Symbol Watcher

Two very different world views stood together last night on a University of Mississippi stage: one saw the world through a lens of fear and familiar solutions, while the other talked of repairing relationships and pioneering new programs.

As I listened to Obama and McCain speak, I realized their differing perspectives cannot be explained by any age gap.  There are plenty of older people who’ve remained open to the ever changing world around them.  There are also lots of young people who live their lives in such a narrow, sedentary way that it betrays their chronology.

Both men want America to be prosperous and they want the world to be safe and peaceful, but what steps we need to take to attain that peace and prosperity is where McCain and Obama part.  This parting cannot be explained away by a generational or even political divide, but by something deeper – a difference in how each man views the world and how each man chooses to move about among his fellow human beings.

During the debate, McCain consistently demonstrated a hesitancy to communicate his beliefs on domestic matters and maintained a position of defensiveness on foreign matters.  He gave only one detail concerning his vision of the Wall Street bailout – an allotment to provide loans for failing businesses.  Obama was more open, giving four specific measures he wanted included in the bill – among them aid to homeowners in foreclosure. 

When discussing our nation’s energy policy, McCain said we need to focus on the two same sources of energy we’ve been focusing on for the last 50 years – natural gas and nuclear energy, stating that we could create 45 nuclear power plants by the year 2030.  In contrast, Obama emphasized a mix of new, cleaner and safer alternatives, including wind, solar and bio-diesel.  

Obama mentioned other specific areas he wants to focus on to move the country forward: make college education affordable, invest in science and technology education for children, provide broadband access to rural parts of the country and create a new energy grid that will accommodate the alternative energy sources he wants to develop. 

If McCain has a plan to address the changing energy and economic needs of our country, he did not mention it.  He only mentioned the same programs he has already been involved in — reducing government waste and pork barrel politics.  Both are laudable, but they are not enough to position America to be prosperous in a global economy threatened by global warming. 

No where was McCain’s fear-based world view more apparent than when he talked about international relations.  His proposed responses to terrorism and other threats of violent domination center around a defensive, us-vs-them mentality.  McCain believes that Obama’s plan to sit down and talk with leaders of Iran and South Korea will only serve to “legitimize their behavior,” as if America could not make it clear that the purpose of meeting with these leaders would be to iron out the differences between us, not condone past behavior and policies.

McCain said he would form a “League of Democracy . . . to impose painful sanctions against Iran.”  Taking a broader world view, Obama responded that it would serve America better if we made sure the non-democratic powers Russia and China also issued sanctions since they trade extensively with Iran.  He went on to explain, ”. . . the notion that by not talking to people we are punishing them has not worked.  Our efforts at isolation have actually accelerated their efforts get nuclear weapons.”

Many of us, consciously or not, live our lives from a standpoint of one of the two world views demonstrated by McCain and Obama.  Some of us live our lives in a defensive fear.  We build walls around us to ensure some other man/woman/country doesn’t cause us to loose whatever security we believe we have.  Some of us live our lives trying to tear down those walls in an effort to build common ground.  I think that’s why this election is so close.  

– Writeye

Posted on September 27th, 2008 under Current Events • Tags: McCain world view, Obama world view. •  Print This Post •  Email This Post • RSS 2.0 feed • Leave a response, or trackback