Did it take an earthquake to change China?
I read an interesting article recently that featured individual Chinese who took it upon themselves to travel to the area devastated by the May 12 earthquake that may have killed 50,000 people and left 5 million homeless to provide assistance. There was a time that individual initiative was discouraged in this populous nation. That time might have passed.
If so, it leaves a changed China. A country filled with people who believe in doing the right thing will demand that its government do the same. Which leads to another example, President Wen Jiabao going to the scene of the destruction to comfort victims. No longer is the nation's leadership detached from the people.
These instances could bring profound changes to China, or they are examples of changes already well underway. Either way, they're an improvement.
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It's been interesting to see the difference in news coverage of the disasters in China and Burma (Myanmar). People are ready to invade Burma in order to provide help. The coverage of China's disaster relief has been almost glowing, even though they themselves have restricted assistance from other countries.
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I heard a radio talk show host, I think Sean Hannity, talk the other day about how the only way the Republicans can save their congressional election prospects this year will be a second "Contract With America."
Certainly the GOP is in big trouble with voters tired of their rule and the media dumping on them every chance they get, almost completely without challenge. It's even affecting the presidential chances of John McCain, who in a normal year would blow Barack Obama out of the water.
Voters, however, will see a new contract as an election year ploy, in order to keep the politicians in office so they can keep messing things up. It won't work. In fact, the Republicans recently lost a normally safe seat in Mississippi by trying to link the Democrat candidate with the controversial Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Huh? Nationalizing the election will do no good at all.
If the GOP is to hold on to powerful minority status able to prevent veto overrides or Senate cloture, it needs to run candidates who can campaign as strong individual leaders who can cut to the chase on issues and convince voters that they will act appropriately in office. They have to run against their opponents, not against the Rev. Wright or House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Finally, GOP candidates have to run as Republicans. Voters have a way of pigeonholing candidates, and if they don't fit the mold, they'll have a hard time. They want Republicans to hold fiscally conservative, low-tax, low-regulation and traditional social positions. There's a lot of wiggle room in there on individual issues. Where Republicans get in trouble is where they stray from expectations, such as spending the country into the poorhouse and building bridges to nowhere.
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There's a lot in the news today about the new Reuters/Zogby poll showing Obama up on McCain 48-40 in this virtual start to the presidential campaign. The Rasmussen Daily Tracking Poll, which I frequently quote from, has had McCain up over Obama by margins of 1-3 points for the past couple of days, and the reverse for a few days last week.
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Add me to the list of those who feel that Michelle Obama is a legitimate campaign target. As long as she is out making major speeches on the campaign trail, then she is -- get this -- A PART OF THE CAMPAIGN. If she acts like a wallflower, then she'll be treated like one.
