Notes From D.R. | Random Thoughts on the Passing Scene

Acclaimed author Studs Terkel passes away at 96.

Rich Lowry, Thomas Sowell, Charles Krauthammer, Larry Elder, Kim Strassel, Kathleen Parker, Mona Charen, Kristen Powers, Linda Chavez, Peggy Noonan and David Brooks on Obama-McCain.

So much for the theory that the first black President would be a conservative Republican.

I was among the folks who used to believe that the first President of color would be someone with a red-state vision. I simply could not imagine a black Democrat becoming President; I long believed that the image of black Democrats had been so contaminated by the likes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton that only a black Republican had a chance to cross the Presidential color line.

Shows you what I know, eh?

With Obamamania poised to sweep the country next Tuesday, we can finally conclude that the first-black-President-will-be-a-Republican theory was little more than an offshoot of the equally nonsensical theory that the country is fundamentally center-right in its thinking. Barack Obama has proven plenty of people wrong over the past year and a half, and his likely victory will silence the last of the skeptics.

As one of those skeptics, I can’t help wondering: why couldn’t a black Republican get to the White House first?

Colin Powell had a chance thirteen years ago, but he botched it, chickening out with one of the lamest explanations of modern times (“It is a calling I do not yet hear”). If Powell had the courage to run as a Republican in 1996, he would have likely ousted President Clinton and spared us the moral horror of the Lewinsky saga…but he didn’t, so he didn’t.

Years ago, former Congressman J. C. Watts was considered a Republican Presidential prospect, but he ultimately never lived up to the hype. Watts was effective enough as a lawmaker, but he never became a true political superstar; for all of his smarts, he would have likely failed as a Presidential candidate, the same way John Kasich and Duncan Hunter collapsed in their respective Presidential bids.

Alan Keyes attempted to secure the GOP nomination in 1996 and 2000; even if he had succeeded, he also would have failed, as he would have run into the same problems Sarah Palin is now dealing with as a vice-presidential candidate. Keyes’ strong social conservatism would have been flatly rejected by certain factions within the party; members of those factions would have defected to the Democrats rather than endorse Keyes’ “uncompromising” views with their votes.

It’s hard to imagine any black Republican other than Powell becoming an Obama-style star. Ken Blackwell would have been considered too conservative; Michael Steele would have been considered insufficiently conservative (for example, he has made statements that appear to support quota-based affirmative action programs), and would not have had a Powell-style “cult of personality” to offset his deviations from conservative orthodoxy. Was there any black Republican who could have made it to the top before Obama?

The ideal black Republican Presidential candidate would have the looks of Blair Underwood and the politics of Thomas Sowell. He would have to be a brilliant orator, well-educated, solidly conservative but not repellent to those who didn’t agree with every last aspect of right-wing thought. He’d have to be someone with business experience, someone with an actual command of economic issues. It would also help if he came from a family with a military background. Put these elements together, and you’d have the perfect candidate. Unfortunately for the Republicans, that candidate exists where mermaids and unicorns exist.

Am I disappointed that the first black President will not be a Republican? Yes and no. It would have been wonderful, not just for the GOP but for the country as a whole, if a black Republican had been able to shatter the Presidential glass ceiling. It would have served as permanent proof that the GOP was, is and always will be the “party of Lincoln”; it would have finally exorcised the ghost of Goldwater’s gaffe.

On the other hand, one cannot begrudge Obama his success. Despite my disagreement with his politics, he worked hard to achieve this goal, running one of the most effective and efficient campaigns in recent memory. Yes, it can be argued that he received a huge assist from the mainstream media. Yes, it can be argued that he would not have been this successful if George W. Bush hadn’t alienated large portions of the country. Yet one must respect Obama for doing the heavy lifting that led him to this point.

Perhaps the first black President was always going to be a Democrat. The Republicans will have to find their own barrier-breaking candidate in the 2010s. I can think of a certain Louisiana governor who just might fit the bill…

The Boston Globe on the passing of Dean Barnett.

Jeff Jacoby and Thomas Sowell on Campaign ‘08.

UPDATE: More from Jed Babbin, Martha Zoller, Dan Henninger, Karl Rove, George Will, David Frum and Sowell.

David Frum and Ross Douthat on what ails the GOP.

UPDATE: More from Rich Lowry, Thomas Sowell, David Brooks and Jonah Goldberg.

Dean Barnett of the Weekly Standard, one of the best writers I have ever had the pleasure to read, passes away at 41. This is a gigantic loss, every bit as big as the losses of Tony Snow and William Buckley. He was–and is–one of the great ones. More from William Kristol, Patrick Ruffini, Jim Geraghty, Hugh Hewitt and Kevin Whalen.

UPDATE: More from the Boston Globe, Kristol and Robert Bluey.

SECOND UPDATE: From the Globe and Jonathan V. Last.

