The Candidates and Their Cheap Pick-Up Lines

Barak Baby, Maverick McCain, or Bob below the radar Barr-whose slogan do you wear?

With such clever slogans as, "Change you can believe in", "Ready from day one", and "Liberty for America" how is one ever to choose.

This is how they woo us? Really? I've heard better pick-up lines from local mayors.

What do these candidates really mean? What are they trying to tell us? Could we figure it out if we had never heard a thing about them or their records and in some cases their lack of record?

"Change You Can Believe In"

"Change" was a popular buzzword long before the 2008 Presidential candidates began their campaigns. Day after day we were inundated with the word. Accept change or lose your job. Change the way you communicate or be left behind. We've changed the way we do business. On and on we heard about change. We're still hearing about this infamous change. If change is so good, when will we be done? When will all of this change manifest itself as success?

Don't get me wrong. I personally love change. I also despise it. Change is good when it is an increase in salary. Change is bad when my increase in salary causes the Federal government to take more of my money via taxes. Change is good when my spouse gets a promotion. Change is bad when my spouse has to work 20 extra hours a week because gas is too expensive for his employees to show up to work every day. Change is good when it saves me time. Change is bad when my time was wasted. You get the idea.

It's time to file the word into the clich archive. Its overuse has rendered it impotent and hollow.

"Ready From Day One"

Normally the word "ready" has a  positive connotation. We want to be ready and we want others to be ready. We are ready and willing. But what is the other side of the coin? Iran is supposedly almost ready for nuclear war. The titanic was ready to sink right before it went under. So is it good to be ready to become the next President of the United States? Quite frankly, I'm ready to be president. I am quite prepared to follow the rules written in the constitution. Heck, I am willing to read over year's worth of White House meeting minutes if it means you'll hand me the presidency. Elect ready me and that'll be a real change for our country!

"Liberty for America"

My first inclination is to say we have a winner and that we finally have a word that reveals much more about one of our candidates.  But let's scrutinize a little further shall we?

If I substitute the word freedom for liberty, then I must ask "freedom from what or of what". According to Webster's dictionary, I could answer "from foreign influence". Ok, that is more specific than the other two buzzwords. But let's take it further. Is it total freedom from everything? It could be. Is this candidate going to do away with the rule of law? Is this candidate going to determine what he wants to be free from and therefore rule as such?

I want the freedom to earn a living and to keep all of those earnings. Others believe everyone is entitled to be free from poverty. I want to be free to keep my wages. You may want to be free to take from the rich and give to the poor. So whose freedom are we buying?

Do you find the campaign slogans meaningful? The come-on-lines the candidates are giving us are simply over used words that imply promises ringing hollow in content and missing any meaning. So the next time a candidate tells you he stands for change, stands for liberty or that he simply stands ready, remember that he has really told you nothing. Think twice before you tow the party line.