One Big, Happy Family?

Because of all the money and power we see in Washington, it is easy to forget that politicians are just people, individuals subject to the same petty jealousies, neuroses, and insecurities that affect the rest of us peons. One big, happy family they are not in D.C., even when they are members of the same political party. That is why what I find most interesting in politics is not the machinations themselves, but the personal dynamics behind those responsible for the machinations.

Mark Halperin and John Heilemann’s recently released book Game Change reveals the behind-the-scenes back-biting inside the Obama-Biden / McCain-Palin Presidential Campaigns. Although the disagreements during the 2008 presidential race were probably no different than those found in past campaigns such as Bush-Quayle and Clinton-Gore, some of the anecdotes in Game Change are nonetheless amusing.

My favorite is the alleged conversation, or confrontation, between former President Bill Clinton and Senator Edward Kennedy regarding Kennedy’s support of Barack Obama—someone who Clinton felt was unqualified. Authors Halperin and Heilemann paraphrase Clinton as sarcastically lecturing Kennedy about how “a few years ago, this guy would have been getting us coffee.”

LOL

Perhaps the former president should think twice before flippantly mocking coffee delivers considering the number of Americans who rely on their morning cup of coffee for survival. Who knows how many world wars have been averted and how many important legislative proposals have been passed because of a good cup of java.

Another of the book’s interesting anecdotes reveals Senator Obama’s frustration with his running-mate Senator Joe Biden, following Biden’s prediction that Obama would likely be tested early by the international community if he won the presidential election. Obama allegedly angrily asked his inner circle, “How many times is Biden gonna say something stupid?” This question has been asked many times by Americans. My favorite Biden gaffe is when he pontificated about FDR’s television chat with Americans following the 1929 Stock Market Crash. (Psst! Senator! There was no television in 1929 and FDR was not yet president). What interests me, however, about this anecdote is why this particular gaffe so upset candidate Obama. Who was Obama concerned that Biden would tip-off with the warning, the international community . . . or the American people? Did Obama truly believe that the possibility of an “international test” would never have occurred to anyone had Biden kept quiet? I guess our president never read the fairy tale The Emperor’s New Clothes.

Finally, this last anecdote caught my attention because I think it proves that things always happen for the best—even if it is not apparent immediately. According to Game Change Sarah Palin regretted accepting the Republican vice presidential nomination after her interview with Katie Couric: “If I’d known everything I know now, I would not have done this.” Even more disturbing is that McCain’s top aides allegedly questioned whether Palin was mentally stable. Geesh! One thing is certain: if Palin was already having misgivings that early in the campaign, how was she going to handle the attention she would have drawn as vice president? Or even worse, how would she have responded if something happened to McCain and she was forced into the Oval Office? I am sure Palin would not have been the first potentially unstable president, but that probability does not provide me with any comfort.

Game Change has some other interesting tidbits, such as Democratic Senator Harry Reid referring to Pres Obama as a black candidate who does not speak with a “Negro dialect unless he want[s] to have one”, and Elizabeth Edwards basically referring to her husband on numerous occasions as an intellectual midget.

This stuff is better than a prime-time soap.
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