It's election time, and the countdown has started... about 18 days to go. I was reading the newspapers and see that every Tom, Dick and Harry is coming out with their "endorsements" of candidates. What the heck, I am going to endorse my candidate as well. I guess I could spend considerable space endorsing my position on every contest/proposition on the ballot, but I will save you the grief of having to read through all that boring stuff. Let me limit myself to the big cake - the Presidential Election.
Having followed a good deal of Campaign 2008 from it start over 20 months ago, one could not help but notice the obvious dynamic - this is a democratic election year. Barack Obama came in from nowhere as a breath of fresh air, energized the democratic base and inspired a new breed of young first-time voters, and even upset the then more-established frontrunner - Hillary Clinton - in ultimately securing his party's nomination. Obama's run did not just stop there. With the precarious economy in the backdrop appearing to validate practically every single one of his political positions, Obama is now trumping John McCain debate after debate, and convincingly leading in a poll of polls. After all the gaffe traps and false accusations and cheap shots that his detractors threw at him in the hope something would stick and destroy him, Barack has weathered the political mudstorm at every instance and has stayed the course on his march to the White House in the most dignified fashion possible. As Bill Clinton said recently, history does seem to be on Obama's side and by all accounts he is the man who is going to win in November.
Obama's voice seems to the one voice of sanity that we hear on TV these days after years of Bush-orchestrated stupidities. Obama has pledged his message of "change" not merely in words but with concrete proposals he has put on the table to address our floundering economy and real estate situation. His tax and healthcare plans are refreshing. He says he will bring the Iraq war to an end and devote attention to Afghanistan and Pakistan instead, and correctly acknowledges that withdrawing from a self-inflicted useless war should not be considered a "defeat" but rather a "correction" of senseless policies pursued by an inept prior administration. Obama has refuted claims of his lack of political experience by surrounding himself with the right people - like Joe Biden - who could be trusted to offer Obama sound advice on matters that he may be lacking in experience. Obama has been calling for making earnest efforts to repair America's foreign image that has been greatly damaged by Bush policies - by re-engaging with our allies, joining forces with Europe against global terrorism, and showing more respect for world opinion. Obama also seems like someone who could be trusted on global warming issues and diversification of our energy use and supplies. In all, Obama seems to be best choice to lead America at this critical juncture of uncertainty for us.
In contrast, McCain, for all proclamations to the contrary, has done nothing to get us to believe he will change the status quo perpetuated by George Bush. They are both from the same party after all, aren't they? Clearly on Iraq McCain is confusing common-sense with self-pride, and childishly thinks that withdrawing is paramount to conceding "defeat." Such jingoistic approach to military matters is only bound to bring further disaster to us at a time when our economy is reeling domestically and our foreign image is already tarnished. With the Republican blood in him, McCain is bound to bring a similar nationalistic right-wing attitude towards taxes and the economy as well. At age 72, McCain's age is an issue - not because he is old, but because he seems incapable of exercising good judgment. A classic case of McCain's recent poor judgment is his choice of VP running mate. Palin seems to be an absolute "deer in a headlight" when it comes to practically every matter that is of national importance at this time, and her negative pronouncements against Obama ("palling with terrorists," etc.) clearly indicates she has a very long way to go before she is ready for decent politics. (PS: No, I didn't say she is not beautiful.)
Let us just assume for a minute Obama does become President. And a hundred years from now, the country and the rest of mankind is probably not going to remember Obama for what he did to retrieve our economy or the Iraq war or this or that... There is one thing and one thing only that he will be remembered for - that he was the first black man ever to become President of this country. For all its greatness as a nation, America does seem to have this stinging stigma that no man of color has ever become President, doesn't it? May be if Barack becomes President, the next time we teach our kids that "anyone can grow up to become President someday" we may really start feeling that there is some truth to it.
So no prize this time for guessing whom I am endorsing for President.
