Why It Matters
This afternoon, in Chicago, Illinois, John McCain will make good on supporting his former rival, president-elect Barack Obama. Senator McCain and President-elect Obama will be meeting this afternoon.
If you saw the concession speech of Senator McCain, then you likely saw the ‘real’ John McCain. At least, you saw John McCain at his best. It was genuine, sincere, from his heart. In fact, anyone with ‘ohs, ahs or boos’ were silenced as he shared his true feelings. Thus, the meeting today between the two, is not surprising.
My field of training and expertise causes me to sit up and take notice of the underlying attitudes of people. The underlying attitudes of two candidates that are so publicly displayed in a political election reveal several things about the private person and his/her true motives and desires.
With that said, I’m going venture far out on the limb and ask what I felt all along in this presidential election. That is,
Did John McCain really want to be president?
Now before you fire off an email to me, hear me out.
Most of us who have any voice at all in the personal development/self help industry, separate politics (and particularly campaigns) from our philosophies that we assert in our books, products, speeches and articles. We allow the deepest desire to ‘always keep everything positive’ our primary aim. I know. I do it myself.
However, I can’t help but listen intently and watch the actions of such public figures and search for their true meaning..
The first obvious sign to me that McCain really didn’t want to the office was when he chose Sarah Palin as his running mate. Whether she was qualified or not, no one knew who she was or anything about her. The strategy of having her on the ticket, in that moment, could only be a move to secure the female vote that might have gone for Hilary Clinton.
The fact is, most Republican lawmakers and party loyalists stood there and must have at least thought, “What is he doing? Again, no judgment on her qualifications. No one knew anything about her except that she was a governor of a state with an entire population equivalent to the city of El Paso, Texas.
Though ridiculous barbs were thrown back and forth between these two men who will be meeting today, Senator McCain’s campaign (including Governor Palin) ventured into the arena of being at least soiled campaigning if not down right dirty. The media would say that this in itself ’sends and underlying message’ to the American people. I read it as, ‘look at him/her, they are bad; I’m the only one left in this campaign. Vote, but don’t vote for the other guy.’
Too many campaigns have used manipulative fear to get voters’ votes. This election was no exception. To me, the negative campaigning sends a negative message to the American people. I believe that the American people are savvy to such. You may not find it in the media, but I believe that it does exist in the hearts and minds of people.
Today’s meeting of these two men contributes to the ideal of the past two weeks historic events.
I know that John McCain cares deeply about America. I don’t just believe that he offered his life once for this country. I believe that he would do likewise today. To humble himself as he did in his concession speech and now, to reach out so quickly to his for opponent by having this meeting today, I believe is a sign that there is indeed tremendous hope for America.
I applaud both men believe that they have been instrumental in making a positive turn for our country.
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Michael Murphy is the author of ‘Powerful Attitudes’
Email: mike@positiveattitudes.com
