I'm pretty sure all my readers are in Super Tuesday states, and I encourage you all to vote, no matter who you support. I actually already voted (early).
As far as I see it, Obama, Clinton, or even McCain, would be a huge improvement over Bush. After 9/11, I felt a spirit of hope, compassion and togetherness in the wake of the catastrophe. People seemed willing to help and support each other. It was like nothing I've ever experienced. A good leader would have capitalized on that oppurtunity to effect positive changes. He or she would have nurtured that spirit. Instead, Bush shabbily used the tragedy to promote his pre-existing agenda to attack Iraq. He completely squandered the good will in and outside the country, and tipped the balance from compassion to fear and hatred. It really felt awful in this country right around the time we attacked Iraq. I felt threatened for simply expressing my viewpoints.
Of the Democratic candidates, I think Obama has the potential to be most like the leader I envision. Certainly not an exact match. But he has the very useful skill to make impassioned and inspiring speeches that tend to bring people more toward the compassion side than the hatred side. Also, unlike Clinton, he did not vote for the Iraq war. Aside from that, their actual platforms are very very similar. Perhaps it's being unfair to Clinton, but she doesn't seem to have the same charisma. I also have been rather disillusioned with her for always making decisions based on whether she thinks it will maintain her electability. In other words, rather than trying to help the most, she is simply laying plans to get elected. Obama is certainly also guilty, but perhaps because of his shorter political career, less so.
One down side to both candidates: neither has any plans to reduce the size of the military or the defense budget. (We spend something on the order of magnitude of ten times more on defense than any other country, and it makes up an astounding percentage of our budget. It rather belies our fundamentally violent, imperialist nature.) Kucinich was my man for that, but he has dropped out in order to concenrate on maintaining his current congressional seat. (I encourage you to donate to his congressional campaign. We need voices like his in congress!)
Please post a comment if I'm being unfair.
8 comments:
I agree. Hillary comes across as a game-player. But, I would note that the people who would make the best candidates are muzzled or muffled by media controlled by special interests.--s29
I don't complete agree about Hillary - I think she comes across as authentic at times, but at others you see the wheels of calculation start to turn, as when she recovered from her tearful moment by implying she was upset because someone like Obama might win and not rescue the country like she could.
Because of this strong exhortation, vacuous, I did vote.
Well I'm glad you voted! Clinton won both our states. :)
Since writing that post, I've thought over my semi-positive comment about McCain. I think he could well be a disaster, possibly dragging the war on for years and attacking Iran as well.
One of the most upsetting things about Clinton is her initial support for the war. I wish she had stood up against Bush then.
But here's a hopeful fact. The number of people voting in the Democratic primaries on Tuesday was roughly double the number voting in the Republican primaries.
Yes, Clinton's pretty disingenous about the war -- she upbraids George W. at every opportunity for the disgrace of the war, but she supported it originally and also supported aggression against Iran, though I think I read somewhere pretty much all the Democrats did? Which I find unforgivable. Obama seems much more clear-headed in terms of military aggression. Yet I feel like a lot about him is an unknown quanitity -- Clinton is more substantive in debates, touching on policy details easily, whereas he tends to be more 'big picture'. (I know this has been said a lot.)
McCain is really "out there." But, he might perversely win if Clinton gets the nod. The GOP has plenty of bad stuff they can throw at her. They're just holding their fire until they see the whites of her eyes.--s29
No matter who gets the nomination, expect a vicious smear campaign, a la "Swift Boat Veterans for the Truth." If there's no actual dirt, they'll just make stuff up.
Can you say Barack Hussein Osama? If Hillary's people are willing to make those calls, wait till the republican machine starts firing. There will be constant talk of how he was raised in a radical madrassa, how he's a radical islamist.
Obama or Hillary, if the economy continues to tank, the next president will only be there for one term.
I am also not convinced either candidate would really get the troops the hell out of Iraq.
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