Approaching Politics with Love
Nov 6, 2024 | 617 words | Politics
Death and taxes are two of life’s inevitables that we typically face only reluctantly, and usually with a sense of dread and loathing. But I’m not scared of dying, as a young Lauro Nyro once sang, and the older I get the more receptive I have become to the idea of rendering unto Caeser that which is Caeser’s, as another young person of some renown once instructed.
It is finding and electing a Caeser with the wisdom and savvy it takes to dispense these ‘tributes’ in a judicious manner that is easier said than done.
Before launching into yet another partisan diatribe about the election results, I am chastened by the simple fact half the country voted for a different candidate than I did, and the unavoidable realization there are people of goodwill on both sides.
Though I confess to having difficulty seeing the appeal of Donald Trump, who is more of a crass entertainer than even a moderately competent politician. I am part of the chorus of Trump detractors who see him as an incessant jackhammer outside your bedroom window at 6:30 in the morning, which is how the columnist Bret Stephens recently described him. Mr. Trump doesn’t know much about reaching across the aisle to build a consensus, but boy does he know how to build his brand. In the process he has managed to secure enough electoral votes to retake the White House, so here we go again.
In hindsight it is obvious Joe Biden should have admitted his cognitive decline much sooner than he did, which would have allowed Democrats to find a battle-tested standard-bearer through the rough-and-tumble of a messy primary season. Kamala Harris did the best she could with the short ramp she was given to work with, in terms of establishing an identity and staking out policy positions. She breathed new life into the ticket and managed to score high marks for likeability. That, apparently, was not quite enough to become the first female President of the United States.
Not that I know anything about picking a winner, mind you. I wanted to see Elizabeth Warren as President in 2016 but would have settled for Bernie Sanders. This time around it is none other than that raucous upstart J.D. Vance who qualifies as a person of interest. I only just tuned into his story with the long June 8 print interview he gave to his old friend, the op-ed writer Ross Douthat. Prevailing wisdom holds Vance to be the epitome of a political opportunist, ready to say or do anything to advance his standing. He strikes me as just the opposite, as an unusually principled operator.
I see Mr. Vance as a neophyte still trying to figure out how to translate his admirable instincts for wanting to balance the economic scales into coherent policy initiatives. Some of his gaffes on the campaign trail since being selected as Trump’s running mate are indefensible. But some can be chalked up to his being a political novice still trying to get his sea legs as a national candidate.
I can’t help but respect Vance’s willingness to go into enemy territory and be interrogated by hostile media outlets. In these exchanges it is immediately apparent he has actual thoughts and ideas, and can do more than talk in pre-packaged, consultant-approved sound bites and bullet points.
Which is exactly how I feel about people like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Pete Buttigieg. These are young pols with a good head on their shoulders and something important to contribute. We should be encouraging them in the development of their problem-solving and governing chops, instead of trying to smite them in their political infancy with adversarial taunting and baiting.
Robert J. Cavanaugh, Jr.
bobcavjr@gmail.com