Not all who wander are lost...

 
IF TERRORISM MATTERS THAT MUCH TO YOU, TRUST THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IT...

So what is the problem with having an electorate that pits big city voters versus small town voters? Nothing... except for the whole issue of terrorism.

Most voters headed to the polls rate terrorism as one of, if not THE, most important issue in this year's campaign. I've heard numerous sound bites this campaign season coming from rural voters, or those living in the midwestern swing states, claiming George W. Bush is the candidate that makes them feel safe from terrorism. This may be hard for some Americans to hear, but I find it troubling that people in places like Madison, Wisc., and Tucson, Ariz., are portending to know which candidate is best-suited to defend America from the likes of Al Qaeda.

Now I don't know about anyone else, but whenever I am unsure about what it would be like to be in a certain place, or what it would be like to live through a particular experience, I tend to ask around and seek the advice of others who have been there or done that. It seems like a logical idea to me. Want to know how hot it is in Africa? Ask an African. Want to know what it feels like to take a bullet? Ask a veteran, police officer or someone else who has.

So when it comes to this election and which candidate will make America safer from terrorism, I'd like to ask those of you out there living in battleground states like Wisconsin, Florida, and Arizona to consider for just one moment the choice of those living in urban areas like New York City and Washington, D.C. You watched 9/11 happen on television. These people lived it. They continue to live it.

A simple analogy would be this...

If the biggest issue of this election was farm subsidies, would farmers in places like Kansas and Wyoming feel good about the outcome being decided by undecided swing voters living in Manhattan and Dupont Circle?

Would we see reporters roaming the tunnels of the New York or Washington, D.C., subway systems asking people what candidate has the best ideas about farm subsidies? I doubt it. That's because urban dwellers don't have any experience dealing with the first-hand impact of such subsidies. And yet, rural voters who have no first-hand experience dealing with terrorism and little reason to fear for their own personal safety, are heading to the polls tomorrow prepared to cast their vote based on who they think is the best man is to save them from the boogie man that is Bin Laden. Am I the only person who sees something wrong with this equation?

I lived in Washington, D.C., for two and a half years after 9/11. The people there know they are living in a target city. They know the intricate ways in which terrorism threatens their every day life, and they know John Kerry has a better grasp on how to protect them. In fact, to them, the choice is abundantly clear. If the war on terror is truly an important issue to you in this election, trust the judgment of those living in the line of fire. Afterall, they've been there and done that.



posted by Sean McMahon at 5:42 PM

 
BIG CITY VS SMALL TOWN...

The controversial conclusion to 2000's presidential election coupled with the close nature of this year's election has brought much attention to how we as Americans elect our president... or should I say... how the Electoral College elects our president.

When the framers of the Constitution first devised the Electoral College and the two-house structure of the legislative branch, they were hoping to ensure that large states with large populations would not run roughshod over small states with smaller populations. This made perfect sense at the time. Statism (as opposed to nationalism) was a serious matter and there was no way the framers would get enough of the smaller states to ratify the Constitution without granting them some venue of equal power.

Now that the electoral map is once again causing such a ruckus, many people are calling for an overhaul of the election process, and more specifically the Electoral College. A look at the electoral map clearly shows Bush doesn't enjoy his current place in the electoral vote polls on account of his wooing of a diverse array of states, but rather an overwhelming solidarity to him shown by smaller states with smaller Electoral College tallies. What troubles me more than the notion that small states with small populations are exerting a disproportionate impact on the presidential election is the realization that is it not so much the small states, but small towns.

Kerry is big city. Bush is small town. It's that simple. Outside of Bush's homestate of Texas, I doubt Bush will win the popular vote in any of our nation's 20 most populous cities. New York City? Nope. Los Angeles? No way. Chicago? Yeah right. Philadelphia? San Francisco? Washington, D.C.? San Francisco? Seattle? Miami? Atlanta?

Bush might win re-election based solely on his ability to appeal to the sophisticated people of Omaha.

What's wrong with the idea of small towns electing the leader of the free world? In most years... nothing. I will explain in my next post why that notion is a nightmare in 2004.





posted by Sean McMahon at 1:29 AM

 
FINAL COUNTDOWN...

