“Change you can believe in” is the slogan constantly hammered home by Barack Obama, the Democrat nominee for president. His supporting cast and tired old ideas beg to differ.

Just look at his posse; Kennedy, Hillary, Bill, Kerry, Gore, Biden—even George McGovern was making the media rounds on Obama’s behalf. The “new ideas” he brings along are the same dusty old ideas; you and I are not taxed enough, there are no limits to the reach of government and his practice of such novel ideas as appeasement and pandering.

The payoff to the Obamites for three days of dinosaurs parading across the stage on national television in Denver was to be a coronation ceremony at Mile High Stadium to rival the opening of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

John McCain’s brilliant tactical counterattack in the person of his vice presidential selection, and the enticing way in which it was leaked but not leaked (to the Attention Deficit-afflicted media), totally obliterated Obama and his speech from the news cycle.

It is John McCain who has demonstrated nerve and courage by actually acting on “change” and inviting to the party a God-fearin’, gun-totin’, corruption-fighting governor, mom of five, wife of an Eskimo, with strong family-American-Republican principles and a reputation for taking on prey a whole lot bigger than she. That prey ranges from moose to corrupt politicians—especially those in her own party and the big oil interests that used to have Alaska dancing on the end of a string.

Sarah Palin immediately came under fire from the Obama camp (oblivious to the irony of their attack) for her “inexperience.” The attack also took a shot at small towns and women (way to go Barack, that’ll win over those PUMA babes and “bitter,” God-clinging, gun-clinging, middle America working stiffs you have ridiculed—not). Meanwhile, Palin thanked Hillary Clinton for the “18 million cracks in the glass ceiling.” Hillary returned the favor and praised Palin for her achievements, an exchange which only served to highlight which candidate is the political novice (hint, the answer is not “Palin”).

Echoes of Sacramento
At the local level, Obama’s plight mirrors that of Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo. Her slogan is “Trust Progress.” Her record and agenda are one of aimlessness and wandering attention, absent from important debate and issues affecting the city and just keeping the seat warm until a real mayor finally shows up. Her “Trust Progress” is just as hollow as Obama’s “Change you can believe in.”

Nationally, the GOP has now come around to represent an actual and real change, embracing new blood and new ideas (to the surprise of many, this author included). This, as the Democrats are looking ever more void of ideas. Locally, Fargo looks to freeze the calendar to a time when foggy memories of a better time and place live.

Fargo’s Sacramento is still a tiny backwater of tomato farmers, garden clubs and town square carrousels. It is a pleasant memory but today the carousel is at Arden Fair Mall, people with gardens find citations from code enforcement on their doors and the farms are increasingly turned into big box stores and residential communities.

Meanwhile, mayoral candidate Kevin Johnson is seeking out new ideas and new ways of doing things. He spends time sitting down with people of various political stripes and picks the finest brains he is able to encounter. He has made sure to develop his “calling card name” with far more clout than “Heather Who?”

Moreover, Johnson has acted on his ideas and used his name to attempt change right here in Sacto. He has not been entirely successful, there have been missteps and gaffs, but he has consistently agitated for solutions over the city’s traditional inertia.

Repackaging something tired, old and ineffective (even harmful) is nothing new—heck, it is a driving force in commerce and advertising. Democrats have simply slapped on a new national face, called it “change” and we are supposed to buy into that. Locally, Heather Fargo coughed up an equally empty slogan to repackage City Hall’s lack of governance.

Come to think of it, the description sounds a lot like Arnold, too. But that is a whole other column.