SPEAKING OF BRANDING

I watch and listen to the political campaigning now in full swing. It is common knowledge among the pundits that the democrats have won the battle of branding. But this win may turn out to be a pyrrhic victory since Senator McCain is the republican candidate. McCain is both a blessing and a curse for the Republican Party.

He is a blessing because he has successfully done his own branding: he is considered as a maverick, though he is not, but perception is not just a game in politics--perception is about the only game in politics. Having branded himself in the minds of the public and the pundits as a maverick, he is now free to court the right wing of his party. No republican can court the right wing of his party as unabashedly as McCain because the press is not going to paint him as a neo-con a la Bush, Cheney and Rice. Basically, Senator McCain so far has got a free ride from the press.

McCain’s branding himself as a maverick while at the same time participating in the biggest expansion of the federal government is in stark contrast to what the republican party is supposed to stand for: less government and fewer taxes. Indeed, less government and fewer taxes is the mantra of the modern Republican Party. But this party seems to have totally lost its way under President Bush: we have experienced a massive expansion (even if we discount the American War in Iraq) of the roll of the federal government, which indirectly undermines the core republican party’s principles of less government and fewer taxes; the massive expansion of the federal government will inexorably result in higher taxes on us and on future generations.

This conflict will play out in odd ways if Senator McCain is elected as our next President:
The American War on Iraq will continue to result in more and more spending, present and future tax increases, a continued expansion of the federal government and fewer programs to attack our crumbling infer structure, especially our educational system.

The “rubber will hit the road” if McCain is elected because his maverick persona will collide with the reality of a continued $12 billion dollars monthly expenditure just to maintain the American War in Iraq and this does not take into consideration the absolute necessity to refurbish our depleting and depleted military equipment or our lack of solders to maintain military readiness in other parts of the world where we have commitments—and enemies. For example, what would happen if China (after the Olympics) should decide to take back its rebel province, Taiwan? What would (could) we do?

For all of McCain’s vaulted independence, he will hew to the neo con’s agenda of throwing money at Iraq while telling his fellow citizens through his action to “eat cake” and enjoy it. Shackled by the American War in Iraq, his policies will not be different from the most rigid neo-con, except possibly on the environment. Perhaps the Sierra Club will consider endorsing him!

Twenty-five years from now we may look back upon Ron Paul’s solution of ending our foreign evolvement of maintaining over seven hundred basis in over a hundred and thirty foreign countries around the world as the wisest advice despite being derided during this political campaign.

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Lenton Aikins, Ph.D., J.D.
Dr. Aikins has traveled widely, lived abroad in Europe and Latin America, recently spending three years in Costa Rica as Director of a Spanish Language school. He holds a Ph. D. in Political Science from University of Southern California, a Juris Doctor in Law from Western State University, College of Law. He is the author of many articles and of While African Americans Slept: Leadership by Parasites, now available at: http://lentonaikins.com, and available in all bookstores July 1, 2008. You can read his daily blog: Go to: http://lentonaikins.com and click on blog.