I'm very much a compulsive reader. I buy books with the same regularity other college kids buy DVD's. I'll often read books two or three at a time, with 95% of my books being related to foreign affairs or domestic politics. It is with this introduction that I tell you that yesterday at Barnes & Nobles I picked up Joe Klein's "Politics Lost" even though I was already about 150 pages through the fascinating "Cobra II". While I was thoroughly enjoying Cobra II and highly recommend it to any of you who want to understand the full extent of the failures made in Iraq, I found the premise of "Politics Lost" too tempting to pass up until I finished the lengthy "Cobra II".My initial reaction too this premise was that it sounded like Joe Klein was burned out. He was an idealist who couldn't handle the political truths that were in front of him, the realities of American life. I figured that Klein couldn't stand the fact that America wasn't the liberal paradise that the 60's promised, that the country had grown more conservative, and that Klein was blaming it on forces that were irresponsible or irrelevant to the poltiical developments of the last 40 years.
But then I thought. And thought some more. I thought of how America could vote for an arch conservative like Reagan, switch to a dynamic centrist like Clinton, and then abandon Clinton's policies all because Bush seemed like a nicer guy. And then it hit me. Outside of those of us who are die hard activists, the average American doesn't care about the issues. They don't vote based on policy proposals or endoresments. They vote, as first described by Karl Rove and later laid out by Klein on three questions:
Is this candidate strong?
Is (s)he trustworthy?
Does (s)he care about people like me?
Ask yourself those three questions. Three yes's and you'll vote for that person, you'll work for that person, you'll believe in them.
In a way, those questions answer any policy questions nerds like us ask. Because by expressing an understanding of a point of view, they are showing their care for us.
Now ask yourself, is James Webb strong?
His record of service in Vietnam and his speaking out against the war in Iraq proves that.
Is he trustworthy?
Being brutally honest has defined his life. No matter of if its defending the Vietnam War in Georgetown Law School, defending a convicted war criminal for six years, taking a strong (if controversial) stance on women in the military, resigning from being Secretary of Navy, or speaking out against the war in Iraq, Webb has never been afraid to speak his mind. And there is no reason to beleive his actions have reflected anything other than what he wanted to do.
Does he care about people like me?
I know Webb cares about me because he cares about everyone. I know he doesn't support groups based on what is politically expedient. because he's not interested in political gain. He's interested in moving our country forward.
It is with saying this that I say I am incredibly enthusiastic about Jim Webb's candidacy. And I say this despite the fact that on some issues, particularly trade, I don't agree with him. But I truly believe that regardless of whatever issue or vote he may face as Senator, Jim Webb will face it with honesty and clarity.
I think that with Jim Webb being sent to the Senate, we can move away from an era of lost politics and return the hope to American democracy.
And I love a college student who reads!