The view from a Blue State
October 30, 2008 | Stuart Loh

Brief impressions of what Bay Area California is like in the lead up to the elections

STANFORD, CALIFORNIA — I was at the annual Bridge School Benefit concert on the weekend. Organized by Neil Young and held in Mountain View, California, the concert is aimed at raising money for special needs children. Nonetheless, with the presidential elections looming, they couldn’t resist emblazoning, between the various acts, the word “VOTE” on the video screens. Candidates’ names were never spoken by any of the artists that took the stage, but it was blatantly obvious they all shared the same opinion. When Young himself took the stage at the end of the concert, the camera zoomed up on a tiny badge on his jacket. “Hippies for Obama,” it declared, the closest thing to an endorsement all day. “Vote on November 4,” Young declared, and people cheered. Clearly, the audience shared his opinion, too.

In the Democratic stronghold state of California, there is a certain deceptive detachment from the feverish campaigning occurring in other states. Even at Stanford, which its archrival Berkeley likes to call out as being highly conservative (at least, relative to itself), McCain seems to be a dirty word. There is a “Stanford Law Students for Obama” group, but not one for McCain. (Without work to be done in California, they organize campaigning trips to the neighboring state of Nevada and other swinging states further afield.) I have yet to meet a student who has publicly expressed their support for McCain. Certainly not from any international students like myself, except a Singaporean friend who once expressed a marginal preference for McCain, if only for his trade policies. He also was a strong believer in the authoritarian rule of his government back at home.

Of course, the picture is different in the so-called battleground states. However, in the last few weeks, it seems to me that the McCain-Palin ticket has started to disintegrate at an increasing rate. Palin’s luster quickly turned into a stain when she started speaking. From her flaky knowledge about fundamental issues and divisive “Pro-America” remarks, to her fashion faux-pas and lack of relevant experience, she has become a liability to McCain. In a tactical attempt to galvanize the party’s base, McCain’s irresponsibility has soured many, including Republicans themselves. Perhaps now some realize that having leaders “you can have a beer with” is not the best criteria on which to decide who to vote for.

Obama’s strategy of rising above the “distraction” of negative smear campaigning appears to have finally paid off, as not only have McCain’s attack ads failed to bite as much as they might in other campaigns, but they appear to have backfired somewhat. Various comments from Republican Party surrogates have not helped either, especially the ones from that loopy Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and the Pfotenhauer “Real Virginia” ridiculousness. And by trying to usurp the Obama campaign’s theme of change by adopting “maverick” monikers, McCain closed the door on being able to credibly hammer Obama on his inexperience. By selecting Palin, that door was welded shut.

All things considered, Obama has run as close to a dream campaign as can be hoped for. Although I can’t vote, as is the case with billions of other interested people in the world, I am looking forward to November 4 with more anticipation than nervousness. This election is Obama’s to lose.

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Stuart is based in Stanford, California.

Article posted on Thursday, October 30, 2008 at 3:32 am in Politics