Well, if you believe anyone in the media, it's looking more and more like Obama will be our next president. I know a lot of people who say they're still undecided but I think it won't make a difference. Unless something major happens in the next two weeks, I think it's likely Obama will get in, maybe in a landslide.
Then things get interesting. It will be time to see if all the faith from those who have worshipped at the Obama altar for two years is justified. Again, I don't have any particular problem with Obama but as the campaign has progressed, I think some of the sheen has worn off of him. He has provided no more specifics for dealing with problems than McCain has and he has also successfully skirted the difficult issues. So, like most elections, I think this will simply come down to what people believe in. Those who believe that basic Republican tenets are the best will vote for McCain. Those who buy into the Democratic philosophy will vote for Obama. The reason Obama will likely win is because when people are hurting, as many are now, they usually blame the party in charge.
Still, it will be interesting to see what Obama can get done. It's likely he won't be able to blame politics for any failures. The prediction now is that Democrats will not only lead the House and Senate but may even have the magic number in the Senate where they can basically do whatever they want. One potential problem for Obama is that a lot of his proposals are paid for by taxing high income individuals and capital gains. Unfotunately, the faltering economy has wiped out most capital gains earnings for a while. People are going to be declaring losses on investments so there won't be nearly as much for Obama to tax. The current economic mess is also likely to decrease the population of people making over $250K per year, another key target for Obama's payment plan.
No matter who you want to blame for the current financial crisis, it is going to have a dramatic influence on the early period of the next administration. Neither Obama nor McCain has done a good job of elucidating how this is going to specifically influence their potential policies and behaviors. Neither has demonstrated a firm grasp of the science behind climate change or alternative energy. The economy has dominated so much that we haven't even heard a lot about foreign policy, Social Security reform, the influence of technology on jobs and economy, or other pressing issues the country is facing.
I think it's likely Obama will win. I don't have a problem with that. I just hope that all the people who believe in him so much with so little evidence thus far will actually hold his feet to the fire and not make excuses if he fails to deliver. All we've heard about in this campaign is leadership. A true leader gets things done. A true leader does not make excuses. A true leader is able to see the opportunities in crisis and take advantage of them. Let's hope we're electing a leader.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Forward Thinking 101
using simple deduction...
looks like Obama will win the election...
the people have spoken, they want change...finally someone that will change things...hmmm...
1. The overall media controlled by you know who was totally behind Obama...from the start...
2. 28% of Obama's money was donated by republicans...and More than half of the whopping $426.9
million Barack Obama has raised has come from small donors whose names the Obama campaign won't
disclose, plus secret donors from overseas. The internet service providers (ISP) they were able to
trace were from Saudi Arabia , Iran , and other Middle Eastern countries. One of the banks used for
fund transfers was also located in Saudi Arabia. Another concentrated group of donations was traced
to a Chinese ISP with a similar pattern of limited credit card charges. 13,000,000 clustered
donations around $15 each...hmmm when he wins maybe the extra half a billion money donated can be
used for the economy...
3. it was discovered that Obama is a distant cousin of Lynn Cheney...
4. the republicans have never had the courage or concept of picking a woman as a vice presidential
candidate, its not their style... Obama refused several woman and McCain chose a woman...kind of
reversed roles...
5. All Things Considered, August 29, 2008 · The Country song Only in America filled the stadium
Thursday night after Barack Obama's acceptance speech. The song by Brooks and Dunn was also featured
in the last GOP convention and the campaign of George W. Bush.
6. WASHINGTON – With or without a formal title, Colin Powell will have Barack Obama's ear if the
Democratic presidential candidate wins the White House in the Nov. 4 election, the candidate said
Monday Oct. 20th 2008,
"He will have a role as one of my advisers," Barack Obama said on NBC's "Today" in an interview
aired Monday, a day after Powell, a republican, a four-star general and President Bush's former
secretary of state, endorsed him.
hmmm...
wonder why all the republicans have picked Obama...
maybe they want change...I guess either way they win?
they did it better this time...
very clever concept, and they get more clever every time...
we the people feel great we won...
now be happy and get back to work...
any questions....
Anon - Not quite sure of the implication of this lengthy comment. If the implication is that the Repubs have a significant investment in the Obama campaign and don't have a problem with him winning, I think that's a stretch. While wealthy and powerful people find ways to get what they want regardless of which party is in the White House, I don't think it is generally in either parties interest to support a candidate from the other side.
Call it parsimony but it makes more sense to simply field a solid Republican candidate than to implement some Rube Goldberg scheme to get Obama elected and then have influence over him. This race should never have been as close as it was given that you have a president with historically low approval and an increasingly unpopular war. Had the Republicans simply fielded a better candidate, and vice-presidential candidate, they probably could've pulled this off without all the cloak and dagger Obama support.
Anon,
I'm one of those "small donors" the Obama campaign won't disclose. If you have any questions about my leanings you can visit my blog.
I don't think Country Music is a big indicator of party alignment, although I used to think that before I actually hung around with people who listen to and perform country and bluegrass. Learn somethin' every day!
Doc, I'm not riding the wave of certainty on this, just not going to get happy yet. There are too many unknowns, and too much time left for the GOP to pull an October Surprise of one kind or another. And I've heard members of my own family who have been life-long Republicans admit it doesn't matter who will get elected, it's a mess and nothing much will get done much less be either candidate's fault.
Now, if he wins, Obama will as Joe Biden said, no doubt be tested early in his administration. Well, better him than any of the rest of us. I think he'll do the best he can with what he's got to work with. To that end, I'm most forward to the cabinet appointments.
Mando - Frankly, I think McCain has all but conceded defeat. Every day we hear about another state where he's pulling back advertising dollars. I think the writing is on the wall. Even Palin seemed to understand yesterday when she fell back on the old saw about Obama just not being experienced. If that's the only argument they have at this point, stick a fork in them.
Of course, we could capture Bin Laden in the next two weeks. There could be some new terrorist attack that makes everyone love elephants again. But I think it's unlikely.
More likely is that Obama will get elected and that he's going to let a lot of people down. Not because he wants to, not because he's not a good person, but because people have unfairly and erroneously pinned all their hopes on him. No one can possibly measure up to the standards that many of his supporters have set. It's not even fair to him and I think many of them will be disappointed.
Well, at least that's a good honest look at what could happen. And I think you're right, I think there is an enormous risk of the nation electing a President and then sitting back to see what happens, expecting that person to solve everything. Those folks, who take no initiative and who look either to politics or religion or both for the answers, are the real drain circlers. Too bad they outnumber the rest of us or things might actually turn out ok.
Post a Comment