Opinion Forum

Obama vs. McCain

November 5th, 2008

Well, the election is over, and Barack Obama is President-elect. That’s OK with me. He’s young, smart, and I suspect pragmatic. Maybe he’ll do a great job. In any event, he’ll be my President, and I’ll support him fully. However, I voted for John McCain.

In 10 presidential elections, including this one, I voted for the Democrat seven times and the Republican three times. I feel like I’ve been adrift since the end of the Clinton administration. I didn’t vote at all in 2000 because I didn’t think either candidate, as different as they were, would be a good president. I think recent history has proven me right. I voted for Bush in 2004, only because I felt morally compelled to vote against the detestable John Kerry.

I have unlimited respect for John McCain, and I think he’s one of the few politicians who can effectively work with politicians of the other party. But, he’s too old, and he has serious health problems. Barack Obama, on the other hand, while young and smart, is almost a complete unknown. Invoking ill-defined “change” wasn’t enough. I was also very concerned about his associations with Ayers, Wright, Rezko, et al. You don’t hang around with characters like that for extended periods unless you have something in common with them.

And the VP candidates? Joe Biden is a likable motor-mouthed airhead. No “change” in picking him.

Sarah Palin? I love her. Ready to be president? Probably not. But I was sold from the moment little Piper licked her palm and smoothed the baby’s hair. I know that’s not logical, but there it is. Palin’s speeches were great. Not the scripted oratory of Obama, certainly, but more believable. I think she showed how desperately many Americans want to see people like themselves in positions of leadership. Palin is young, and there are many elections to come. It would be foolhardy to “misunderestimate” her.

Articles written by Tom Carter
Tags: McCain, Obama, Palin
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