The US Presidential Election IV - The Problem in the US Seen through McCain's Defeat

On November 4, a long fight came to an end. In the US Presidential Election, the Democrat candidate Senator Barack Obama defeated the Republican candidate Senator John McCain for the 44th the President of the United States, against my prospect of McCain's victory. At this time, I will discuss the cause of McCain's defeat not only because it is the responsibility of who made a mistaken prediction, but also because it will show the problem the US has now.

The biggest reason for McCain's defeat was that he failed in unifying the Republicans. It was Colin Powell's annoucement of the support for Barack Obama that symbolized it. On the other hand, Barack Obama succeeded in uniting the Democrats by October although the Democratic Primary had been dragged until June. Why McCain failled? The reason becomes clear when you see his some supporters during the campaign.

Originally, McCain takes a liberal stance in the Republic Party. Therefore, it was expected that he could gather a wide support from the centrists and the realists. But he was not expected to be supported from the hard liners, who had remarkable influence on the election of George W. Bush. Therefore, he appointed the Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin. After her appointment, McCain leaded Obama in the Gallup poll. I thought that McCain's victory became sure, but it seems to have been a failure.

There were some fanatics in McCain's supporters who shouted "Kill Obama!" during McCain's speech. After McCain calmed them, they started booing at him. Liberals and centrists felt their danger. That is why McCain lost the supports from liberals which was his biggest strong point.

This is an extreme example. However, there is also a more moderate example that shows the inflexibility of the Republican consevertives. That is the financial crisis that accelerated since the bankrupt of Lehman Brothers in September. The Bush Administration reacted at once, and proposed the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act. However, it was once rejected by the House of the Representatives. This rejection was alomost by Republican congressmen because the bailout is strongly against their traditional sense of value, the small government. They chose to adhere to fundamentalism, not to solve the present problem flexibly. McCain made every effort for the legislation of the act, but he could not persuade his party.

Among the present Republican conservatives, there are increasing who adhere to the ideologistic and abstract slogans, not to the practical policy. Such attitude leaded to the Iraq War. The neo-con made a mistake because they adhered not to the realistic diplomacy for the nationatl interest, but to their dogmatic ideal of spreading democracy to all over the world. Also, among the Republican supporters, there are increasing the influence of the Christian right who insist that schools should teach the Intelligent Design theory denying geology and Darwin's evolution theory.

It seems because of the cautiousness against the rise of the fundamentalism such as the Christian right that Colin Powell announced his support for Barack Obama although his stance is more closer to McCain.

In the end of October, the racist group was arrested for planning the assassination of Barack Obama. I cannot help feeling that dark clouds hung heavily over the American future while the whole country is up about the birth of the third youngest and the first black President.