The Onion, my favorite source for satire, offered the most trenchant analysis of the presidential race that I’ve seen this year: "Americans Announce They’re Dropping Out of Presidential Race.” The Onion goes on to cite “intense media coverage of seemingly trivial issues” as one reason the public gave up its White House dream.
Just after reading the Onion, I opened an email from the Clinton campaign touting “'Her Most Commanding Performance,' 'Knocked Obama and Edwards Back'” The campaign goes on to cite David Gergen: “Hillary Clinton showed she is passionate about wanting to be President.” NBC Chuck Todd: “This debate was about Clinton effectively fighting back.” The American Propect’s Garance Franke-Ruta chimed in: “Clinton is back in business, and she’s feeling fine.”
Do not get me wrong. I am as interested as the next political junkie in knowing whether Hillary is “back.” The fire-in-the-belly indicator was looking pretty low, but Americans who doubted Clinton’s passion for the presidency can now rest easy. And after the criticism she took from “the boys,” I am relieved to hear that the Senator for New York is once again “feeling fine.”
On the Republican side, it is much the same story. As David Broder noted in his column today, Republican front-runner Rudy Giuliani is focusing the GOP race on his own personality. “His real subject is himself,” writes Broder. Indeed, there was almost as much speculation about Rudy’s cell-phone-during-speech routine as there was about Hillary’s famous tough-question-deflecting laugh.
2008 is clearly a big election. This is the first time in 80 years that there is no incumbent president or vice president running for office. The field is open and the issues are big. War and peace. The future of freedom in the face of an extremist threat. Economic mobility and equity in an increasingly competitive world. Health care.
Many Americans are unhappy and angry about the direction of the country. By large margins, polls show Americans believe the country is on the wrong track, and they have felt that way for two years now. As the partisan gridlock in Washington has solidified, I’ve felt that anger deepen. When I am out on the road talking with voters, I can feel a kind of anguish in their voices. It’s as if they are living in a parallel universe. Average people see extraordinary challenges facing them and the country, yet the campaign is focused on personalities and trivia.
If the disconnect continues to grow between what voters care about and what the political process obsesses over, there will be some surprises when the ballots are counted.
