Given that Barack Obama has written about the importance of bringing more empathy to American politics, it was a bit surprising to see his uneven performance tonight in actually doing it.
To do well in a town hall-style debate, at least on domestic policy questions, a candidate has to be able to practice the politics of empathy — engaging directly with the questioner, maybe even talking with them a bit to draw them out on their personal concerns. Bill Clinton’s “I feel your pain” style became a bit of a running joke, but it worked wonders for him during the presidential debates in 1992.
And Obama has made a point of arguing that American politics would be better if more people could put themselves in the other person’s shoes. “I find myself returning again and again to my mother’s simple principle — ‘How would that make you feel?’ — as a guidepost for my politics,” he wrote in his 2006 book, “The Audacity of Hope.”
In fact, Obama does have a reputation as a good listener, both in the Senate and in his prior political career. Tonight, though, the Harvard lecturer took over. He seemed to do better tonight at sympathizing with people’s problems in the abstract — not dealing with the actual questioners.
The first questioner, for example, was clearly looking for reassurance in the global financial turmoil. With retired people and workers losing their incomes, he asked, “what’s the fastest, most positive solution to bail these people out of the economic ruin?”
Rather than talking directly to him — perhaps asking to hear a bit more about his own situation — Obama slid right into his standard talking points about the financial crisis being the “final verdict on the failed economic policies of the last eight years.” He threw in a quick list of policy proposals, including middle-class tax cuts, help for homeowners, and overhauls of health care and energy policies. He talked to the questioner, not with him.
It was pretty much the same story later on, as a questioner asked about the bailout package. “Let me tell you what’s in the rescue package for you,” Obama said, but he mostly just explained the threat of layoffs if there had been no action against the credit crunch. Once again, there was no real give-and-take.
He did a little better with a questioner who wanted to know why anyone would trust the presidential candidates with their money in light of the financial crisis. “I understand your frustration and your cynicism,” Obama said — though, naturally, he tried to lay most of it at the feet of President Bush and John McCain’s support of his policies.
The one thing that probably saved Obama was the lack of real competition from McCain.
He was too busy seething at Obama — referring to him as “that one” at one point — and hurling sarcastic asides at him that he never had time to show any real empathy for the audience.
Mostly, McCain sounded like he always does: mystified that he has done so much work in the Senate and Obama is the one leading him in the polls. “I have fought against excessive spending and outrages. I have fought to reduce the earmarks and eliminate them,” McCain insisted to the woman who asked about trust. “Do you know that he voted for every increase in spending that I saw come across the floor of the United States Senate while we were working to eliminate these pork barrel earmarks?”
In other words, McCain wanted someone to feel his pain. But at the height of a global economic crisis, that probably isn’t what most people tuned in for.
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EMPATHY? Economic Crisis Doesn't Seem To Dominate McCain's Support Of AIG's $400,000.00 Weekend & McCain Conrtibutors That Own Resort Where AIG Execs Partied At. After Taxpayer Bailout.
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AIG Spa Trip Fuels Fury on Hill
Pressing Executives to Concede Mistakes, Lawmakers Blast Them About Bonuses
By Peter Whoriskey, Washington Post Staff Writer
www(dot)washingtonpost(dot)com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/07/AR2008100702604(dot)html
CONNECT THE DOTS: AIG EXEC's $440,000 SPA BILL FROM ST. REGIS, OWNED BY MAKAR PROPERTIES LLC, IRANIAN MAKARECHIAN FAMILY, MCCAIN CONTRIBUTORS & FRIENDS. SEE BELOW:
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Owner Of St. Regis/McCain Contributor
MAKAR PROPERTIES LLC
www(dot)makarproperties(dot)com
Hadi Makarechian~Chairman Of The Board
Cyrus Makarechian~President & Chief Executive Officer
Paul Makarechian~Executive Vice President
St. Regis Resort www(dot)stregismb(dot)com
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American International Group Inc. spent US$440,000 on a conference at a California resort less than a week after an US$85-billion government takeover, lawmakers said.
