2008 Election
I spent some time today catching up on speeches and punditry for the Presidential elections in November. Wow. Another tempest in a teapot. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but I am a little bit at A) some of the things that candidates have said (or not said) and B) many of the things that other people have said about the candidates.
I plan to vote for the democratic candidates this year- not so much because they embody everything that I want in a leader of the USA, but because they seem like the lesser of two evils.
With the exception of his opinions on a few important topics, I think that McCain is actually an interesting choice of Republican candidates. He is certainly less right-leaning than many people in the party and has shown a laudable willingness to work with people in his time in Congress. I am dumbfounded at his choice of running-mates, especially in light of his age. I'm not trying to be age-ist here, but we've got to accept that he is rapidly approaching the age at which the average American man stops living. His history does not suggest to me that he is particularly likely to outlive the average, which could mean Palin as President. Despite her strong presence at the VP debate (very telegenic!), I'm left with the overwhelming impression that Palin is a mere spokesperson with no political clout, and an apparent complete lack of comprehension of policy. Matt Damon offer a good summary of my concerns about Palin.
With that said, I don't like the way that Obama has vacillated on some key issues (such as campaign funding) and I do have some concerns about his relatively low level of experience. Having said that, I do believe that he has demonstrated a good ability to form strong advisers and hope that he will perform well in the Oval Office. I think Biden could be one of the best VPs in a long time- he has experience and political history to make up for Obama's lack, and he obviously has a solid understanding of how things do or don't work in Washington.
Please feel free to add your comments to this discussion. I'm interested in fact/figures/voting records that support one candidate vs. another. I'm not interested in religious arguments- I understand that they matter a lot to many people, but I'm sure that religious considerations aren't going to be swayed one way nor the other by this little blog!
The fact that I will be voting for a candidate in whom I don't believe 100% is a little depressing to me. The growing discontent of the American public with regards to our political system has been hashed and rehashed too much for me to add anything meaningful here.
I remember the first time I voted in a Presidential election. I really thought it was thrilling and felt a sense of empowerment. Now, I look at it as a duty to complete so that I buy a license to comment in the future, but otherwise as a fairly futile undertaking- I'm certain that Obama will carry California (where I'm registered) so the reality is that my vote is unlikely to actually matter at all. Then again, I suppose that if all of us felt that way then CA might go "red" and I'd really feel like a heel.
Monday is the last day to register to vote. If you haven't registered yet.... GO REGISTER. Even if you are going to vote for the team that I don't support, I hope you do register and do vote. Maybe if everyone started thinking about politics the way that I did when I voted in college... maybe then things would start to turn around a little.
Here's a quick summary, by the way, of my understanding of candidates views on some topics that I consider important (in no particular order):
There are other issues, of course. On health care I don't understand their positions. It seems like neither is truly advocating radical reform of the deeply flawed US health care system. Too bad, big opportunity there to help people.
I'm also unimpressed by immigration policy for either candidate. It seems like a lot of wasted money what we do now, same goes for the "war on drugs" which is inexorably linked to immigration and also a huge waste of tax dollars.
Finally, one of the things that I found most un-believable: Palin has traveled to a grand total of five countries in her life. Canada (on her way to Alaska, perhaps?), Mexico, Kuwait, Germany and the USA. For me, travel is one of the most important things that we do. It expands our horizons and shows us the reality of how different people have different perspectives. While there are certainly people who lack the economic ability to travel extensively, Palin isn't one them. Her lack of international curiosity worries me. Deeply. It suggests to me (or perhaps I interpret from it) that she lacks intellectual vigor and is closed to new ideas/concepts and might be unwilling and/or unable to accommodate the vast diversity of thoughts, experiences, and beliefs of the people of America.
I plan to vote for the democratic candidates this year- not so much because they embody everything that I want in a leader of the USA, but because they seem like the lesser of two evils.
With the exception of his opinions on a few important topics, I think that McCain is actually an interesting choice of Republican candidates. He is certainly less right-leaning than many people in the party and has shown a laudable willingness to work with people in his time in Congress. I am dumbfounded at his choice of running-mates, especially in light of his age. I'm not trying to be age-ist here, but we've got to accept that he is rapidly approaching the age at which the average American man stops living. His history does not suggest to me that he is particularly likely to outlive the average, which could mean Palin as President. Despite her strong presence at the VP debate (very telegenic!), I'm left with the overwhelming impression that Palin is a mere spokesperson with no political clout, and an apparent complete lack of comprehension of policy. Matt Damon offer a good summary of my concerns about Palin.
