president than the one we have now."

And:

"Certainly, [Clinton/Obama/Edwards/Gore/Richardson/Biden/Dodd/Kucinich/Vilsack/Other] is more qualified than George W. Bush was when he took office."

Look, no one is going to want to vote for you for president based on your ability to point out the shortcomings of your primary opponents. Eventually, of course, you will need to criticize their positions where they differ from yours, and to point out why you are more qualified, but those eventual criticisms will carry more weight if you don't come out swinging, slinging and flinging at the first opportunity, and if you've demonstrated a capacity for generosity and magnanimity.

These answers also turn the focus back to your greatest strength, and the greatest strength of every Democratic candidate in this election: You're not George W. Bush. If you win this primary contest, you will want to hang Bush around the neck of your eventual Republican opponent, so why not get started on that now?

And these answers clearly imply that you are confident that you would be a better president than George W. Bush, and that you are more qualified than he was when he was given the office. That confidence comes across as presidential.

Plus, they keep you from coming across as dodgy, as Sen. Hillary Clinton seemed when she was asked these questions by Matt Lauer on the Today Show:

LAUER: Is [Sen. Barack Obama] completely qualified to be commander in chief, in your opinion?

CLINTON: You know, Matt, we're going to have a really vigorous debate, I think on both sides, with both parties in this primary season, and the voters will make these decisions. That's what's so great about …

LAUER: But do you think he's qualified? I mean he's a fellow Democrat, would you be comfortable with him in the White House?

CLINTON: I'm going to let all of those decisions be sorted out by voters …

Wrong answer. If you could call that an answer. Clinton had just spent the first four minutes of the interview criticizing Bush's mishandling of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. She could have easily hammered home those points by simply noting that if anyone was completely unqualified "to be commander in chief" it was the man currently failing at that job. Lauer's final question also was a hanging curveball that she should have hit out of the park, "I would be infinitely more comfortable with Sen. Obama in the White House than with the current occupant, and we would all be much better off."

But Clinton's non-answer at least demonstrated that she knew there was a hook under the bait she was being offered. Sen. Joe Biden swallowed that hook, jumping at the chance to take a shot at the opponents that only he imagines he can defeat. The New York Observer appropriately titled its interview with him, "Biden Unbound: Lays into Clinton, Obama, Edwards."

"I don't think John Edwards knows what the heck he is talking about," Biden said of one opponent, which merely came across as nasty and weirdly envious. His comments about Obama came across as nasty, weirdly envious and racist:

Mr. Biden is equally skeptical — albeit in a slightly more backhanded way — about Mr. Obama. “I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American, who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy,” he said. “I mean, that’s a storybook, man.”

I've inserted a comma the Observer left out, clarifying (as the audio seems to confirm) that "who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy" is a non-restrictive relative clause. So, no, I don't think Biden was suggesting that the Rev. Jesse Jackson was dim, dirty and ugly, even though he clearly was suggesting that Jackson — the recipient of the first primary vote I ever cast — was not mainstream.

But there's still that choice of the word "articulate," the condescendingly dismissive code-word of choice for white people who harbor the notion that it's somehow impressive whenever someone darker than they are is able to speak clearly. (In the case of Barack Obama, of course, the word is not only condescending, but inaccurate. He's not merely "articulate." He is, at the very least, eloquent.)

After sticking his foot in his mouth and then shooting himself in the foot, Biden likely spent most of yesterday wishing he had come up with a better answer when asked to comment on his Democratic rivals. He doesn't need to work so hard at this. This isn't hard.

Repeat after me:

"I'm sure that [Clinton/Obama/Edwards/Gore/Richardson/Biden/Dodd/Kucinich/Vilsack/Other] would be a better president than the one we have now."

And:

"Certainly, [Clinton/Obama/Edwards/Gore/Richardson/Biden/Dodd/Kucinich/Vilsack/Other] is more qualified than George W. Bush was when he took office."

Uncategorized

Previous Post

January 31, 2007

College is a bargain

Next Post

February 2, 2007 Y, not You

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category class warfare evangelicals Iraq Left Behind Mammon music Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

I am a small member of the body, yet I boast great things. I am a fire, a world of iniquity. What am I?

Select your answer to see how you score.

The tongue The eye The heart The hand