Like the rest of you, I had an important decision to make today. Big election. Some think it’s the most important election in a generation. But I think the quarterback gets too much praise when the team wins and too much praise when the team loses, so I’m not sure if this was as important from a political perspective as it was a social one. Even so, it felt pretty important to me, too.
By the conclusion of the primaries I was actually pretty excited about the pool of candidates I would have the opportunity to choose from, but as the nominees were selected and the campaign got underway, I was made to be less enthused.
What it came down to, for me anyway, was this:
McCain
Unafraid to confront either the opposing party or his own party.
Did more than simply talking about “reaching across the aisle.”
Far more experience than his opponent.
Reputation for toughness.
A demonstrated superior knowledge of foreign affairs than Obama.
Obama
Skilled orator that always seemed graceful under pressure.
Got the backing of some relevant people like Colin Powell, Warren Buffet.
Seemed to have a better understanding of what might need to be done to repair our economy.
Had achieved impressive success at Harvard and beyond.
But they each had weak points:
McCain
72. I have family in that age bracket. No way they’re running a country.
Made what I considered to be a flawed choice for VP. Had better choices readily available. That decision spoke loudly to me about how he’d approach other decisions of import.
Did not seem to have a firm enough grasp on the economy.
Did not appear to be as involved or interested in the development of alternative fuels.
Obama
Did not appear to be as realistic as he should have been about our dependence on oil.
Greatly under-experienced. If elected he may the be the least experienced of any President. Ever.
Selection of human gaff-machine as VP.
Despite being on a committee for foreign policy (the same as Biden years ago) he did almost nothing to actually set foot on foreign soil - made me question if he was simply putting on a show. All sizzle, no meat.
Hired his own foreign policy advisor who advocated the commencement of bombing another country right away. The bad stuff I thought about McCain for selecting Palin? Same thing.
So I chose….
Because he did seem to have the power to get people motivated and enthusiastic. Seems weird talking about being enthusiastic about living in the U.S, but yeah, I think we need that. Lubricates the wheels of commerce, IMHO. And we need that most of all.
Because it appeared he recognized that while we can’t just pull out of Iraq and leave them to fend for themselves, we do need to part ways and allow them make their own way.
Because I used to think the free market economy was the be-all and end-all. We’re too complex, reactive, fluid and complex (and also complex) to just let the chips fall where they may, should the financial markets go in the crapper. I’m not sure what controls are needed, but I think an Obama administration will begin to figure that out and implement a new way to stabilize our economy.
I have some substantive fears in voting for Obama, but for me, his strengths overcame those weaknesses.
Side note: It felt like I was shooting peeping tom video snapping a photo inside the polling area.
But the biggest source of relief? Beginning in January, I’ll never again have to watch the face of my president as it contorts to derogatorily explain something he himself doesn’t understand. And I won’t have to hold my breath each time he’s speaking in the presence of foreign leaders, waiting for him to take a dull butcher’s knife to the names of his hosts and the places he’s visiting; hoping those leaders will forgive his apparent lack of respect. Or IQ.