Now that the election is just one week away, I reckon now is the time to get cracking on putting pen to paper about some thoughts that have been percolating in my head for the past few months before they lose their timeliness. So, in the coming days, I hope to touch on some of the key issues and angles I believe have been either underplayed, or completely overlooked this campaign season.

posted by Sean McMahon at 1:26 AM

 
GET OVER FRANCE...

To all the right-wing, conservative, Bush-loving, Bill O-Reilly-worshiping, dittoheads out still holding your grudges against France... get over yourselves!

You are calling for "boycotts" of a nation that opted not to join Bush's Iraq misadventure because they didn't think Saddam had anything to do with 9/11 and our intelligence didn't convince them Saddam's "weapons of mass destruction" were an imminent threat.

Step out of the "no-spin zone" for a breath or two, and you just might see France was RIGHT!

posted by Sean McMahon at 2:21 PM

 
"FINISH HIM JOHNNY!"

So for the first time last Friday, I got excited about John Kerry's campaign for president. Well, perhaps "excited" is too strong a word. Let's go with "aware."

For months and months, I hadn't really been able to detect anything resembling an organized, strategic campaign coming from the Democrats. One day its the war... the next its the economy... the next its health care... blah... blah... blah. To this day, they still haven't developed any kind of slogan or idea that permiates everything they do.

So coming off last Thursday's first presidential debate, I felt like perhaps Kerry was about to come alive and get on-message. Kerry crushed Bush in the foreign policy debate. When Fox News even has a hard time forcing itself to declare Bush an all out winner, you know you did some damage to good ol' W. All the post-debate spin was breaking Kerry's way. New polls showed Bush's 8%-9% lead pre-debate had evaporated and the two men were back to a statistical dead-heat for the White House.

Clearly, Kerry had found Bush's weakness on Iraq. The difference between the picture Bush is painting about Iraq and what is actually going on is dramatic. Surely Kerry would come out swinging Monday and run with characterizing Bush as an "out of touch" president. So what issue does Kerry hammer Bush on On Monday?

Stem-cell research.

Stem-cell research!?!?

Don't get me wrong. I'm as passionate in my support of stem-cell research as the next guy, but c'mon, you don't win the White House campaigning on an issue most Americans know frighteningly little about. Not everyone has an opinion about stem-cell research... everyone has a passionate opinion on Iraq. Kerry had found the chink in Bush's "war president" armor... how about a little twist of the knife?

posted by Sean McMahon at 2:10 PM

 
KERRY A GO-GO...

So for the very first time last Friday, I was actually a little bit excited about John Kerry's campaign. Using the term "excited" may be a bit of an overstatement... let's just say I realized his campaign had begun. Up until that first debate, anything resembling an organized, strategic campaign wore red colors, not blue.

Throughout the campaign, Kerry had failed to stick with any one message for more than a day or two at a time. Much like that Bush campaign ad, Kerry's message shifted with the wind... one day Iraq... the next... the economy... then health care. This was so infuriating because none of his messages were given any time to take hold before he switched to the next topic.

So last Friday I was feeling a bit reassured. Kerry had crushed Bush in a foreign policy debate. Over the weekend, the post-debate spin spun even more in favor of Kerry. Bush's lead in the polls had evaporated. Kerry had begun what I thought would be a lengthy dismantling of Bush's fliop-flopping post-war Iraq planning. I felt Kerry would soon gain traction by painting Bush as a president "out of touch" with the facts on the ground in Iraq.

So what does Kerry do on Monday???

He hammers Bush on stem cell research.

Stem cell research!?!?!

I'm as passionate as the next guy in my support for stem cell research, but c'mon, the entire country doesn't even know the details of what it is about, let alone feel strongly one way or the other on the matter! You've found the chink in Bush's "war president" armor on the topic Americans are most passionate about... Iraq. Everyone cares about Iraq... twist the knife buddy!


posted by Sean McMahon at 1:57 PM

 
BACK IN THE SADDLE

Well, it's been a long, long time since I've written a thing here. Too long really. So much has gone on in my world in the past five months, that I'm not really gonna bore you with all the details.

A brief summary of the two main highlights, in order... I moved from Washington, D.C., to Portland, Oregon... got married. Oh yeah... all in a manner of about 14 days.

The move has been a good thing. I probably could have handled another summer in the District, but the Beltway mentality would have suffocated me by November 2. That being said, I still haven't let go of all the fire I have for what's going on there. It's just nice to be able to escape from it from time to time now. The actual journey across the country was wonderful too. I'll try to get to the details in a later post.

