My Voting in the 2008 Presidential Race

I’ve made no secret that I was pulling for Hillary Clinton to get her party’s nomination. Once that run ended, I was left with a problem: are the either of the victors people I would want to have as president? If yes, then which; if no, then do I vote at all for president (I would of course vote for the local stuff)?

I’m a moderate. I’m pro-choice but also pro-death-penalty. I believe in a strong defense but also embrace prudent diplomacy (even when it’s not popular). I think some aspects of government should be bigger (national health care), but I also thing that the system as a whole has run amuck and needs to be rebuilt with sanity and not politics in mind. I think faith is a very important part of the lives of most Americans and should be preserved, but I also think that individual privacy has to have a larger consideration. And a lot of stuff like that. I like balance. I like people acknowledging mistakes and then trying to fix them. I hate the pandering, lobbying, and other influence peddling that those with money thing are rights. I’m not a fan of those who cling to dogma and never seriously consider other points of view.

OK, you now have some idea of where I’m coming from, so let’s have at it.

The Running Mates

While it usually makes little difference who the vice presidential candidates are, this time it does. In McCain’s case, it’s due to his age and health; with Obama it is mostly due to his race…some rather dim-witted boobs still haven’t warmed up to the idea of any black man (regardless of mix) in the White House, and there is a possibility that some bigoted idiot might try to do something about that.

So, we get as the choices Sarah Palin and Joe Biden. I’ve already posted here a few times about Palin, so it’s pretty clear that I’m hardly enamored by the selection. I’m not viewing her as someone of great character, but aside from that, her very right-wing policies turn me off immediately (at least those that she’s been consistent with). And the fact remains that she basically has no record to speak of. She’s gone past the moniker of inexperienced and into the realm of who-the-hell-is-she? Would I want her as president? On a scale of 0-to-10, 0 being most negative and 10 being most positive, she definitely gets a 0.

As for Biden…ever since the plagiarism mud was slung in his first presidential bid, I’ve been not very happy with him, either. Watching his performance in the Senate hasn’t improved my opinion of him much. He’s too liberal for my taste. While I like that he will buck the party line from time-to-time, too often he sides more with “feel good” than with practical. He does have the experience factor, though I do feel anyone who has been in both houses of Congress for more than a combined 10 years has likely lost touch with what it is like to actually be one of the hoi polloi. On the president scale, I’d give him a 5.

Top of the Tickets

Right off the top, Obama gets hit with the same mop as Palin…not enough experience. While his credentials are definitely 1 or 2 orders of magnitude above hers, he’s not yet cookies…he’s still cookie dough baking in the oven. With four more years under his belt, I think he’d be ready. For now…nope, not so much.

On the other side we have McCain. Decorated warrior, maverick for the people, with more experience than a stick-shaker could shake a stick at. I have no qualms about his experience or love of country. He’s more than paid his dues.

For me, the deal-breaker with McCain is his support of Supply-side Economics. We’ve done it a few times now and all it does is get the rich richer while simultaneously bankrupting the country. I’m not sure we can take more of that. While lovely in theory, as much economic theory is, it’s an abject failure in practice. Of course this isn’t the only place where I disagree with McCain, but he has shown a tendency to at least make his own mind up about things instead of letting others do it for him. Have to give him props for that.

For Obama, there was no one deal-breaker but a cascade of things. Experience, gun-control, faith-based initiatives, and more. When you also look at how McCain is wiping the floor with him on the campaign trail (at least so far), and it doesn’t speak highly about how he will be on the world stage.

So, I’m giving McCain a 3 on the presidential scale, and Obama a 3. McCain’s score could be way higher if it weren’t for his dunderheaded Supply-side mentality, but that is HUGE in my book. Obama…cookie dough.

The Verdict

None of the four got higher than a five. That’s pathetic. (Oh, for those wondering, Clinton probably would have only mustered a 5 or a weak 6.) Honestly, I can’t bring myself to vote for either ticket. I would maybe consider it longer if Biden were at the top of the ticket rather than Obama…but only for the experience factor.

I’ve said before that it was anyone’s race. I think that’s still the case now; though if Obama keeps running his campaign like he has been, then McCain is gonna stomp on him. And even if his policies send America even deeper into the abyss of debt it is mired in, let’s hope McCain lives a long and healthy life so that Palin only has to sit in the Senate and bang her gavel with no voice in the decision-making (not unlike John Adams’ stint as VP).

Truth be told, the only person in America that I know I’d vote for in a heartbeat is Colin Powell. Though I disagree with a fair portion of his policies, people with that much experience, integrity, and thoughtfulness are rare and should be elevated to their proper station.

For the follow-up, see also: Whoa, Who Knew You Cared!?