There is some reason to hope, even if the Senate records of our candidates disappoint you

[jpgray]

Even if you dismiss their campaign speeches as a collection of dusty and meaningless platitudes mixed with a shameful amount of pandering to what is popular as opposed to what is right. And that's good if you feel that way--their records should disappoint you, and their speeches do insult one's intelligence, but none of this is anything new. I'm about to make a superficial, flawed historical comparison here, so watch out:

Look at JFK, for example. The guy was a classic Senate freshman, who equivocated and triangulated away from almost all strong stances, if they were controversial. His voting record on civil rights was less than admirable, seeing as he voted to remove all punishment for violators of the Civil Rights Act via the Jury Trial Amendment, even though he voted for the Act itself. Plenty of prominent segregationists were early supporters of his presidential campaign. His family was also quite tight with McCarthy, with RFK working on his subcommittee and another relation even dating Joe (if I recall), and JFK never publicly called for McCarthy's censure or made his voice heard in that debate (though he was in the hospital during some of this time).

I think his presidential term has been mythologized far beyond its actual worth, but it was still a damn sight better than his previous political history would indicate. A lot of the prognosticating on DU seems to be based on the idea that a president will behave much as a Senator who wants to campaign for president behaves, and that's not necessarily the case. Those future-seers also argue that the disturbing triangulation and pandering we've seen in the Senate and in the campaign are a good indication of how a candidate will behave in office. That isn't always the case. The solitary nature of the office and the leadership opportunities it provides can bring out ideas and strength that aren't always explicit in a Senate career.

It's true you can't draw an exact parallel between JFK and any current candidate (too many epochal differences). Yet despite all the pandering, platitudes and legislative equivocation from any Senator candidate, it is not -inevitable- that they will behave similarly if elected to the presidency. It's possible, but not inevitable. So there's still hope even if you hate those Senate records and the pandering rhetoric.

[jpgray]

1. Kick for those who supported Dennis or Dodd, and dislike weak records and pandering

There's still something to hope for, I say!