It’s no secret that a certain six-letter word has had its fair share of exercise this election season. I’m talking, of course, about “change.”
The funny thing about change is that, the further along this election season moves, and the more we read and talk with people about it, the more we see hints that the masses are starting to migrate — from hunger for change to fear of it, slipping into what might be called “the Music Man mindset.”
“Well … if you think about it … change starts with C, and that rhymes with T, and that spells trouble here in the good-ole USA.”
Peggy Noonan hints at the progress of this mindset in her WSJ column today, where she suggests (among other things) that we put aside the “2008-as-1960,” “Obama-as-Kennedy,” “McCain-as-Nixon” comparisons — and perhaps think more along the lines of 1948, Dewey v. Truman. Even she admits the latter comparisons are a stretch, but then she shares vignettes like this one, which reinforce the analogy, especially the McCain-as-Truman thread:
As for Mr. McCain, I think he had the best moment of the month this week at the big motorcycle convention in Sturgis, S.D., when he was greeted with that mighty roar. And his great line: “As you may know, not long ago a couple hundred thousand Berliners made a lot of noise for my opponent. I’ll take the roar of 50,000 Harleys any day.”
Similarly, in his NYT column yesterday, Paul Krugman hears echoes of Music Man minds, as they respond to the theatrical Republican revolt over offshore drilling and the like.
Sad to say, the current drill-and-burn campaign is getting some political traction. According to one recent poll, 69 percent of Americans now favor expanded offshore drilling — and 51 percent of them believe that removing restrictions on drilling would reduce gas prices within a year.
Now, before you label me an Obama-loving elitist, let me remind readers: I’m still undecided about my vote in November. There are many things I like about Obama, but there are many things I don’t like about him. Same goes for McCain. What’s more, I do not mean to suggest in this post that McCain is the con-artist title character in the “Music Man” production, nor will I deny that I’m sometimes prone to the Music Man mindset — and that sometimes, I think that’s a good thing; sometimes fear of change can be an extremely healthy, survival-smart emotion.
No, my point is not to denigrate anyone, but to warn all: If we think this election is over, we should probably think again, because Music Man minds are on the march.