Binary McCain

In this great new series with Sullivan and Ambinder they discuss McCain's intelligence, and the simplicity of his rhetoric regarding the Iraq war. What Ambinder points out that is true of McCain and has been for the GOP for as long as I have been around to watch the GOP, is that they narrow issues into a binary solution set as a means for control. It's very effective because it is much easier for voters to pick between good or bad than to understand the problem and form a logical solution based on that specific problem. It's not that people are too stupid for analysis, the problem is that we have pretended it is good enough, that it is not necessary to understand and analyze. This is cultural, and this is America's fatal flaw. The world is more complex than binary. It rarely is so simple as either/or. There are an infinite number of solutions and positions, and to frame the debate in such a manner is as good as lying to the people. It is stripping the voice from the people, by obfuscating the heart of the issue. This is done knowingly by McCain and he is choosing this path because of the success it has brought the GOP in the past. It worked against Kerry because he is an extremely intelligent man and enjoys problem solving and analyzing from every angle possible. In doing this he often came off as weak and unsure of himself, but I guarantee you, it will not work against Obama.