Politics & Dead Men

I hate nothing more that hearing the media cry of “Obama is the new Kennedy!”,  then having the same people who propped the man on the highly mystical pedestal then work on knocking the man back down.  How rude! 

Why is it so important that we compare our modern politicians to the politicians of days gone by?  Politicians that have been mythologized into larger than life characters of the men they once were.  Not real, yet held up as the gold standard.

            Usually they are dead men, who have powerfully connected families that have rested and profited on the accomplishments of these men.  They have built cottage industries of mourning that have become state and national holidays.  Now before the death threats and the angry diatribes start, no where have I diminished the works of these men.  But all men and women must stand on and by their own works. 

            So, why am I irritated by the comparison of modern day politicians to those of days gone by?  Because the men Obama and McCain are being compared to would not be able to withstand the public scrutiny that a politician must be able to stand today.  They were men and women, who were as imperfect as the men and women of today, just with the really good PR that comes with hindsight. 

I’m not interested in the next “I Have A Dream” speech or “Ich bin ein Berliner” of Kennedy fame. I want true and sincere words from the men and women who are running for office.  I want to know what they are thinking without the spit and polish of a media spin doctor.

I don’t want a new Kennedy, Roosevelt, Lincoln, or Regan.  I want the best person for the job. I want someone who is honest and ethical in their dealings, someone who will do the right thing.  I need someone who lives in the present to lead me into the future.