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The Straw Man: The most prominent members aren't always representative of their partyBY: Jessica Parker | Category: Politics | Submitted: 2010-02-26 10:54:20
John McCain, Barack Obama, Rush Limbaugh. Who else comes to mind when you think of American politics? These men are among a few come up often. They are outspoken, well-known, and opinionated. Their speeches, articles, and even passing comments are applauded, analyzed and picked apart. Their ideas are cited by both sides of the aisle as examples of what should or should not be done with our government. In a way, these men and those like them can be considered political celebrities, and yet their opinions and views are often far from the bulk of people in their party. "The Huffington Post," a well-known political blog, posted an article entitled "Democrats Criticize Obama's Proposed Tax Cuts" by Stephen Ohlemacher on January 8, 2009. The article quotes democrat politicians in their disagreement and disappointment of the then soon-to-be inaugurated President. Likewise, the wake of John McCain's loss to Barack Obama in the 2008 elections, many political pundits blamed it on the fact that McCain was too moderate to win. Even though the majority of the country considers themselves political conservatives, many of them could or would not get behind McCain enough to get him elected. While McCain's moderate policy viewpoints may have been a draw for some independents or conservative democrats, in his (or his campaign staff's) efforts to reach out to the non-partisan, they lost the support that he could have received from republicans. Conservative political pundit and talk show host Rush Limbaugh has many times espoused the view that the Republican Party needs to distinguish itself from moderates and liberals. His talk show often points out the errors and problems with trying to implement a bipartisan strategy. The problem with Limbaugh, though, is that his own celebrity and (intentional) ego have isolated him from the other members of his party (not to mention the members of other political parties). He is seen as a leader of his party, but those he supposedly leads often seek to distance themselves from him. With these as primary examples of well-known politicians and pundits, it's no wonder that political bickering and debate is often reduced to an ill-conceived attempt to cut down the other side's superstars. Even though Limbaugh has a large audience for his radio show, and Obama and McCain's names graces bumpers throughout the country during their respective campaigns, their new and different ideas may have been part of the fodder that made them superstars in the first place (one caveat: it would be hard to say that Limbaugh's ideas are new since he has been on the air for so long, but the evolution of his ideas and his proper application of them to current events makes for new fodder). When it comes to political debate, it may be important to stick to the issues, but it is also important to recognize the straw man arguments that are placed before you; just because someone is paraded as an example for the party or is well-known by your audience does not mean that they can be used as a valid point in making your argument. That straw man will have to be torn down. Article Source: http://www.writearticles.org/ About Author / Additional Info: Written by Jen, http://www.jenhurst.wordpress.com Comments on this article: (0 comments so far)
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