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Tuesday, December 11, 2007

The effect of the surge

David Brooks touches on the central irony of the election today. Since the surge has showed success, worry about being at war has declined and voters' desire for a tough president has declined along with it.
The first obvious feature of a postwar election is that domestic issues matter more. The two candidates who have been surging, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mike Huckabee, have almost no foreign policy experience between them.

But the more comprehensive difference between a wartime election and a postwar election is that there is a shift in values. In wartime, leadership traits like courage, steadfastness and ruthlessness are prized. Voters are willing to vote for candidates they distrust so long as they seem tough and effective (Hillary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani).

In a postwar election things are different. When Wall Street Journal/NBC pollsters asked voters what qualities they were looking for in the next leader, their top three choices were: the ability to work well with leaders of other countries; having strong moral and family values; bringing unity to the country. Those are cooperative qualities, not combative ones. They require good listening skills, openness and the ability to compromise.
These are not the qualities one would use to describe Hillary or Rudy. And this shift in public emphasis has occurred just at the time when both campaigns have faltered thus accelerating the appearance of their campaigns' decline.

But Brooks thinks that this could all change as events change.
My guess is that this race has a few more twists and turns. Something terrible could happen in the world, in which case the wartime mentality would be back in spades. Obama and Huckabee could beat Clinton and Romney, respectively, in the early states, only to fall victim to their own weaknesses later on. You laugh, but this thing could still spin into the lap of Fred Thompson or John McCain, Chris Dodd or Joe Biden.

The main point is this: money and organization matter less right now than getting in tune with the zeitgeist shift. In 1945, Prime Minister Winston Churchill had formidable advantages over Clement Attlee. But when a public turns from a war mentality to a peace mentality, it turns with a vengeance — even though in this case no armistice has been declared.
However, if there were going to be such twists and turns, they better happen soon. We're less than a month away from the Iowa caucuses and then there just won't be time to absorb a whole new zeitgeist and apply it to the candidates in time for some candidate who doesn't have the money to compete across the board to gain the traction that Brooks dreams of.
Labels: Election 2008

posted by Betsy Newmark permalink 6:38 AM 0 comments

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David Brooks touches on the central irony of the election today. Since the surge has showed success, worry about being at war has declined and voters' desire for a tough president has declined along with it.

The first obvious feature of a postwar election is that domestic issues matter more. The two candidates who have been surging, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mike Huckabee, have almost no foreign policy experience between them.

But the more comprehensive difference between a wartime election and a postwar election is that there is a shift in values. In wartime, leadership traits like courage, steadfastness and ruthlessness are prized. Voters are willing to vote for candidates they distrust so long as they seem tough and effective (Hillary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani).

In a postwar election things are different. When Wall Street Journal/NBC pollsters asked voters what qualities they were looking for in the next leader, their top three choices were: the ability to work well with leaders of other countries; having strong moral and family values; bringing unity to the country. Those are cooperative qualities, not combative ones. They require good listening skills, openness and the ability to compromise.

These are not the qualities one would use to describe Hillary or Rudy. And this shift in public emphasis has occurred just at the time when both campaigns have faltered thus accelerating the appearance of their campaigns' decline.

But Brooks thinks that this could all change as events change.

My guess is that this race has a few more twists and turns. Something terrible could happen in the world, in which case the wartime mentality would be back in spades. Obama and Huckabee could beat Clinton and Romney, respectively, in the early states, only to fall victim to their own weaknesses later on. You laugh, but this thing could still spin into the lap of Fred Thompson or John McCain, Chris Dodd or Joe Biden.

The main point is this: money and organization matter less right now than getting in tune with the zeitgeist shift. In 1945, Prime Minister Winston Churchill had formidable advantages over Clement Attlee. But when a public turns from a war mentality to a peace mentality, it turns with a vengeance — even though in this case no armistice has been declared.

However, if there were going to be such twists and turns, they better happen soon. We're less than a month away from the Iowa caucuses and then there just won't be time to absorb a whole new zeitgeist and apply it to the candidates in time for some candidate who doesn't have the money to compete across the board to gain the traction that Brooks dreams of.