The bill from the St. Regis resort in Monarch Beach included US$23,380 for spa services, according to Representative Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Mr. Waxman led questioning Tuesday of former AIG chief executives Martin Sullivan and Robert Willumstad as Congress probes events that led to federal intervention.
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~Paul Makarechian
Political Campaign Contributions
2008 Election Cycle
www(dot)campaignmoney(dot)com/political/contributions/paul-makarechian(dot)asp?cycle=08
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~Senior McCain Campaign Advisor Steve Schmidt and Orange County
businessman, developer and hotelier Paul Makarechian
www.(dot)lashreport(dot)org/featured-columns-library0b(dot)php?faID=2008032601051291
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~MAKARECHIAN McCain & GOP Campaign Contributions
www(dot)newsmeat(dot)com/fec/bystate_detail(dot)php?city=CORONA+DEL+MAR++++&st=CA&last=MAKARECHIAN
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~Senator John McCain came through Orange County on day two of a multi- day swing through ... businessman, developer and hotelier Paul Makarechian
www(dot)redcounty(dot)com/magazine/2008/03/publius-the-year-of-the-parabo(dot)php
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~These John McCain Republicans, aren't your father's Republicans.
www(dot)freerepublic(dot)com/focus/f-news/1431396/posts
Paul Makarechian, 31, showed up in jeans to host an event with Assembly GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield. That was at Fashion Island's trendy Ozumo Japanese restaurant. Another of the group's events, this one featuring a congressman, was held at Costa Mesa's hip Sutra Lounge
www(dot)ocregister(dot)com/ocr/sections/news/news/slideshow_575921.php?pos=0
Elite and hip make up new GOP set
OF EVERY STRIPE: Sinan Kanatsiz, left, and Paul Makarechian are two directors on Generation Next’s board, an ethnically diverse body. Members’ heritage includes Iranian, Armenian, Turkish and Hispanic.
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~The man who made Gen-Next possible is Davidson’s boss, 33-year-old Paul Makarechian, Chief Executive Officer
and Owner of Makar Properties. company is a national
diversified real estate development and holding company with
approximately $800 million in assets representing over $3
billion of development.
Chairman: Paul Makarechian
Website: www(dot)gen-next(dot)orgFreeing Hollywood from the Liberal Left, One Film at a Time. A conservative movement is brewing in Hollywood and the
Liberty Film Festival is at the center of it.Enjoy the first-ever Liberty Film Festival event in Orange County with famous conservative filmmakers, renowned cultural commentators, and exclusive
looks at exciting new films about Hillary Clinton,
“Hillary: The Movie”.
www(dot)gen-next(dot)org/filepoolgennext/redcountygnxt(dot)pdf
Political Candidates Receiving Contributions/Support in the '08 Election Cycle from GENERATION NEXT FEDERAL PAC
Candidate Name Office Party State District Primary/General $ Dollar
Amount Date
MCCAIN, JOHN S. President Republican VA -- P $5,000 03/24/2008
www(dot)campaignmoney(dot)com/political/committees/generation-next-federal-pac(dot)asp?cycle=08
Since forming last year, the Orange County-based group has signed up 20 members - by invitation only, with $10,000 in annual dues. Members include Bill Lyons, the son of developer William Lyons, and Jeff Gehl, the son-in-law of developer and former Ambassador to Spain George Argyros.
The group has had audiences with Senator John McCain, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Karl Rove's staff and the political director of the Republican National Committee.
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~Iranians Thrive in Business, Makarechian Embraces Philanthropy, Politics
By Cruz, Sherri Publication: Orange County Business Journal Date: Monday, July 25 2005
www(dot)allbusiness(dot)com/finance/915014-1(dot)html
Posted by: WyattBeck@BowWowTicker
| October 8, 2008 10:09 AM
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