Posted by
Greg the Great's Nanobrain on Tuesday, October 28, 2008 11:24:45 AM
It is still strange to me that I have friends that are still voting for Obama. It just suprises me. My wife asked why last night in an email, and he responded. This is the back and forth. Black text is his, blue is mine.
Subject: President
Here it goes again. It’s 11:15, and I think that I can finish by midnight…
"So I am really curious, not trying to harrass you or anything. Tell me why you think he is a better candidate and more qualified to be president?"
I’ll try my best to answer you in a manner that is somewhat coherent.
1. Neither man is “qualified” to be president, in the sense of needing to be qualified to be a doctor, or a teacher, or an airline pilot. Only Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and the two George Bushes are qualified to be president (and even that is debatable). The truth is that there is nothing that one can do to become “qualified” to be president.
1) I disagree here. There are offices like that of the governor that prepare people to handle the situations of being president. Even a CEO that run a large company is more qualified to be president then others. The government is the largest business in the world. Just like any other job you find the person that has experience in running a business and leading people. While you are correct about being a candidate, like for medical school or teaching, you still have to have experiences that qualify you for the job before any one will hire you. I can sit in a plane but if I do not know how to fly it, the airline will not hire me to do the job. It is the same with presidents. Anyone can apply, but you do not hire someone just because they put a resume in.
2. Both men are qualified to be president, in the sense that the U.S. Constitution requires that one be a natural born citizen of at least 35 years of age, 14 years a resident of the United States, and not having already served two terms as president. John McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone while it was under U.S. control to a father serving in the U.S. Navy, so he is a natural born citizen. Barack Obama was born in Hawaii, and his mother was a U.S. citizen (from Kansas), so he is a natural born citizen. Obama is 47, and McCain has lapped the age requirement and then some, so they’re both good there.
2) Agreed here, they fit the minimum requirements to apply for the job.
Based upon the above criteria, I’d judge both men to be legitimate candidates for the office of presidency.
Note: in my opinion, the above does not apply to the vice-presidential candidate (this will be important later).
Now, I will attempt to answer the questions that each person must ask him or herself when trying to determine which candidate to select:
1. What is the job of the president? I believe that the primary responsibility of the president is to be the “leader of the nation,” not the “governor of the country.” The two are vastly different. The president needs to be a person who can calm, inspire, empower and communicate with the people of the country. Barack Obama definitely has the edge here.
1) Agree here, yet everything that he has had to deal with he had pushed aside in political expedience. He has been consistent on changing his positions and views to suit the situation. Say anything to win. McCain has not changed on any issue of value. It takes a little more than smooth talking to lead. His plans to empower include taking away people's God given powers, funds, and gifts in order to make things "fair". Life is not fair and cannot be. We lived in a cursed world that only God can make fair again.
2. Can we trust this man in a crisis situation? I’d call this one a wash. I’d trust either equally in a September 11th type situation.
2) the issue is not so much trust for me here. It is what I KNOW one of them will do. I know that McCain will take it seriously and fight back. I fear that Obama will sit back like Clinton did so often and say "oh well, let bomb a factory somewhere to show how tough we are". That is the policy and nature of the people who represent him in congress.
3. Who’s tax plan is better? Clearly Obama’s, which (according to a survey of economists done by The Economist) provides bigger tax reductions to more people than McCain proposals.
3) Disagree here. The people that he wants to tax are the ones making more than $250K a year. This group is already paying out close to 50% in taxes. They are also the ones that support families and industry in the country. Who set this marker of 250K as "rich". We live in houses that cost more than that. Also his tax plan will undoubtedly be used to try to provide healthcare and better education. This is not the federal governments job. One of the first thing he will do is take back the tax cuts that Bush gave us, and then implement his. In the end we will be paying more over all. http://www.heritage.org/Research/HealthCare/wm2114.cfm All of his cuts will result in larger government. It needs cut not enlarged like it has been over the last 20 years.
4. Who was on the right side of the Iraqi war? I’ve opposed this war all along. It was unnecessary and wrong, and John McCain was behind it from the beginning.
4) Everyone was behind it from the start in the congress. The entire world believed that there were WMDs. And through the war the corruption of the UN and many countries was exposed through the oil for food. Overall the people in Iraq are now free, the UN abuse was exposed and people are not being killed just because some dictator snaps his fingers. In the end, good was done and America has given a large group of people the ability to live free. McCain understand that there is evil in the world and it should be brought down if possible.
5. Which candidate’s campaign has been run with more fairness and integrity? In my view, Barack Obama has run a much more upbeat, fair and decent campaign. He hasn’t even played some of his best cards yet, and he probably won’t.
5) They have both done a poor job in my opinion. Again, McCain has stayed firm on his positions while Obama has said whatever needed. Obama associations with people has been covered up at all cost. Integrity has to go to McCain. Every time something was said that was not fair or appropriate, he has public opposed it. Obama has never opposed the incorrect or unfair things said by his party in relation to the McCain campaign. Fairness, hard call for me, integrity, well it is one of things I find very lacking in Obama.
6. Which candidate do I agree with more on social issues? I’m with both on gay marriage (oppose), and I’m with the McCain/Palin side on abortion.
