I'm off to run errands with and for my parents today, but one thought before I leave:
This is the first election in a long time that we Democrats have a candidate who combines high intelligence, political sophistication, an even temper, awesome speaking ability, and an ability to respond effectively and quickly to dishonest and stupid attacks. Some of this is just his natural ability. Some indicates he has learned from the mistakes of his predecessors.
Our candidates are always hightly intelligent. Clinton, of course, was brilliant, as well as politically sophisticated and a good speaker. But he wasn't even tempered and he made some big mistakes.
Gore was brilliant and even tempered, but neither politically sophisticated nor a great speaker.
Kerry was smart, and could keep his cool, but he too was not politically sophisticated and he was a poor speaker. And he did not respond quickly or effectively when he was smeared.
And so the Republicans, with inferior candidates in terms of intelligence, temperament and speaking ability have been able to either win or make the race much closer than it should have been with negative campaigning, politically savvy campaign strategists, and appeals to selfishness, prejudice, fear, and stupidity.
But this year, with one of their worst candidates ever, a man seemingly in the early stages of dementia, with obvious resentment towards his rival, and an ugly personality that threatens constantly to erupt, the Republican attack machine isn't landing the punches it once did against superior candidates.
Why?
Because this year the most intelligent candidate is also the best speaker, the most politically savvy, the most even tempered, and the best at hitting back and calling them on their dishonest and smarmy game. This year, for the first time in a long time, the American people have a chance to see the whole picture. Rather than be fooled by dishonest ads, paralyzed by fear, and motivated by resentment, the American people just might learn something about the bigger picture and see that the Republicans have been playing them for fools for years.
This year, Professor Obama is holding a seminar on how to win an election against smarmy, hypocritical, dishonest and ugly attacks, and if he succeeds in teaching the American people something about the process as well as the content, he - and all of us - will win.