Marriage has been outstanding. Far better than the "Stressed-out-planning-a-wedding-and-planning-a cross-country-move-all-at-the-same-time" phase that dominated my June. The wedding and honeymoon actually couldn't have gone much better. I guess the Mrs. and I are just one of those lucky couples that has everything go right for them on their Big Day and on their honeymoon.

All these changes have given me a new perspective on many things. I intend to get to some of my observations in the coming days. But let's just take this one step at a time.



posted by Sean McMahon at 2:25 AM

 
PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK...

Last week's Champions League shockers caused me to take a look at the BiteyTheShark archives. My post to this blog from September 3, 2003 in its entirety...

HEAR ME NOW, BELIEVE ME LATER...

If Real Madrid fail to win La Liga and make an early exit from the Champions League, this will be the reason.

BiteyTheShark knows a thing or two about the "beautiful game", and what I can tell you is this... when Real Madrid matched up against other top competition in recent years, Claude Makelele was their most important player. Bar none.

Say what you want about Ronaldo, Figo, and Zidane. Love or hate Raul and Roberto Carlos. Applaud or boo the signing of Beckham. None of that matters. It all pails in comparision to the significance of Makelele's departure.

The very first European football game I ever attended was a Champions League match against Moscow Lokomotiv at Estadio Bernabau in 2001. Zidane was the big new signing of that transfer season and I was excited to see for myself the magic of the World Cup winner. Not ten minutes into the match, Zidane might as well have hit the showers. I could not take my eyes off of the all-white number 24 shirt that seemed to be everywhere on the pitch. Shamefully, I knew little about Makelele at the time, and wasn't even sure who he was. But that all ended on that night. He controlled everything that night. Sure, he left the scoring to the big names, but every time Lokomotiv threatened, Makelele shut them down and launched the counter-attack. He was clearly the Man of the Match (a distinction eventually won by crowd favorite Raul).

Since that night in the summer of 2001, I've watched numerous Real Madrid matches. Each game, I focus on Makelele. How he goes, Real Madrid goes. If they produce a clean sheet defensively, it is largely due to the efforts of Makelele. If they give up 2 or 3 goals, it is because Makelele is either out of the line-up due to injury, or off his game (though rarely the latter).

Offensively, Real Madrid could not be more splendid. Defensively, they are a liability. Even before the unceremonious release of long-time captain Fernando Hierro at the outset of the summer, Real Madrid had a suspect defense. Now, they won't be much more effective than a line of cones.

Not surprisingly, money had a lot to do with Makelele's move to Chelsea. He wanted more, and Real Madrid didn't want to give it to him. While I'm no fan of athletes making millions and millions of dollars, even I side with Makelele on this point. He made roughly $1 million dollars a season in wages. That's undoubtedly a good amount of money, but Beckham, Ronaldo, Zidane and the like were making around $5 million. While he may not sell as many shirts, Makelele was equally, if not more important to the success of the team than any of those players. The fact that he was only making one-fifth the amount of the stars was a joke. Makelele should have been insulted, and he was.

When Real Madrid goes crashing out of the Champions League this season, much of the blame and speculation will be focused on who they added to the team this summer. That will be a shame, because the real Real focus should be on who they let go.

So today, with all the Galaticos at home watching the Champions League smei-finals, where is Claude Makelele? Battling on with Chelsea. Not only that, but this little tidbit of info from CNNSI's Gabrielle Marcotti...

"Chelsea, buoyed by Roman Abramovich's millions, was perhaps the only side to have used financial clout to gain success. Even then, it's interesting to note that, of the 11 men on the pitch in the second half, when the Blues finally outplayed Arsenal, just three -- Damien Duff, Claude Makelele and Wayne Bridge -- were bought with Abramovich's money."

I thinks that speaks volumes about Makelele's importance to the Chelsea side that I believe is sitting pretty with a good shot at winning the whole thing. I wonder how Real Madrid feels now about the millions they spent on Beckham and the pennies they saved by letting Makelele go?
posted by Sean McMahon at 4:22 PM

 
GOOD NIGHT NOW...

Gary Barnett... kiss your job goodbye.
posted by Sean McMahon at 12:02 PM