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McCain had 26 Years to Change Washington

By Byron A. Ellis-September 08, 2008

McCain is asking voters to give the Republicans another four years to steer the country. However, in order to do so, he has to run against his party dismal record. Moreover, he has to acknowledge that the Republican Party is guilty of mismanaging the economy and that they have valued power over principle. But, where was this maverick when his party was destroying the U.S. economy?

McCain has stopped mocking Obama on the need for change and he is now attempting to coop the change message.

Apparently, McCain’s experience and judgment were not sufficient to understand that changing the Washingtonian status quo and the way business has been done at home and abroad is a necessary to restore America’s world leadership.

It has been said that the greatest form of flattery is when your rivals copy you ideas and vision. But, this leads to the fallacy of McCain’s experience claim.

The American Heritage College Dictionary defines experience as “Active participation in events or activities, leading to the accumulation of knowledge or skills.” Thus, for experience to be relevant it has to lead to the accumulation of knowledge or skills.

In essence, one can participate in events or activities, but not accumulate any experience or skills. If McCain had accumulated knowledge or skills, he would have understood that waging war against Iraq for the September 11 attack on the Twin Towers was the wrong response. Additionally, he would have known that what Americans, and the rest of the world, are clamoring for is a radical policy shift.

Experience can also be gained in the theoretical arena. Therefore, true experience is based on individual ability to process data, store and internalize it. Aldous Huxley noted that experience is not what happen to an individual, rather is what the individual does with what happens within her or his environment. And, Comtesse Diana tells us that experience only serve to give others useless advice.

Experience was the hallmark of the current administration. However, their experiences had a negative impact on America’s future and made the middle class worst off. The experienced neo-cons envisioned the future based on their past experiences. Thus, past experiences prevented them from envisioning new realities. As a result, they destabilized the Middle East and were incapable of understanding the adverse effects of their actions on the price of crude oil.

Professor James Hamilton, an expert in oil and macroeconomics, noted, “that most of the oil spikes are attributed to exogenous events such as military conflicts. He also stated that an upward spike in oil prices preceded nine out of ten of the U.S. recessions since World War II. Why didn’t the experienced Republicans know these facts?

Clearly, experience is more than years on the job. It is primarily about the ability to store and process data. McCain has been in Washington for over 26 years and failed to recognize the need for change. If he could not change Washington in 26 years, it is unlikely that he has the temperament or knowledge to do so in the next four years.

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