Much has been said and written in this campaign about John McCain's admiration for Theodore Roosevelt.
It has been said many times that McCain is a maverick in the mold of T.R. And, if one aspires to be president, there were few presidents who have been more worthy of admiration or emulation than Theodore Roosevelt.
Today, the day after the Labor Department reported that unemployment in the United States is at its highest level in five years, it's appropriate that our thoughts should turn to Roosevelt.
It was on this day, in 1901, that President William McKinley was shot in Buffalo, N.Y. He lingered for about a week, then died on Sept. 14, 1901. His vice president was Theodore Roosevelt.As president, Roosevelt compiled a record that was progressive, promising a "square deal" to the working man and giving his support to labor unions.
Almost precisely two years to the day after McKinley was shot, on Sept. 7, 1903, Roosevelt summed up his feelings in his "Square Deal" speech to the New York State Agricultural Association in Syracuse, N.Y., saying, "Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing."
The drumbeat of monthly job losses has lifted the unemployment rate by 1.3 percentage points in the past six months — an extraordinarily rapid rise that economists say is a strong signal of recession. The last time joblessness rose so fast was in 1993 during the 'jobless recovery' from the 1990-1991 recession.
Washington Times
He demonstrated his maverick streak in other ways, too — by promoting conservation and by opposing corruption and illegal practices.
McCain displayed more of a maverick streak when he ran for president in 2000 than he has in 2008.
But this is an opportunity for him to show the same spirit he showed when it looked like Hurricane Gustav might hand New Orleans a Katrina-like blow.
With the Republican convention only hours from being gaveled to order, McCain called for bipartisanship in handling the aftermath of a hurricane. He told Republicans that this was the time to "take off your Republican hats and put on your American hats."
That kind of spirit is needed now. But this time the target audience is much larger. This crisis is more widespread. It doesn't affect only the people along the Gulf coast. The effects of the job losses can be felt in every state.
Job losses across the board were one-fifth higher than projected in August, and losses for June and July were revised upward as well. It is no longer a matter of being able to pay high prices. Now, there is no income in thousands of households where there was an income only a few days or weeks ago.
If a candidate has a good idea for turning things around, he doesn't need to sit on it until after the election so his party will get the credit when it "comes to the rescue" (but is spared having to face the electoral consequences if it doesn't work). It doesn't matter which side gets the credit. If it can help to reverse the economic tide, it will benefit everyone.
And the Washington Times reports that jobs are becoming more scarce as more people enter the job market.
It would be nice to see some presidential leadership.
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