By some accounts, I should be the biggest Obama supporter out there. After all, the guy looks like me, we have the same ethnic background...although I'm darker, fatter and I have a fuller afro. Obama's speeches have style and flair. He lights up the crowd with his energy and enthusiasm. I happen to be a musician and I appreciate a good performer that can work a crowd. But unfortunately you can't vote for a candidate basedsolely upon looks and style. If so, Paris Hilton's mock commmercial might not be so far off base and the Jolie/Pitt ticket would win in a landslide.
Beyond the style, flair and rhetoric you have to vote for a candidate based upon the candidate's experience and what they stand for.
That is why the only option for me is McCain. McCain's experience as a Senator for a vast number of years trumps Obama's 15 minutes of fame significantly. And yes, contrary to several articles recently published in papers and online, experience matters. Having the vast amount of experience that McCain has accumulated means that there is an established record of positions and behavior on key issues. True, not all of the positions over the course of one's vast career will be ones that are popular. Sometimes there will be positions which I flat out disagree with. But at least there is a clear pattern which establishes the character of the man. McCain's experience and voting record provide us with insight that he is a man who will stick to his beliefs even to the point of alienating some of his friends. History, gleaned from his experience, has also shown him to be a compromiser in some areas and a bipartisan leader. To put it simply, McCain's experience reveals that he is the type of leader who would make a good president. His experience indicates he is strong enough to defend his position against all, but aware enough to know when to compromise in order to achieve the higher good.
Obama has none of this experience. As a result, it appears as if he shifts his stance with each passing wind. I am not saying it is unacceptable to change your direction on an issue, but what is crucial is the reasoning why. With no experience to measure against, Obama's continually shifting positions appear to be the result of fear and a longing to be popular more so than a genuine conviction. Too bad we don't have much of a Senate record to analyze. Of the 148 days he was in office, he didn't even take a stand on most issues where a vote was called for, voting "present" in most occasions.
To be fair, political experience doesn't have to be the only form of experience that qualifies a candidate. I'm even willing to accept experience in fields outside government. Had Obama built up a successful enterprise from the ground up to be a market leader, that experience would speak volumes towards his leadership skills and decision making. Had he achieved some significant accomplishment in the world of science, art or medicine it would show that he was both a man of vision and execution. Regrettably Obama has no such accomplishments to put on his resume. McCain, on the other hand, has proven himself to be a leader, an innovator and yes a compromiser. He has a verifiable record of bipartisan cooperation that is etched in stone like heiroglyhpics on a Pharoah's tomb.
I really really want to like Obama more. He's such a good looking guy and I eagerly await the day America chooses her first Black President. But I want a president, regardless of color, who has the proven experience to accomplish great things and work across party lines. I want a president, regardless of age, who will not be intimidated by terrorist threats or the threat of unpopularity. I want a president, regardless of gender, who will respect me by allowing me to keep more of my hard earned money.
That is why I am going to vote for McCain.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Great posting!!! Hope that it helps other African Americans that we don't think this is an issue of race. Actually, if Collin Powell was the one running for President against Obama, I would certainly welcome him for the very same reasons I welcome Senator John McCain. Collin Powell vs Obama, no brainer, Powell. John McCain vs Obama, no brainer, John McCain!
>>Of the 148 days he was in office, he didn't even take a stand on most issues where a vote was called for, voting "present" in most occasions.>>
Maybe the issues involved required decisions that were "above his pay grade"
Honestly...that answer just blew me away. He's "interviewing" for the most important job in the US - his paygrade is going to be the ultimate if he's elected, and that will _be_ his job. I suspect that his effort was to attempt to shift the question into the theological venue, and of course, the moral issue is one each of us has to address. The problem is that we're not discussing the theology - we're discussing Roe vs Wade. We're discussing stem cell research. We're discussing the _legal_ aspects of abortion, and it will be his _job_ to have an opinion - just as it has been in the Senate. He's avoided taking positions in the Senate - would he do the same thing if he's elected president? I suspect the same tendency that makes him continually try to view both sides makes him unable to make a decision. When you make decisions, sometimes you make the wrong one. If you never make a decision, you may not make a wrong one, but you also _never_ make a right one.
Afrolistic - Wow! I guess I'm the dork who just goes around this website saying, wow I agree with you. Well, I do. It's our Constitutional duty as Americans to vote for the person who we believe will be the best President.
And I wanted to like Obama, too. Actually, during some of the primaries, he was my second choice although I'm a lifelong Republican (Yeah, I was ready to say Boo Yah! to my own party until McCain won enough delegates) ... well, I was quickly disappointed in Obama's lack of ability to establish a plausible identity for our scrutiny.
Geez, and McCain's record by comparison is unbelievable! I don't agree with McCain 100% either, but I wholeheartedly trust him with our Constitution and and our security, not to mention our global image ... and self-image. We need a strong leader who unquestionably loves America, not a beginner.
You're right ... experience matters.
Yes. But unfortunatly John McCain has now thrown away the Experience argument, which was ALREADY A WINNING ARGUMENT. And did it, in part, in order to throw himself under the bus of those Republicans who most despise him. I just hope that his other reason for picking an unknown rookie, drawing in disafected Hillary voters, works. I mean, why gamble when you're already winning? I've my fingers crossed.
Post a Comment