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The Lonely Candidate explores the way in which contemporary political rhetoric has overused a simple word and simultaneously reduced innovation and individualism to a level of triteness. The blog records instances of presidential candidates (with some others thrown in for good measure) describing themselves as the “only” person in a certain field–a lone leader in policy, the last true believer in certain ideals. Like the word “change,” the word has become absurd by its overuse.
The lone figure–dynamic and visionary–has always held a special place in the heart of the American public. From Benjamin Franklin’s efforts at self improvement to the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson and even the odd blend of extreme individualism and semi-pantheism in the poems of Walt Whitman. The ideal has intrigued outsiders, leading to Alexis de Tocqueville’s interest in the tensions it creates in civil society and giving expatriate Ayn Rand a place in popular political philosophy.
The Lonely Candidate tracks the humorous yet distressing way in which being the “only” one has become an empty catchphrase, a throwaway indicator of leadership and courage. Beyond its implications of innovation and resolve, the word has also become a shorthand way of proving expertise. Candidates display their mastery of the economy, foreign policy, healthcare, and other issues through the once simple four-letter word, creating an odd world in which several contenders, for instance, claim to be the only one with experience in economic recovery.
. Historian Shae Davidson's research interests include public policy and the relationship between culture and civil society. His publications range from articles on industrial history to absurdist poetry.
The Lonely Candidate explores the way in which contemporary political rhetoric has overused a simple word and simultaneously reduced innovation and individualism to a level of triteness. The blog records instances of presidential candidates (with some others thrown in for good measure) describing themselves as the “only” person in a certain field–a lone leader in policy, the last true believer in certain ideals. Like the word “change,” the word has become absurd by its overuse.