WE HARP on about how Barack Obama isn't really black, and how Hillary Clinton isn't even human. So, it befuddles me when the headline story on CNN rambles on about the "tough choice" black women face between an African American and a woman in the South Carolina Democratic primary. It annoys me when some Republicans characterize a realistic immigration plan as "amnesty," or when the Democrats refuse to acknowledge a new military strategy is working in Iraq. And yes, it infuriates me when Ron Paul's correct characterizations of American foreign policy mistakes gives way to an isolationist ideology that belongs in the Stone Age.
Don't get me wrong, I love U.S. elections. As a Malaysian who has spent most of his time outside this country, I can think of very few other countries where candidates would humbly make concession speeches instead of taking to the streets or withdrawing in advance citing "rigged elections." And I am way past the adolescent, apathetic rant on sound bites and money-pumping campaign machines.
But watching the election does worry me. And no, it's not just Fox News. It worries me that the deep political divide has caused a dangerous allegiance to party lines, prophetic charisma, and really crazy ideas in a country where what common people think actually matters. It worries me that we are out of touch with reality.
Obama is the true charismatic candidate. His blinding smile and prophetic speeches inspire me. Every time he speaks, I feel Peter Pan leading me into the promise of Neverland. He is the president you would want to hear on television. And few would disagree that we have been deprived of coherent speeches in the past eight years.
But this is my point exactly. We should not be swayed by Obama'spropagandist mantras of change. While Fidel Castro and Mao Zedong drew record level crowds at their speeches, their governing records were more mixed, to say the least. Obama has little in the way of political experience. Yes, we have had young, successful presidents before like John F. Kennedy. But that does not change the fact that we should not elect a charismatic leader, with no proven experience, at a crucial time when America cannot afford to take this risk. We might not be so lucky this time.
But we should also be aware of the emotive, radical candidates John Edwards and Ron Paul. The boyish ex-senator from North Carolina's transformation into a fire-breathing dragon for social change has certainly been a remarkable turnaround. But while I am impressed by Edwards' comprehensive plan to eliminate poverty and fix a broken health care system, the $1 trillion price tag astonishes me. For all his rhetorical bluster, how does he intend to pay for any of this? In a time of massive budget deficits, this is the trillion dollar question.
For me, Ron Paul's appeal is his scalding, honest rebuke of U.S. foreign policy. He is the only candidate brave enough to shout what most candidates would never dare to whisper: The root of most U.S. policy problems in the Middle East stem from its systematic policy of supporting dictatorships. Yet, before you contribute to his massive online campaign largesse, listen to his later recommendations. Paul advocates an unrealistic isolationist policy at a time when September 11th clearly showed the United States that it cannot remain aloof or shielded from threats around the world.
I have nothing personal against Hillary Clinton. I do not think she is a robot, and she is apparently capable of tearing up in an honest manner. But I raise an eyebrow every time a Clinton supporter tells me she has eight years of White House experience.Really? Do not confuse policy experience with luncheons. Her experience, to quote her fellow junior senator Obama, is nothing more than a list of important people she had tea with. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
Lastly, what's the deal with unquestioned party loyalty? Listen to the issues. Democratic voters: Can we really afford to leave Iraq the way it is, like the Democrats advocate, when we know that walking away from Pakistan and Afghanistan caused this terrorist backlash in the first place? Anyone who is familiar with basic counterinsurgency doctrine knows that only after military stabilization can political reconciliation be achieved. Republican voters: do you really buy Mitt Romney's hint to kick all 12 million illegal immigrants out, including their children who are attending school? If not, then McCain's immigration policy is not amnesty, but a recognition of reality.
Wake up America. Wake up from charisma, crazy ideas and rhetorical bluster, and start being realistic. It might not sound as attractive as "change" or as authoritative as "experience," but it is certainly less empty and more promising.
Prashanth Parameswaran's column appears Wednesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at pparameswaran@cavalierdaily.com.
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