6) Okay, this is not completely true. Obama does not oppose gay marriage, he just opposes making a federal law forbidding it. He thinks the states should decide. http://pewforum.org/religion08/compare.php?Issue=Gay_Marriage
7. Which candidate is more closely aligned with President Bush? McCain proudly touted that he voted with President Bush at a rate that was “higher than even many of my Republican colleagues.” So that’s a negative for me.
7) Well dislike of Bush should have nothing to do with who you vote for. McCain bucked his party many times as well. To the point that some people felt he should just change parties. Obama has done nothing but voted right down the far left liberal line. He has never taken a stance against anything that his party has done. For this reason, I believe McCain will hold his ground and not give into the party or leaders in the party. He will do what he thinks is right. Also, just the fact that Obama started his campaign off with one of the most radical and socialist groups thus far formed in the US tells a great deal about his beliefs. The last time anyone was in office that believed this strongly in socialism was FDR and if it has not been for the WWII he would have killed democracy as we know it. This is slated, so please look into it if you wish. http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=26913 I have and found nothing "untrue" in it.
8. Which candidate will help rebuild the good image of the United States internationally? Although this is a rather unsavory subject for me (the idea of sucking up to the French makes my stomach turn), I believe that Barack Obama is more equipped with diplomacy skills (and allies) to succeed in this most unfortunate necessity.
8) I could care less about "image" around the World. The truth is every country that "disliked" us is now run by likeminded folks of the McCain types.
And finally….
9. The first decision any president makes is his selection of the vice-presidential candidate. Did each candidate select a running mate that would be a capable, competent president on January 20, 2009.
Obama-Unquestionably yes. There has been no critic from either party who believes that Joe Biden is unprepared to instantly be president in a emergent situation. He’d probably be a pretty boring president, and I don’t think he’d ever win at the top of the ticket, but he would be capable and competent.
McCain-In my eyes, not even close. Sarah Palin is not prepared to be president, and the most well respected Republican in this country, Colin Powell, agrees with me on that. She was selected as a stunt. They had a checklist, and she fit the bill. Female: check. Pretty: check. Christian: check. Pro-life, pro-gun: check, check. Kids: check. One of them has a disability? Perfect! Husband is a union member? Great! >From the west? Perfect!
The vice president has become president instantly in 21% of all presidential reigns (9 out of 43) and has ascended to the presidency by election five time (for a total of 32.5% of all presidencies, 14 out of 43).
The argument that Barack Obama does not have the “experience” needed to be “qualified” to be president is bogus. Winning enough electoral votes to become president is the ultimate qualification. This, however, does not apply in any way to the vice presidential candidate. This person is singularly selected to become the “president-in-waiting.” The presidential nominee from each party has a responsibility to every American of any political affiliation to seriously select a running mate who could be a capable, competent president on the first day they take office. Barack Obama succeeded in this and John McCain failed miserable.
9) First of all - no sitting senator should ever be elected president. As a matter of fact it has only happened two time in history. One was JFK and he was killed the other was Harding and he died 1.5 years after taking office leaving Coolidge in office. Not that this is anything other than strange, senators make laws. They have no executive experience that might "help" prepare them for running a business like the government. Obama could have picked a little better by going out of the senate. McCain did at least make an effort to find a person that fit the bill of the people in his party. A Governor- of the largest state - a conservative - and someone who has likewise push against her party when she needed to. He picked someone that has a proven record of cutting out big government and taking a stance against nonsensical decisions made by the Federal Government. While I am not sure why you think Biden, who has really done nothing, much like Obama, in the senate that anyone can remember, is more prepared or capable of being president then someone like Palin who is indeed a governor and has more executive experience than Obama, McCain, and Biden put together. She has run a government, the rest of them have just voted. As you stated it was the "perfect" choice for McCain. You should take that into consideration. No one said "wow, McCain should have picked xxx instead". Obama got a lot of that. You might find this interesting about Biden as well. http://townhall.com/columnists/MichaelMedved/2008/09/24/bidens_financial_history_disqualifies_him_for_high_office Just something to think about.
In summation, selecting a candidate in this election, like every election, is a roll of the dice. In my life, I have never been excited about the candidate that I was planning on voting for. I like Bob Dole, but I cast my vote against Bill Clinton. I voted for Bush in 2000 because I didn’t want Gore to win. I voted in 2004 for John Kerry (holding my nose the entire time) because I couldn’t vote to re-elect Bush after he lied about the Iraqi war. I like John McCain, and I’d probably vote for him in almost any election other than this one. Will Sarah Palin someday be president? Probably. American politics is way more fun with her in it. I like her. But not right now.
Right now, in 2008, I’m proudly voting for Barack Obama because he really is a transformational figure. Is he very liberal? Yes. Does that worry me? Not really. He really is the leader we need, at this time of crisis. America has the chance that we don’t often have, to vote for real change, and not just more of the same. The rest of the world will take note of our bravery, insight and leadership. I really believe this.
ENDING - Liberal I can take, socialist, I just cannot. It has never worked. Not once. It is the foundation of everything that Obama believes. His past, that he denies and tries to hide shows this. I really wish the media was "balanced" in how they cover people. Anyhow, I would rather have a person like McCain who has shown integrity, even if you don't like his positions, than someone like Obama who has shown he has little. He is a smooth talker but there have been a lot of them in history and they normally don't lead well.
Hmm…12:11. Not too bad. I’d better go to bed so that I can hurry up and wake up.
Let me know what you think. I’m up for any reasonable and rational discussion on the subject. :-)