You only have a few more days left to prove them wrong.

You only have a few more days to finally shut them all up.

You’ve heard them. Their voices are everywhere. They’re saying you’re too old, too out of touch, too erratic.

They don’t like you and they’ve never liked you. Some of them falsely claimed they were your friends eight years ago. They were always your enemies.

It’s your time, my man. You have to do it.

You have to do it.

You can’t hold back when you only have a week left. The guy you’re fighting won’t hold back. Can you blame him?

The guy you’re fighting feels like he has to win. He’s been built up by the media and by his party. He can’t let them down. If he lets them down, he’ll be remembered as one of the biggest jokes in history.

He’s willing to fight to the death. You have to be willing to do the same.

You only have one week left. One week to slam shut the jaws of your loudmouthed critics.

You realize what those critics have said, don’t you? Not only have they attacked you, they’ve demonized your wife and your running mate.

They’re even going after your supporters! Look at what they did to Samuel Wurzelbacher, “Joe the Plumber.” They’ve smeared him, castigated him, scandalized his name. Look at what they’re now doing to Edward “Reese” Hopkins. He’s possibly been framed on sex-assault charges.

They’re attacking and attacking with no holds barred and no conscience shown. They want the White House back and they are showing zero mercy.

You have to beat these people. They want to break you down; you have to break them first. You have to break them on November 4.

If you don’t win, it’s all over. You’ll be viewed by history as a comedy act, a putz, a clown. No one will ever shake your hand again.

This is the fight you have been waiting for. You’ve been waiting decades for this contest. This is what you were born to do. You survived so much in your life. You didn’t survive then to lose now.

It’s all on you. This is your moment. You have to win. Failure is not an option.

Screw the skeptics. Screw the doubters who say you can’t make it, you can’t do it, you can’t achieve it. Screw them all! Win first, and then tell them all to go to hell!

You’re fighting for your life. You’re fighting for this country. You’re fighting for your friends. You know you’re better than the guy you’re fighting. You know you can do a better job of leading this country than he can. You only have one week to prove it.

You need to win. You had better win. Our economy depends on you. Our national security depends on you. We’re a lonely country in the world right now, and we need you to rebuild some damaged relationships. The other guy can’t do that. He says he can, but he really can’t. Only you can.

We all know how tough it’s going to be. Your party isn’t popular. Millions of Americans think the head of your party has led the country down the wrong path. So many Americans desire change, and so many Americans seem to be flocking to the candidate who promises change.

With one week to go, you must convince these voters that the change the other guy is offering is not the sort of change they really want. You have to hit, and hit hard. You have to force your enemies, your opponents, your critics to zip their lips. You’re Buster Douglas before the fight with Mike Tyson. Remember what happened in that fight?

I want you to win. So many people want you to win. We don’t hate the other guy, we just think his vision is wrong for the country. We think your vision is right, and we want you to implement that vision.

However, you won’t be able to do so unless you win first. You have to stand up next to this particular mountain, and knock it down with the edge of your hand. You talk so much about honor and courage. Well, now it’s up to you to show that these concepts still mean something. You talk so much about putting the country first. Well, now it’s time to show us that you mean it.

You talk so much about Teddy Roosevelt, who himself spoke of “the man in the arena.” Now you’re the man in the arena. Win the fight.

High School Musical 3 tops the charts.

The 25th anniversary of the Grenada invasion.

William Kristol, David Brooks, Ross Douthat, Fred Barnes, David Frum and Thomas Sowell on Campaign ‘08.

Actor/comedian Rudy Ray Moore, a pop-cultural icon in the mid-1970s, passes away at 81.

Former Mass. Gov. William Weld endorses Barack Obama, while Pulitzer Prize winner Charles Krauthammer endorses John McCain.

UPDATE: More from Jonah Goldberg, Ross Douthat, Mona Charen, Linda Chavez and Rich Lowry.

A stunning controversy involving former Boston/New York talk-radio star Reese Hopkins.

I’m in shock over this news. I enjoyed Hopkins’ program, which was broadcast on WRKO-AM from December 2007 to October 2008. Along with WTKK-FM star Michael Graham (ironically enough, Hopkins’ head-to-head competition) and WBZ-AM star Dan Rea, I felt Hopkins made a day-in, day-out effort to produce a quality broadcast. Obviously, I’m devastated by these allegations.

Having said that, Hopkins is innocent until proven guilty. Although the allegations are serious in nature, only the courts can determine if they are in fact true. There have been numerous high-profile cases, especially in the Northeast, involving accused men and women who have been found guilty in the court of public opinion even before they set foot in a courtroom. One hopes that history will not repeat itself here.

UPDATE: More from Scott Allen Miller.

SECOND UPDATE: More from Newsday and the Boston Herald. There’s a part of me that can’t believe this is happening in America.

The 25th anniversary of the Marine barracks bombing in Lebanon.