Three Reasons the Democrats Must Win in 2008
I've supported Hillary Clinton throughout this long and bloody primary season. I believe she is the best Democratic candidate for reasons I've put forth on this blog before. I still believe that and I also believe that she has a legitimate claim to the nomination--she and Obama are basically even in delegates and Hillary has received a stronger popular vote. I also believe she's more electable than Obama against McCain. That said, it looks like the Democratic candidate is going to be Barack Obama.
We all need to get behind him. There are three reasons Democrats must win in November.
1. John McCain is dead wrong about Iraq. We need to get out as soon as possible, as advocated by both Hillary and Obama, so that Iraq and the other Muslim states take ownership of the mess we've created. We need to accept how it all shakes out. Of the two, only Obama realizes that our continued role of policeman is no more than a death sentence for thousands of more young Americans. He will get us out of the mess Bush and the neo-cons created. He will strengthen the homeland against further attacks from terrorists.
2. John McCain is dead wrong about the Supreme Court. At the present time, Ginsburg, Breyer, Souter, and Kennedy are holding out for a Democratic president to appoint Justices who will protect our civil rights and have the will to preserve the legitimate role of the judicary in our balance of powers. Obama will do that. He will appoint just men. He will appoint Justices who respect the Constitution for what it is and was intended to be, a living, breathing document. If McCain is elected, it will be the end of Roe v Wade. It will be 4 more years of assaults on individual rights.
3. John McCain is dead wrong about the economy. Both the energy and credit crises can be traced to greed in the private sector and lack of government oversight and regulation. The looming retirement and health care crises can be traced to Republican policies that favored financial services companies, insurance companies, and defined contribution (401(k) and HSA) plans over government-sponsored plans. One of the reasons Medicare functions as well as it does, despite the fact that it provides benefits to those most at risk for health problems (seniors), is that it doesn't pay a 15-20 percent ROE to shareholders. One of the reasons that Social Security must remain in place is that 401(k) plans make up only about 50 percent of what most of us need to retire on. Obama gets this. McCain does not.
I don't want my son growing up in a country led by men with failed ideas, with lack of vision, with lack of strength to stand up to special interests.
If it's Hillary, I'm behind her 100 percent. If it's Obama, he's got my vote.
Gary
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Reader Comments (8)
Are we all suffering from campaign fatigue? I am. Even my mother, who can talk politics 24/7/365 seems to be a bit fatigued from it all. Never thought I'd live to see the day.
As we get into summer, the ugliness and dirty tricks will really get going. It is starting already. Stand by for lots of fun and games.
Before I cast my last vote in a presidential election, I would like to be excited about a candidate. As it stands now, this is not the year. Must be my cynical nature about politics...
I agree with Gary's reasons for change, but whomever is elected is going to have the arduous task of somehow restoring a semblance of respect for the US among other nations. Of all of W's disasters, foreign policy was by far his worst. Between him and "Darth Vader" Rice, they have managed to piss off the entire world, and even though everyone is aware that change is coming, it is going to take a long time to unravel and repair 8 years of disrespect, ignorance, arrogance, deceit and unilateral aggression. It's awfully hard to get excited about that prospect.
During the run-up to Iraq, I sat eye-to-eye with customers, regulators, and colleagues in England and Italy, over breaks, meals, and down time. I could only offer the lamest of apologies. Apologies for the screwed-up 2000 election, for our flawed (non?) choice of a cowboy president, for his hammerheaded views of the world, for conjuring up this war, you name it. This was only 13 months after 9-11, when the world would have done anything to comfort Americans.
The only saving grace I had (at that time) was that the Washington Snipers were shooting people in both counties where I live and work, so I got a lot of sympathy over that, and over my concerns for my wife's safety. Sort of ironic. Yet I was glad to change the subject, even to that.
Six months after the war started, I was in Australia. They don't pull punches down there about Bush or his policies. It was pretty difficult, being a "Yank". It hasn't gotten any better in the years since.
People overseas really follow the news from the US, and they digest it more thoroughly than many of our own country-mates. It is hard to fool them.
I could go on, but you said it very eloquently in your post. It will take a long time to undo the damage. If we ever can.
Part of the challenge is that most of America isn't ready to accept the fact that we are entering a period of transition. We are entering a period where America has to share the world with other countries that are as strong economically and militarily as we are.
Ironically, the neo-con policies that sought to avoid this and create an imperial America with an Imperial President have only hastened the onset of this new global reality.
We once had so much goodwill in this country, and with our partner countries. Seems like we just threw it away.