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November 06, 2008
Election Thoughts
I don’t think anyone I voted for on Tuesday actually ended up winning. And yes, that includes the presidential candidates.
So why did I end up voting for McCain?
First, I think he actually would have governed in a bipartisan fashion. I don’t know if Obama will. He certainly talks about doing as much, but his record isn’t exactly replete with examples of him standing up to his own party and reaching across party lines. McCain – despite attempting to sound like a staunch conservative during the last year – works well with people of the other party and is far more moderate when he’s not trying to appeal to the Republican base.
Second, I trust McCain more on foreign policy/terrorism issues.
Third, I am not in favor of increasing taxes on anyone, the poor, the rich, the middle class, businesses, etc., especially in this economic climate.
Fourth, I think McCain would have done a better job eliminating government waste. (And no, I should not be considered government waste, at least not all of the time! I’ve actually been leaving work at 10 p.m. the last few days. Happy this does not make me, but when stuff needs to get done, it needs to get done. In other words, the government has gotten its money’s worth out of me this week.)
Fifth, I actually like gridlock. I think it prevents the government from going too far in one direction. (At my core, I am a centrist.) Now that the Democrats control the White House and Congress, they will be able to do almost anything they want. Sure, the Republicans might hold up some things in the Senate, but the Democrats are clearly in control.
Why did I end up almost NOT voting for McCain?
First, Sarah Palin. To say she was in over her head would be like saying some American men enjoy watching football. If she runs for president in 2012 and secures the Republican nomination, you can rest assured that Obama will have my vote. McCain showed awful judgment in tapping her to be his running mate. He should have tapped her in a different way if he was going to tap her for anything.
Second, Obama is an incredibly uplifting figure. Even though I probably agree more with McCain’s positions on things, Go-Johnny-Go just doesn’t have that “oomph” factor that Obama does. I remember watching Obama speak after the Iowa caucuses and thinking, “Wow. This guy is amazing.” Our country is down in the dumps right now and we need an inspirational leader. I think Obama can do for America over the next few years what Reagan did for us in the early 80s, i.e. make each of us feel proud to be an American. I just hope he doesn't saddle us with FDR-esque programs that are impossible to pay for eighty years from now.
Third, McCain ran just an absolutely atrociously awful campaign. He always runs awful national campaigns. That made me wonder if he would actually appoint people who could run the government in an efficient manner (well, as efficient as possible). Obama, on the other hand, ran the best, most disciplined campaign in the history of American politics. Maybe he can do the same as Chief Executive of the country.
At the end of the day, what does this all mean?
Even though I voted for McCain, I certainly wasn’t distressed when the results started rolling in. In fact, I was incredibly proud to be an American on Tuesday night because this country demonstrated that it truly is the land of opportunity. Where else can a kid with a white American mom and a black Kenyan dad grow up to be the leader of the country?
Many Democrats did a great disservice to this country in 2000 when they sulked and refused to recognize George Bush as president, as if he did something wrong by fighting as hard as he could for the White House. Even when Bush defeated Kerry in 2004, I heard from more than one liberal friend, “I do not recognize Bush as my president.” Well, such a sentiment is total nonsense.
Barack Obama will be my president, and he will be your president. He will be America’s president and deserves our respect. I didn’t vote for the guy, but I hope he ends up being a rousing success. I never get why people want our leaders to be failures. How is that good for the nation? I will support Obama in the macro sense, even if I disagree with him about various issues, and I will be excited as hell if he can help the country gets its groove back.
If Obama actually attempts to govern in a bipartisan fashion - something George W. Bush promised to do, but didn't really do, especially when the Republicans regained control of the Senate in 2002 - then we have a real shot of unifying our country. I imagine a lot of people won't give him a chance and will write him off from the start. If they do, shame on them.
What a year! What a story!
As Don King would say, “Only in America!”
Comments
I agree wholeheartedly. I have concerns--I seriously doubt bipartisan governing for example--but he is my president-elect. So I'm taking a cautiously optimistic approach.
Posted by: little fish in law school at November 6, 2008 08:35 AM
Great post. Kudos to you Fool!
Posted by: Harmless Error at November 6, 2008 01:20 PM
Very well written post. Extremely so!
And I still like you despite the McCain thing :-)
Posted by: LisaBinDaCity at November 6, 2008 03:38 PM
Jeez, that bit about "not my president" sounds awfully familiar. It's almost like we were members of the same community back in 2004...
Posted by: Philosofer at November 6, 2008 04:27 PM
Do you think Sarah and Todd got busy on the Straight Talk Express (McCain's plane) as they headed back to Alaska yesterday? I just imagine the flight crew looking somewhat aghast as competing shouts of "Call me Todd the Porn Star" and "Drill Baby Drill" emanated from the plane's rest area.
Posted by: Wiseazzz at November 6, 2008 08:52 PM
Merci, amigos. And Wiseazzz, you are probably the main reason I could never get elected to anything and vice-versa! I don't know if the Palins got busy in the manner you described, but I sure as hell hope so!
Posted by: Fool at November 6, 2008 08:54 PM
Ugh, why would McCain ever tap that? His wife is so much hotter than Palin.
Posted by: teahouseblossom at November 6, 2008 11:15 PM
Fool,
I only wish every voter gave it as much thought as you. Though we disagree, it's heartening to see a well-reasoned thought process.
Now, as for thb's assertion that Cindy is hotter than Palin...THAT could be a fun debate, but I think it would come down to whether hot is elegance or naughtiness...
Posted by: (m) at November 7, 2008 05:10 PM
Naughtiness is way hotter than elegance. Cindy seems like the dominatrix type where as Sarah has that free-wheeling girls gone wild thing going.
Posted by: Wiseazzz at November 10, 2008 02:51 PM
