Election '08! Billed as the biggest Presidential Election of our lifetime. It has already been a historic race to the White House, and it is not over yet (much to the chagrin of many people who claim to have no interest in the matter). Once again the Democrat and Republican parties are doing anything they can to win your all important vote. They say that every vote counts and I agree, especially this year with the race being so close.
Choice is a wonderful thing, and that is what the American public has this coming November. The Republicans have nominated Vietnam veteran and twenty six year Senator John McCain of Arizona for the highest office in the land. He in turn has named Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate.
Senator Barack Obama of Illinois has become the first African American to be nominated for President by a major party as the Democratic choice. His running mate is long time Senator Joe Biden of Delaware.
Some people have claimed that Barack Obama's nomination and popularity is merely a result of him being the first African American to run for President as part of a major party. That seems to diminish his accomplishment. Yes, it is a big deal but no, that is not the reason for his popularity. There are a lot of African Americans who no doubt feel a cultural connection to Obama and perhaps sense that maybe the tide is turning for them in American society.
Those, however, are not the only people who have attached themselves to the Obama campaign. Obama's message of change seems to have resonated with lots of Americans who are tired of the old Washington system and the current Republican administration. The way which special interest lobbyists would donate vast sums of money towards a candidate with the expectation that they would be granted special favors. Obama's campaign funds have come overwhelmingly from the American public. He has stated numerous times that special interests have not contributed to his campaign and would not run his White House. I applaud that sentiment.
Obama's policies seem to make a lot of sense for the majority of the American people. Abolishing the Bush administration's tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and giving tax cuts to 95% of American working families is a much better way to stimulate the economy. Considering the NY Stock Market has experienced the worst crisis since the Wall Street Crash of 1929 Obama's consistent position still makes the most sense in dealing with the consequences.
John McCain, on the other hand, has a totally different approach. He willingly accepts special interest funding and even has several major Washington lobbyists working on his campaign. It would not be too cynical to think that a McCain administration would work more for those special interests than the wider American public. Despite this, after a week of public gaffes in relation to the economy (restating that the fundementals are strong, saying as President he would have fired the head of the SEC, having a spokesman claim he invented the Blackberry etc) he accused Barack Obama of being part of the special interest system of Washington that led to the crisis. This is also after months of claiming that Obama had not been in Washington long enough to run for President.
That leads me nicely to my next point. Experience. While Obama, a junior Senator, was talking about changing the way Washington works (as a relative outsider, a new perspective seems like it would help) John McCain was campaigning on the idea that he had the necessary experience to be President. For months this was the case. The main argument against Obama's message of change. Then McCain named Sarah Palin as his running mate. What's that sound? It's McCain shooting his own argument in the foot. As a first term Alaska Governor (the 47th most populous State in the Union) Palin's lack of experience makes any argument against Obama in that respect worthless. She only got a passport last year, has never met a foriegn head of state and her only political experience before becoming Governor was Mayor of Wasilla, AK. A town with approximately 9,000 people in it.
Sarah Palin's selection as McCain's running mate speaks volumes about how the McCain campaign is being run. It seems it is not being run by McCain. In order to clinch his party's nomination McCain had to abandon a lot of his previously held positions and policies. Apparently McCain wanted to select Joe Liebermann as his Vice Presidential running mate, yet he picked a Governor with little experience whom he had only met once prior to selection. That seems odd. Then you look at Palin's positions. She appeals directly to the Republican base. She is a gun-toting, Iraq War-supporting, abortion-opposing creationist. So instead of defying his party and picking a running mate that he believed in his heart would be a competant VP, he caved in to the demands of his party and selected Palin. Despite this and abandoning a lot of his previously held convictions McCain still refers to himself as a maverick. Don't laugh, some people still buy it.
To be continued...
Choice is a wonderful thing, and that is what the American public has this coming November. The Republicans have nominated Vietnam veteran and twenty six year Senator John McCain of Arizona for the highest office in the land. He in turn has named Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate.
Senator Barack Obama of Illinois has become the first African American to be nominated for President by a major party as the Democratic choice. His running mate is long time Senator Joe Biden of Delaware.
Some people have claimed that Barack Obama's nomination and popularity is merely a result of him being the first African American to run for President as part of a major party. That seems to diminish his accomplishment. Yes, it is a big deal but no, that is not the reason for his popularity. There are a lot of African Americans who no doubt feel a cultural connection to Obama and perhaps sense that maybe the tide is turning for them in American society.
Those, however, are not the only people who have attached themselves to the Obama campaign. Obama's message of change seems to have resonated with lots of Americans who are tired of the old Washington system and the current Republican administration. The way which special interest lobbyists would donate vast sums of money towards a candidate with the expectation that they would be granted special favors. Obama's campaign funds have come overwhelmingly from the American public. He has stated numerous times that special interests have not contributed to his campaign and would not run his White House. I applaud that sentiment.Obama's policies seem to make a lot of sense for the majority of the American people. Abolishing the Bush administration's tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and giving tax cuts to 95% of American working families is a much better way to stimulate the economy. Considering the NY Stock Market has experienced the worst crisis since the Wall Street Crash of 1929 Obama's consistent position still makes the most sense in dealing with the consequences.
John McCain, on the other hand, has a totally different approach. He willingly accepts special interest funding and even has several major Washington lobbyists working on his campaign. It would not be too cynical to think that a McCain administration would work more for those special interests than the wider American public. Despite this, after a week of public gaffes in relation to the economy (restating that the fundementals are strong, saying as President he would have fired the head of the SEC, having a spokesman claim he invented the Blackberry etc) he accused Barack Obama of being part of the special interest system of Washington that led to the crisis. This is also after months of claiming that Obama had not been in Washington long enough to run for President.That leads me nicely to my next point. Experience. While Obama, a junior Senator, was talking about changing the way Washington works (as a relative outsider, a new perspective seems like it would help) John McCain was campaigning on the idea that he had the necessary experience to be President. For months this was the case. The main argument against Obama's message of change. Then McCain named Sarah Palin as his running mate. What's that sound? It's McCain shooting his own argument in the foot. As a first term Alaska Governor (the 47th most populous State in the Union) Palin's lack of experience makes any argument against Obama in that respect worthless. She only got a passport last year, has never met a foriegn head of state and her only political experience before becoming Governor was Mayor of Wasilla, AK. A town with approximately 9,000 people in it.
Sarah Palin's selection as McCain's running mate speaks volumes about how the McCain campaign is being run. It seems it is not being run by McCain. In order to clinch his party's nomination McCain had to abandon a lot of his previously held positions and policies. Apparently McCain wanted to select Joe Liebermann as his Vice Presidential running mate, yet he picked a Governor with little experience whom he had only met once prior to selection. That seems odd. Then you look at Palin's positions. She appeals directly to the Republican base. She is a gun-toting, Iraq War-supporting, abortion-opposing creationist. So instead of defying his party and picking a running mate that he believed in his heart would be a competant VP, he caved in to the demands of his party and selected Palin. Despite this and abandoning a lot of his previously held convictions McCain still refers to himself as a maverick. Don't laugh, some people still buy it.
To be continued...
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