Rally Politics

I attended the Republican Rally this past Wednesday at Stabler Arena and I found it to be a very interesting event. If you don't know I am a Democrat and I have solidified my position these past weeks that I will vote for Barack Obama in this coming election. Despite this I believe strongly that to only look at any situation from only one side would be not to take that situation or issue seriously, since you can not truly grant it it's due unless you explore all angles and possibilities. A presidential election is no different, and if anything, is even more important to analyze with a steady yet curious eye. Being the first political rally I have ever been to I didn't know what to expect. Once the rally started it became clear that the main purpose was to excite the voter base considering that, despite myself who was there strictly for the experience, I would say the entire rest of the packed arena were ardent Republicans. The rally started with local politicians that supported John McCain, and it was much like the outline that the TV ads have followed the past few weeks, only significantly more intense. Considering that it is assumed that these rally-goers are all Republicans already, some of the things that might be considered off limits in ads or debates were not so here. More then one of the introductory speakers made sure to reference Obama with special emphasis on his middle name of Hussein, when talking about who is a better leader. Also there was mentioned that Obama doesn't want to fight terrorists he just wants to be friends with them and sit down to talk, most likely in reference to Obama's willingness to pursue diplomatic negotiations with aggressive foreign leaders, rather then, say, pre-emptive strikes on a foreign nation. Another point, that John McCain himself drove home, was that he knew how to fix the economy and get corrupt businesses in line. He said specifically, "If I was going to ask for advice about how to fix the government, I wouldn't ask a Chicago politician." This was clearly a reference to the corruption and machine politics of the Daley family as mayors of Chicago over the years, yet this is some how a shot at Obama simply because that is his home state and where he spent part of his political career. I found it ironic that McCain would point a weak finger at Obama in terms of government corruption, yet the last major economic crisis that the U.S. was in John McCain was a major actor in the savings and loan scandal in the late 80's and early 90's. My own political leanings aside I thought it was a great rally in that it accomplished its purpose with flying colors. I would not expect any other campaign to be much different and I do not fault the GOP for using rhetoric to create passion among its constituents. Any smart leader would want to get their followers excited for the cause. It is a tried and true formula, push your strengths/opponents weaknesses and minimize your own weaknesses/opponents strengths, all the while wrap these tidbits up in emotional rhetoric and you have got yourself one hell of a party.