Travellinguist's Musings

McCain's Concession Speech.

John McCain is currently giving his concession speech and I have to say it is actually a remarkable one- informed by history, gracious in defeat and respectful of his opponent. If only this McCain has been the McCain on the campaign trail he might have had a better chance. He seems to remember who he was in 2000, the guy who we thought would balance out John Kerry very effectively in 2004. Of course, as we all know, our political system encourages viciousness, innuendo, racism in the no-holds barred attempt to defeat the one other political party. I am not sure if there could ever be a fair and honorable campaign in the United States with so much at stake in our distorted system, but McCain's surely was not one of them and in fact the desperate viciousness of his surrogates set new lows.
However, watching this concession speech I can't help but begin to feel sympathy for him, the same sympathy I felt watching him in South Carolina in 2000. (As I hear his supporters boo and catcall him and such I remember the problems that still exist with these horrid people and the challenges which we will still face to enlighten and educate Americans beyond their racism and prejudices. Perhaps we can also teach them what socialism actually is and why Obama is quite distant from actual socialism.)
So I now remember who John McCain once was, but I also am reminded of who his followers are. It is a mixed bag, but now our hopes are for Obama to be what he has the potential to be, a transformational president.

Labels: McCain concession speech

posted by travellinguist @ 8:23 PM