With that said, I don't like the way that Obama has vacillated on some key issues (such as campaign funding) and I do have some concerns about his relatively low level of experience. Having said that, I do believe that he has demonstrated a good ability to form strong advisers and hope that he will perform well in the Oval Office. I think Biden could be one of the best VPs in a long time- he has experience and political history to make up for Obama's lack, and he obviously has a solid understanding of how things do or don't work in Washington.
Please feel free to add your comments to this discussion. I'm interested in fact/figures/voting records that support one candidate vs. another. I'm not interested in religious arguments- I understand that they matter a lot to many people, but I'm sure that religious considerations aren't going to be swayed one way nor the other by this little blog!
The fact that I will be voting for a candidate in whom I don't believe 100% is a little depressing to me. The growing discontent of the American public with regards to our political system has been hashed and rehashed too much for me to add anything meaningful here.
I remember the first time I voted in a Presidential election. I really thought it was thrilling and felt a sense of empowerment. Now, I look at it as a duty to complete so that I buy a license to comment in the future, but otherwise as a fairly futile undertaking- I'm certain that Obama will carry California (where I'm registered) so the reality is that my vote is unlikely to actually matter at all. Then again, I suppose that if all of us felt that way then CA might go "red" and I'd really feel like a heel.
Monday is the last day to register to vote. If you haven't registered yet.... GO REGISTER. Even if you are going to vote for the team that I don't support, I hope you do register and do vote. Maybe if everyone started thinking about politics the way that I did when I voted in college... maybe then things would start to turn around a little.
Here's a quick summary, by the way, of my understanding of candidates views on some topics that I consider important (in no particular order):
| Issue | Obama | McCain |
| Evolution vs. ID | "I believe in evolution, and I believe there’s a difference between science and faith. That doesn’t make faith any less important than science. It just means they’re two different things. And I think it’s a mistake to try to cloud the teaching of science with theories that frankly don’t hold up to scientific inquiry." | "I happen to believe in evolution. ... I respect those who think the world was created in seven days. Should it be taught as a science class? Probably not." |
| Woman's Right to Choose Abortion | Keep it as it is now | Overturn Roe v. Wade (note: Palin opposes abortion even for rape victims.) |
| War in Iraq | end it soon | Spend more, kill more |
| Pork-Barrel Politics | Says he opposes, but it appears that "Bacon tastes good" | Lifelong opponent |
| Campaign finance Limits | great fundraiser (now beholden?) | less is more (but lots of help) |
| Global Warming | Man-made. Must limit emissions. Will fund renewable energy progress. | Man-Made, Limit emissions by 2050 (that's well after his death. C'mon.) |
| Education | Make community college free, make public colleges very affordable, invest heavily in youth programs | Invest in internet education resources (read: Corporations make $ on education), supports vouchers |
| Energy Policy | Make 10% of US energy renewable in 1 year, 25% by 2025. Supports stupid flex-fuel car idea. Supports "clean coal" and mild support of nuclear. Opponent of bad "gas tax holiday" concept. Suspend buying oil for strategic reserves. | Supports stupid flex-fuel car idea. Strong proponent of nuclear. Supports coal and offshore drilling. Vague support of renewable energy. Proponent of bad "gas tax holiday" concept. Suspend buying oil for strategic reserves. |
There are other issues, of course. On health care I don't understand their positions. It seems like neither is truly advocating radical reform of the deeply flawed US health care system. Too bad, big opportunity there to help people.
I'm also unimpressed by immigration policy for either candidate. It seems like a lot of wasted money what we do now, same goes for the "war on drugs" which is inexorably linked to immigration and also a huge waste of tax dollars.
Finally, one of the things that I found most un-believable: Palin has traveled to a grand total of five countries in her life. Canada (on her way to Alaska, perhaps?), Mexico, Kuwait, Germany and the USA. For me, travel is one of the most important things that we do. It expands our horizons and shows us the reality of how different people have different perspectives. While there are certainly people who lack the economic ability to travel extensively, Palin isn't one them. Her lack of international curiosity worries me. Deeply. It suggests to me (or perhaps I interpret from it) that she lacks intellectual vigor and is closed to new ideas/concepts and might be unwilling and/or unable to accommodate the vast diversity of thoughts, experiences, and beliefs of the people of America.
# posted by Steve Broyles @ 10/05/2008 07:07:00 PM 
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