Monday, July 30, 2007

The Jimmy Carter candidate in '08

Captain Ed looks at Barack Obama's willingness to meet with America's enemies and he draws an apt comparison to Jimmy Carter. I think Ed should have drawn this comparison out a little further, though, because the comparison is applicable in more than just this narrow sense. In 1976, Jimmy Carter positioned himself as fresh, new blood to Washington. Given America's fatigue with politics in the mid-1970's, it worked like a charm. Carter's fresh perspective and new blood translated into naivete and a hopeless lack of experience to get the job done, though. In that way, Obama is the new Carter. I hold few doubts that Obama would prove to be too naive and experienced to lead the country sufficiently. Obama's answer at the CNN/YouTube debate solidifies that fact for me. A vote for Obama is a vote for Jimmy Carter circa 1976. As we all know now, all of those votes for Carter in 1976 are pretty solid proof that the American voting public is not infallible. Hopefully we will have learned at least one lesson in 30 plus years, even if that means the Democratic nominee is Hillary.

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