"The more things change, the more they stay the same."
--author unknown
For the past 32 years, the election cycle has revolved in a most familiar way.
Every sixteen years, the Democrat candidate for president has been a relatively-unknown who campaigned as an agent of "CHANGE!"
"One reason why this constant mantra of “CHANGE! HOPE!” is so irritating is that they’ve been peddling this snake oil for decades."
--Charles Johnson, Little Green Footballs
Thirty-two years ago, it resulted in a squeaker of an election that wasn't decided until the next day. Jimmy Carter became just the second Democrat since 1944 to convince a majority of voters that the country needed "CHANGE!" Carter received 50.1% of the popular vote.
He was the last Democrat who's managed that trick.
Carter's term was disastrous and, after four years, the U.S. had had enough of his "CHANGE!"
Many Americans saw Carter as an inept leader who had failed to solve the worsening economic problems at home, and had made the US look weak abroad. The election was held on November 4, 1980. Ronald Reagan with running mate George Bush beat Carter by almost ten percentage points in the popular vote. Republicans also gained control of the Senate for the first time in twenty-five years on Reagan's coattails. The electoral college vote was a landslide, with 489 votes (representing 44 states) for Reagan and 49 votes for Carter (representing 6 states and the District of Columbia).
Sixteen years after Carter, Bill Clinton--another relatively-unknown Democrat--convinced 43% of American voters that the country needed a "CHANGE!"
In 1996, Clinton almost got a majority of the vote: 49.4% voted for him. Both times, Clinton won a comfortable margin in the Electoral College.
Clinton's "CHANGE!" included failed attempts to nationalize health care and forcing the military to change its policy on homosexuals, as well as an endless parade of scandals.
In the 2000 election, Clinton's vice-president Al Gore lost the election (he received 48.38% of the popular vote, though), even though the US economy--always an important issue--was strong.
Sixteen years after 1992, Barack Obama--once again another relatively-unknown Democrat--is campaigning on "CHANGE!"
Every sixteen years, another group of Americans--who are unfamiliar with Carter or Clinton and the results of their "CHANGE!"--enter the voting booths. It is this group of historically-ignorant voters that Democrats rely on to win national elections. 2008 is no different.
Carter and the "misery index" are unknown to these voters. That's the combination of the unemployment rate plus the rate of inflation. It reached 21.98% in June 1980, Carter's last year.
Currently, it is 8.94%.
"Monica Lewinsky", "Hillary's health care task force", "Buddhist temple fund raisers", "the selling of sensitive technology to China" and "the selling of the Lincoln Bedroom" are just names and phrases to those who were too young to recall the Clinton years. The consequences of Clinton's selling of US military technology to China are still being felt.
Newly declassified documents show that President Bill Clinton personally approved the transfer to China of advanced space technology that can be used for nuclear combat.
The documents show that in 1996 Clinton approved the export of radiation hardened chip sets to China. The specialized chips are necessary for fighting a nuclear war.
Two years ago, Democrats took over Congress by campaigning--again--on "CHANGE!"
What have been the results of Nancy's Pelosi's "CHANGE!"?
We'll let the reader come to his own conclusion.
The Obama campaign is wise to target these (mostly) young voters, who don't remember those previous promises "CHANGE!" from a relatively-unknown Democrat presidential candidate. If Obama is to be president, he absolutely needs these votes. If John McCain is to win, he needs some of these votes, as well as those of Independents.
It promises to be another close election.
"The more things change, the more they stay the same."
To paraphrase another famous quote by philosopher George Santayana which carries much the same message:
"Those who cannot remember "CHANGE!" are condemned to repeat it."
To paraphrase
by Mondoreb
Source:
* 1980 election in the United States
* Clinton Gave China Chips for Nuclear War
* Jimmy Carter 1976 Election Ad: Change!