Election 2008: My Thoughts Thus Far
Cats: Current Events, Personal, Politics|As I’m sitting here watching my nearly 5-month-old son haphazardly rolling around on the floor (thankfully he doesn’t move too quickly), I was reminded that I have yet to make known my thoughts so far about the presidential election. So I muted the rerun of ‘Psych’ on the TV, left ‘Cranky Geeks’ running in the background on my computer (man, I am a media hog), and warmed up the blog after a brief hiatus.
The bottom line is that I am still voting for Obama. The selection of Biden as his vice presidential candidate is a net minus in my book (more on that later), while Sarah Palin’s nomination as McCain’s running mate does nothing more for McCain than muddy the waters, at best (more detail on this to come as well). So nothing that has come out of the conventions nor their aftermath that will convince me to change my mind.
Senator Joseph Biden was a ‘safe’ choice for Obama’s running mate. But I don’t think he was the right choice. Yes, he solidifies the Democratic base, and he complements Obama’s perceived lack of experience, especially in the foreign policy realm (a problem that didn’t seem to stop Bill Clinton in 1992). My problems with him are as follows:
1) Biden started in the senate more than two months before John McCain was released from his cell in Vietnam in 1973. This is not my idea of a fresh face, or an agent of change. At least not the kind I can believe in. He reminds me a bit ofa Cheney to Obama’s Bush: a gruff, old-guard party politician who, from the second spot on the ticket, will exercise the party’s influence on the young, relatively unexperienced man who is charismatic enough to get elected.
2) Biden is not someone I would ever compare to Obama. Not to put on the tinfoil hat of conspiracy theory (and I am going somewhere with this), but it would be no surprise if a young, attractive progressive presidential candidate (or president, or any other political figure) were assassinated–especially if the man in question were the first african-american president of a nation with an unfortunate number of racists with guns. While a) I would never wish this on anyone, and b) hope for the best in my countrymen, JFK, RFK, MLK, and David Palmer from ’24′ might have something to say on the matter (that is, if they were still alive and/or real). The thing is, I would have preferred that Obama selected someone more like himself. This would theoretically make any would-be assassin think twice, because instead of one victim, he or she would need to find a way to kill both president & vice president. This is a far-fetched scenario, I know, but if Barack Obama were to die in office, I sure as heck wouldn’t want Joe Biden in the top spot. As it is, assuming that we aren’t so unlucky to have another president (or candidate) assassinated anytime soon, Biden is merely passable as a vice president. I guess I just don’t know why we need more old white guys leading us…
Speaking of old white guys, the Republicans have pulled another Bob Dole, in my opinion, with McCain. But that, and my thoughts on Palin, will have to wait for another time.
September 15th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Don,
You know I’d have something to say about politics. I for the most part agree with your analysis of the Biden pick. My only difference of opinion is I consider Biden a net push not a net minus. I don’t believe Biden makes anyone not vote for the messiah… errr… Obama.
As far as your old white guy argument goes…. If you take race out of it (which I like to, that’s the way Dr. King would have wanted it) Obama is just another Ivy league educated male running for president. Sure, he’s a little younger than your average candidate, but that would be about it.
I disagree with your early assertion that Palin does nothing for McCain, but I guess I’ll save that analysis for that blog.