Celebrity, or why the GOP is so darn jealous

The GOP strategy seems to be: If you can't beat them, mock them. Take the examples of the 2000 and 2004 Presidential elections. Bush cannot speak coherently (much less in a manner that inspires) to save his life. His public speaking skills seem to have stopped somewhere around perhaps the 7th grade-level. So, instead of demanding better from their candidate, the GOP mocked Gore and Kerry. Speaking intelligently is "elitist."

The same thing is happening in this election. Obama has inspired so many to become involved in the political process. On caucus night here in Minnesota, my husband and I marveled at the crowds of people standing in long lines, waiting for the opportunity to vote. Obama draws in enormous crowds, and is very inspiring.

McCain, on the other hand, inspires...um....no one. Why? It could be that those who were impressed by his maverick status are distressed by how he sold-out after getting trashed by Bush 8 years ago. It could be that the Religious Right is distressed by the fact that 8 years ago, he opposed overturning Roe v. Wade, and he said that Falwell and Robertson were "agents of intolerance," and now the Religious Right is uncertain as to whether they can trust McCain to do their bidding.

It could be because he's old. McCain turns 72 tomorrow. Average life expectancy for white men in this country is 75 years old. No one would be terribly surprised if he keeled over tomorrow, perhaps from a heart attack or stroke, or any of the other maladies that frequently strike the elderly suddenly. The right may not like to hear it, but the fact is, McCain is old. Really old.

Whatever the reason, the fact is that McCain can't draw the kind of crowds that Obama can and does, over and over again. McCain is just not as popular. So, the answer from the GOP is to mock Obama as a celebrity. Perhaps what they do not realize is that they are only preaching to their narrow choir. A tendency to mock others is not an attractive trait. It's juvenile. And someone who is 72 ought to have learned better by now.