Posted by
Darrick Johnson on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 10:35:48 PM
The way a candidate runs a campaign says a lot about how they will run the country. For all the talk about our flawed election process, the way candidate handles it does give us a good window into how they react to events, and who they surround themselves with.
In the last couple weeks, We have learned some things from Obama. In his massive overreaction to the Corsi book, his decision to attack John McCain over houses (opening the door to Rezko attacks), and now an ad raising the issue of William Ayers, before McCain did, a theme is emerging. This is a team that either doesn't feel free to offer contrary opinions, or doesn't have any. Neither bodes well for a candidate's leadership style.
Obama's press releases sound similar to excellent work that you'll find
here. No I'm not saying that he is a communist, but his campaign does reflect some of the endemic problems of a political system that prohibits dissent and free thought.
I recall from my college days learning about an international faux pas where the Chinese government, in the early nineties, presented bricks from Tianemen Square as a gift to foreign dignataries. Its the sort of thing that would never happen in an organization that allowed dissent, and represented differing views. In a similar situation, in the United States, a staffer would have said, "You know, the rest of the world doesn't see that whole Tianemen Square thing the way we do, they are still upset over that tank issue..."
And that's really the vibe we are getting from the Obama campaign. Collect a bunch of ideologue academics, ostracize the dissenters, like the Clinton team, and foster of culture of blind obedience. Someone in Obama's campaign was afraid to say, or didn't think it needed to be said, that "We shouldn't bring up our candidates terrorist friends in a TV ad we are paying for." Or, "That Corsi book is selling well, but not getting undecided voters attention, we should ignore it." Or "You know, let McCain stew in his own juice on the house thing...we don't want talk about houses, especially with our guys Rezko issue."
Instead, you have an ideologically homogenous, reflexive campaign, that lashes out with full ferocity at anyone who dares question "The One".
That's not a good way to run a campaign, or a country. Will Obama surround himself with only hard left foreign policy advisors (a mostly rhetorical question), or bring in a "Team B" to give a differing view point on an uncertain issue, like say, what to do about Russia. Will he listen to advisors who tell him that he is wrong? Or will we see press releases from the White House that look like this?
General Secretary Kim Jong Il is a peerlessly great man who provided a sure political and military guarantee for the prosperity of the DPRK under the banner of Songun, says Rodong Sinmun Tuesday in a signed article.