McCain serves up some post "bitter/cling" pandering

McCain's remarks at the Annual Associated Press Luncheon on 4/14/08, included an extended riff on the awesome wonderfulness of ordinary Americans and the following quote, "As Tocqueville discovered when he traveled America two hundred years ago, they (referring to Americans who presumably were insulted by Obama's "bitter/cling" comments) are the heart and soul of this country, the foundation of our strength and the primary authors of its essential goodness."

When I heard that excerpt from the speech on NPR the next morning I was immediately struck by "the primary authors of our essential goodness" part and thought, this speech writer is trying to insert a subliminal Christian trope and getting it wrong, wrong, wrong. For anyone conversant with the Bible, the word "author" immediately brings to mind Hebrews 12:1, "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith."

Now maybe Tocqueville did use this exact expression but I doubt it and of course the speech does not put any quotes around the words that follow so I could not tell what was name dropping and what was taken directly from Tocqueville. But that is not the point. If this was an intentional attempt to insert a Christian trope, it surely would have Gospels-oriented Christians, especially evangelicals of all stripes, scratching their heads at the (secular humanist) claim that goodness comes from people, and the undifferentiated mass of heartland, sacrificing, "heart and soul" of the country Americans at that.

Obama seems comfortable in his skin about his faith and religious experience and I'm sure it has not escaped the other candidates' attention that this may to his great advantage with voters for whom their faith is a central part of who they are. I don't want to give advice to McCain's speech writers but trying to insert a word here and there from scripture is a risky business. So now I'm on a Christian trope watch because I know they won't be able to resist.

Much of McCain's remarks were flattery--really, really big time kissing up to--the folks out there who might have taken offense at Obama's off-the-cuff speculation about the hot button issues choices made by people suffering hard times but McCain's over-the-top praise seemed more condescending to me. I started this blog because I heard the excerpt and thought, boy this is some serious pandering. When I read the transcript of McCain's prepared remarks all the way through I found this quote in the last paragraph,"The time for pandering and false promises is over." Maybe I could take that to mean, "I've pandered here and now I'm done." Don't we wish!

I also advise the McCain's speech writers to forget Tocqueville. Like scripture, his actual writings could come back to haunt.