The Pilgrim’s Protest

By Caleb Wimble

Change – it may well be the only “value” held in common by nearly every major democrat and republican currently vying for candidacy. Whether it’s change in health care, change in the Iraq War, change in civil rights, or change in any number of other major issues, the promise of some kind of major change seems practically a prerequisite for anyone with a desire to be involved in the 2008 race. Of course, at this point it has become fairly common knowledge that the promises of politicians – particularly those with eyes on the oval office – tend to hold a value roughly equivalent to that of an ice cube on Mt. Everest. And odds are that, by now, anyone who’s been keeping up with the 2008 presidential election has grown more than a little overwhelmed by the sheer degree of change promised by these potential candidates, both liberal and conservative alike. We’re not just electing a new president anymore; instead, we’re choosing the person that will revise, revolutionize, revamp, and otherwise revitalize the U.S. government to a nearly unrecognizable degree – a process that a certain candidate has even gone so far as to call another “New Deal” for the American people. The question on probably everyone’s mind right now is simple – will this election really be different from any other? In other words, will any of these promises actually be kept?

The answer is certainly not an easy one. To be sure, it’s hardly reasonable to expect any of the candidates to deliver exactly what they’re promising; to hold such a lofty expectation would be to ludicrously overestimate both the integrity and the competency of any of these candidates. We must remember that they are mere human beings, after all. No, we do not expect perfection in any form – but can we at least hope for the effort? We were presented with the CNN/Youtube Democratic presidential debate this past July and the Republican edition just this past week. In both we found yet another stack of promises – some new, some old – tossed about with almost frightening ease. It seemed that for every pledge of change given by one candidate, there were five others ready to top it immediately, each growing ever more dubious than the last.
Examples abound within the remarkably well-rated CNN/Youtube debates themselves. Senator Edwards, for instance, proposed the exploration of new alternative energy sources in response to a question about the possibility of nuclear power, stating his complete opposition to nuclear power due to its cost and waste generation. Senator Obama, in response, subtly derided Edwards on his search for a “silver bullet” approach to the issue, proclaiming that he was unafraid to explore every possibility for an efficient fuel source, including implementation of nuclear power if necessary, as well as advanced development of solar energy and increased reform of emission standards for vehicles. Senator Clinton went yet another bold step further – not only is she going to take every possibility into serious consideration (including nuclear energy, of course), but she is going to lead the drive of American technological advance in discovering powerful new alternative fuels and potentially creating “millions of new jobs” in the process. Of course, none of these pledges were ever truly labeled as such, but the word “promise” could be heard silently uttered between every breath of the candidates.
Such confidence was hardly limited to this portion of the Democratic debate, nor to the Republican equivalent this past week. Tancredo, Huckabee, Guliani, Romney, Thompson, Paul, McCain, and Hunter all gave rock-solid assurances that there would be absolutely no tax raises during their potential presidency, with several even coming close to guaranteeing tax cuts (hardly a likely proposition from many, given their equally vehement guarantees to increase funding for the Iraq War and the NASA space program). Public education, of course, is going to be revolutionized, whether that means reform of No Child Left Behind or an entirely new game plan. The Iraq War is going to be brought to a satisfactory close at just the right time and with just the right number of dollars expended. The illegal immigration problem is going to be handled quickly and efficiently with delicate, thorough care and utmost sensitivity to all inhabitants of the States, legal and illegal alike.
It seems almost too easy to take the candidates at their word. All of us want to see these problems resolved as soon as possible; we’re each tired of seeing so little done in the political realm to deal with these truly important issues. Wouldn’t it just be delightful if these candidates were guaranteed to stay true to their platform, to actually accomplish what we long to see done while they make their abode within those shining white walls? History, of course, bears witness to a different tale, leaving us potentially mired in a bog of political exaggeration, incompetence, and deception. As the elections draw ever nearer, maybe we should all take the time to slow down and to consider our options with care. For those of us who have already chosen a candidate behind whom to throw our support, perhaps that means watching him (or her) closely throughout the course of the race, examining his every word with diligence and discernment. For those of us who still remain in indecision, we face the task of planning our vote with the highest sense of prudence, weighing and measuring each candidate for their own merits and discerning honesty from rhetoric to the best of our ability. Whatever our position, we all bear an incredible responsibility, each of us entrusted with the task of choosing a leader for our nation that will change the lives of billions across the globe. May none of us be found lacking in our good stewardship as the day for that choice moves closer yet.