Greetings,
First blog. First effort. "The Coin's Edge" will try to present balanced opinions on whatever subjects come to my mind and which I feel are important. Hopefully we will enjoy a dialogue and I certainly will not object to you introducing tangents on the theme.
Today is November 4, 2008--Election Day in the United States. Early indications are that there will be a record turn out at the polls. The African-American vote should be huge and many early or mail-in votes have come from this segment of the population according to the summaries being made public as the day goes on.
John McCain is a good guy. In years gone by I've favored his positions and his approach to his political actions. At this time in American history, however, is he really the best for the country and in fact for the world as the United States influences and participates in global politics. Has Senator McCain shown the judgment required of a President, a Chief Executive, a leader of the Free World? Have his decisions in his campaign been those of someone suited to making the thoughtful, collaboratively determined decisions required of the American Pr4esident? One aspect of his campaign which really causes me to question his suitability is his contention that both he and his running mate are 'mavericks." A simple question: Does the country need two "mavericks" runnning the government? The proper answer is "No".
John McCain age-wise, maverick-wise, and temperment-wise is not the candidate for the office. The experience factor doesn't really bother me, since, as I'll mention in the next paragtraph, I believe that Barak Obama has that covered.
Barak Obama offers one of the most highly differentiated candidacy we have enjoyed since John Kennedy rattled our political cage. He is intelligent--not necessarily an appealing characteristic to many voters. Personally, I prefer a President of the United States who is considerably smarter than I am. Neither of his opponents--the Republican strategy has positioned their Vice Presidential candidate as another stand alone candidate running against Barak Obama--have the intellectual chops to represent the American voters to the rest of the world. Barak Obama has already announced that he will have the best minds--Republican, Democrat, and Independent--advising him on the economy, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, domestic programs, health issues, power, and "green" environmental issues.
Joihn McCain is a good guy. It's too bad that this is not the time in our histiory when we can afford to have a President who would be more effective during a time of peace. He would be good for that time. It seems that the tenor of this competition has broken down the goodness of the man, forcing him to engage in negative campaigning, fact twisting, "Joe the Plumber" embarassments, and generally shoddy tactics. It's a shame. Of course, the Democrat campaign doesn't have the cleanest skirts either.
John McCain is a good guy. But, today Barak Obama is a better guy for the full spectrum of American society and in so far as we impact the rest of the world, he is the better man for them too.
Please weigh in.
Sandman
