Opinion - My friend, the President

Two, actually. My first confession: I was pretty worried there.

I wasn’t worried about the Bradley Effect or how old a candidate was, about their religious ties or their ties to Washington. I was worried that America, as a nation, had grown tired of good, exceptional, or even just intelligent ideas. That instead of looking for a leader, America was more interested in finding a buddy.

Let me explain.

Back in 1835, a man named Alexis de Tocqueville published a book called On Democracy in America. In a chapter entitled Philosophical Method of the Americans, Tocqueville theorized that while equality within a society was certainly a good thing, troubling byproducts would arise.

Namely, that if all men were created equal, then all ideas would also be looked upon as equal. In a society where no one man was perceived as greater or superior to any other, Americans would fail to look towards the great thinkers of the past, trusting only their own inward judgments over all else. Tocqueville said that, “It would seem as if human opinions were reduced to a sort of intellectual dust, scattered on every side, unable to collect, unable to cohere.”

Scary stuff.

What scared me even more was when this type of trend - the exile of great and intelligent men - began bleeding into the political realm. It seemed that Americans were more interested in electing people we felt comfortable shooting the breeze with across the dinner table, instead of the candidate who displayed superior intellect and reason, one who may have made us feel uncomfortable because they were visibly smarter than us. In a society where all are equal, we felt threatened by the man of greatness.

Consider for a moment a few of our Presidents over the last several decades, regardless of whether or not you agreed with their policies. Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer. Ronald Reagan, the movie actor. Bill Clinton, the smooth talking sax player with an undeniable charm. George Bush Jr., the C student with a folksy demeanor that made you feel as if you were back on the good ol’ ranch.

Did these men have some good ideas? Of course. But rarely, if ever, did they give off the impression that they were intellectual heavyweights. We didn’t need those types, didn’t want them. First and foremost these were men we could relate to, men who didn’t seem to be all that

unlike ourselves.

Nowhere did the struggle between the man of ideas and the man of relations become as clear as during the recent presidential campaigns. It could be seen during the town hall meeting at the second presidential debate, where calling the American people, “My friends,” John McCain walked the stage comfortably, cracking a few jokes here and there for good measure. His vice presidential pick, Sarah Palin, was touted by her own campaign as just an everyday American, a normal hockey mom with a bit of a spunky (or should I say maverick-y?) side. “If she can be vice president,” I heard some people extol, “then anybody can!”

Again, scary stuff (do you really want just anybody to be your President?).

In stark contrast, looking like no candidate this country has seen for decades stood Barack Obama. A Harvard graduate, a man who appeared to be of considerable intellect and reason, a master of words who was unafraid to show it. But he wasn’t as likeable, he didn’t quite have that ease and down-homey nature about him that Senator McCain had. He was aloof, frequently criticized by the opposing camp for his high-minded speeches, using them as proof that he wasn’t attuned to what the common man wanted.

On election night I was worried. I was worried that Tocqueville had gotten it right, that America would chose to elect the everyday over the extraordinary.

My second confession: I was wrong. I’m so glad I was wrong.

Maybe his election into office had more to do with the disapproval and rejection of the current administration, but I’m not so sure. I’d like to think that, just maybe, America has remembered the importance of recognizing intelligent individuals, and once again welcomes them into positions of leadership and responsibility. That perhaps Americans are not as small-minded as some would have us believe, that we know when to look for a leader, and when to look for a pal.