End of Summer Politico

Posted Fri, 08/29/08

I have kept quiet about the election process lately because I was sorely disappointed when Hillary Clinton did not win the Democratic nomination. Months ago, I stated I'd rather vote for John McCain than Barack Obama as I didn't feel the latter was sufficiently equipped to take the reins of the United States.

Previous blog posts about the election et al:

However, the state of our economy is beyond crisis point. Voting for McCain – who admits he knows very little about the economy – is simply not viable. If McCain is somehow elected as President, the United States will become even more of an economic disaster than it is now. Besides, the man doesn't even know how many homes he owns, for God's sake. How can someone like that relate to the American people, who are losing their homes left and right because of the state of the Republican-induced economy? And I share a birthday with him (today) - yikes!

According to an entry at the Huffington Post written by Sam Stein:

At a recent meeting with the Wall Street Journal editorial board, Republican presidential candidate John McCain admitted he "doesn't really understand economics" and then pointed to his adviser and former Senate colleague, Phil Gramm - whom he had brought with him to the meeting - as the expert he turns to on the subject.

May the saints preserve us. It reminds me of when the first President Bush was running for reelection in 1992 and when asked had no idea the cost of a gallon of milk.

McCain's ploy in picking Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his Vice-Presidential running mate is obviously media-driven. Obama is such a "rock star" that McCain really has nothing to offer as counterbalance, so he picks a 44-year-old woman as his running mate. It's a complete political move and I highly doubt Palin – who may well be perfectly qualified for the job – was chosen for her political acumen. In addition, I'm of the opinion that McCain's camp wanted to induce historic reference to his campaign by including a woman as his running mate as the Democrats have the first nominated African-American candidate.

In a nutshell, the present economic limbo of the United States has reformed my voting intentions. I've been a lifelong Democrat so the gradual turnabout should be no surprise, although this time it was prompted by the inadequacy of the current administration. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Obama is as savvy as he appears to be, and that his Presidency will bring about real positive change for the American people. We desperately need it.

On a trivial flip side, it will be grand to have a President people across the globe admire and respect rather than the embarrassment that now represents us.

Tags: Politics

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