Labels: Election 2008

posted by Betsy Newmark permalink 6:38 AM 0 comments

Comments: Post a Comment

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Tuesday, December 11, 2007

The effect of the surge

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HOME Betsy neither necessarily uses, nor endorses, the products advertised on this site. The truth about Avesil Cheap Hosting Atlanta Bankruptcy Attorney Dallas Bankruptcy Attorney Wikio Get exclusive travel deals and book discount cheap flights Online Bachelors Degree Comments from an AP history and government teacher in Raleigh, NC. e-mail betsynewmark AT gmail.com Commissions earned from selling items through Amazon will go towards buying materials for my classes. Thank you. Site Feed		Tuesday, December 11, 2007 The effect of the surge David Brooks touches on the central irony of the election today. Since the surge has showed success, worry about being at war has declined and voters' desire for a tough president has declined along with it. The first obvious feature of a postwar election is that domestic issues matter more. The two candidates who have been surging, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mike Huckabee, have almost no foreign policy experience between them. But the more comprehensive difference between a wartime election and a postwar election is that there is a shift in values. In wartime, leadership traits like courage, steadfastness and ruthlessness are prized. Voters are willing to vote for candidates they distrust so long as they seem tough and effective (Hillary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani). In a postwar election things are different. When Wall Street Journal/NBC pollsters asked voters what qualities they were looking for in the next leader, their top three choices were: the ability to work well with leaders of other countries; having strong moral and family values; bringing unity to the country. Those are cooperative qualities, not combative ones. They require good listening skills, openness and the ability to compromise. These are not the qualities one would use to describe Hillary or Rudy. And this shift in public emphasis has occurred just at the time when both campaigns have faltered thus accelerating the appearance of their campaigns' decline. But Brooks thinks that this could all change as events change. My guess is that this race has a few more twists and turns. Something terrible could happen in the world, in which case the wartime mentality would be back in spades. Obama and Huckabee could beat Clinton and Romney, respectively, in the early states, only to fall victim to their own weaknesses later on. You laugh, but this thing could still spin into the lap of Fred Thompson or John McCain, Chris Dodd or Joe Biden. The main point is this: money and organization matter less right now than getting in tune with the zeitgeist shift. In 1945, Prime Minister Winston Churchill had formidable advantages over Clement Attlee. But when a public turns from a war mentality to a peace mentality, it turns with a vengeance — even though in this case no armistice has been declared. However, if there were going to be such twists and turns, they better happen soon. We're less than a month away from the Iowa caucuses and then there just won't be time to absorb a whole new zeitgeist and apply it to the candidates in time for some candidate who doesn't have the money to compete across the board to gain the traction that Brooks dreams of. Labels: Election 2008 posted by Betsy Newmark permalink 6:38 AM 0 comments Comments: David Brooks touches on the central irony of the election today. Since the surge has showed success, worry about being at war has declined and voters' desire for a tough president has declined along with it. The first obvious feature of a postwar election is that domestic issues matter more. The two candidates who have been surging, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mike Huckabee, have almost no foreign policy experience between them. But the more comprehensive difference between a wartime election and a postwar election is that there is a shift in values. In wartime, leadership traits like courage, steadfastness and ruthlessness are prized. Voters are willing to vote for candidates they distrust so long as they seem tough and effective (Hillary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani). In a postwar election things are different. When Wall Street Journal/NBC pollsters asked voters what qualities they were looking for in the next leader, their top three choices were: the ability to work well with leaders of other countries; having strong moral and family values; bringing unity to the country. Those are cooperative qualities, not combative ones. They require good listening skills, openness and the ability to compromise. These are not the qualities one would use to describe Hillary or Rudy. And this shift in public emphasis has occurred just at the time when both campaigns have faltered thus accelerating the appearance of their campaigns' decline. But Brooks thinks that this could all change as events change. My guess is that this race has a few more twists and turns. Something terrible could happen in the world, in which case the wartime mentality would be back in spades. Obama and Huckabee could beat Clinton and Romney, respectively, in the early states, only to fall victim to their own weaknesses later on. You laugh, but this thing could still spin into the lap of Fred Thompson or John McCain, Chris Dodd or Joe Biden. The main point is this: money and organization matter less right now than getting in tune with the zeitgeist shift. In 1945, Prime Minister Winston Churchill had formidable advantages over Clement Attlee. But when a public turns from a war mentality to a peace mentality, it turns with a vengeance — even though in this case no armistice has been declared. However, if there were going to be such twists and turns, they better happen soon. We're less than a month away from the Iowa caucuses and then there just won't be time to absorb a whole new zeitgeist and apply it to the candidates in time for some candidate who doesn't have the money to compete across the board to gain the traction that Brooks dreams of. Labels: Election 2008 posted by Betsy Newmark permalink 6:38 AM 0 comments Comments: Post a Comment