Previously I talked about style. Now let’s talk substance.
McDole: “Patriotism… is putting the country first, before party or personal ambition, before anything.”
Obama: “[Patriotism is] love for, and faith in, one another as Americans.”
There’s an interesting distinction between the two answers. McDole talks about America as a single entity; Obama talks about America as a collection of people.
Forgive the gross generalization here, but I believe this demonstrates a fundamental difference between how Republicans and Democrats think about our country. Republicans look at the strength and wellbeing of America, while Democrats concentrate on the strength and wellbeing of Americans.
First, before anyone jumps to idiotic and unfounded conclusions, let me say this: To say Republicans don’t care about Americans would be as stupid as saying Democrats don’t care about America. Both think that by taking care of the one, they are automatically taking care of the other.
In football, the Republican approach would dominate. You put the team first (think: McDole's definition of patriotism). You do what’s best for the team, not the players. After all, we're all on the same team -- and you don’t get the Super Bowl worrying about the health and happiness of your third-string kicker.
But this ain’t football. I don’t want a president who measures America’s prosperity as a team rather than as individuals.
Take the economy, for example.
Republicans prioritize building up the power and size of the U.S. economy as a whole -- and assume this will automatically ensure the prosperity of Americans. Of course, the best way to accomplish this is to respond directly to the needs of corporations and employers, providing deregulation and spending tax money to their benefit.
Democrats prioritize the economic strength of Americans individually – and assume this will translate into a booming economy for the country. The best way to accomplish this is to respond directly to the needs of laborers and employees, providing protective regulations and spending tax money to their benefit.
Who’s right? Well, taken to extremes, both approaches would be disastrous, of course. So let’s cast aside fear-mongering and straw men for a moment, shall we? The question is whether you want your president to look at things from a top-down or bottom-up perspective.
Imagine -- going back to my football metaphor -- a coach whose top priority is running up the score as high as possible without hurting his players. And now imagine a coach whose top priority is protecting all his players as much as possible without losing the game. Both coaches are playing to win, but they’re coming at it from different perspectives.
Fans might like coach #1. Players might want coach #2.
Well I’m an American, and that makes me a “player” in this particular metaphor. I want a coach who is motivated by his love for his players (think: Obama's definition of patriotism). I want coach #2. And that’s why I’m for the Democrat in this election.
Damn I miss football.
- Calvin Rye
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