I won’t tell my students who I’m voting for.
Not that I’m ashamed of McCain (BTW I’m voting for John McCain) its just that being in such a diverse school students are very passionate about their candidate and they would get offended if I’m not backing their guy. Really, either way you vote you’ll offend somebody.
So I’m teaching them the value of listening to others and respecting the opinions of others, especially when you disagree with them. I’m also encouraging them to think for themselves… but that will take more time than what I have with them in one year.
Speaking of not thinking for oneself… Its hard not to buy into the excitement of Obama. He is inspiring. His words are like honey. He is charismatic and intriguing. He is historical and would bring a new dynamic to the presidency that has never been there (and yes I’m speaking of the minority part, we’ve already had the liberal part).
The problems though outweigh the positives. For beginners he sounds too good. “If its too good to be true it probably is.” And while he sounds great, his actual accomplishments are minuscule. And even if his success in organization (he has led a great campaign) are carried over into the White House the things that he’d accomplish I disagree with 70-80% of them (from abortion to education, from national defense to supreme court justice selection).
But the most disturbing are the intangibles. Something just doesn’t feel right.
Now I could spout off a dozen accusations from the internet but most of these are superfluous and baseless. There are a few that may prove problematic to say the least (is he even eligible to run for president? Was he born in Kenya or is he an Indonesian citizen? Who checks this out and what happens if he isn’t eligible to be president but he wins the election?)
It reminds me of a student body election in high school. Who does the student body elect the nerd with experience in concessions and scouts or the popular attractive charismatic kid who gives good speeches and looks cool?
I guess my biggest problem with Obama is not really his fault. The media has given him a pass on any real grilling. They’ve saved the inquisition for Sarah Palin. The extent of the inquisitive nature that is supposed to be a hallmark of journalism is that they’ve all read his books and have experienced goose bumps running down their legs.
So my biggest gripe is with the media. But I’m not giving Obama a pass either. He’s been very shrewd and opportunistic. Which makes for a great politician but not necessarily a great leader.
The way that he won his state senate seat (by disqualifying the other contenders) to his always trading up without paying his dues where he is (opportunism). This leads to the experience question and has he ever been tested? While he could have nerves of steel under pressure and make the best decisions the fact that he has never had to make tough decisions and hasn’t been under much pressure are two bad omens.
A last thought on Obama: why does he want to be president? And on a related note: does he hold a grudge? Does he forgive and forget or is his presidency going to be an evening up of the perceived score? I don’t know what this might translate to, but it is a feeling I have.
Now, I’m not just a vote againster. I would be voting for McCain over pretty much everyone but Mike Huckabee.
I like McCain. He has been tested. He has shown his mettle. And I personally like the fact that he loses his temper. It shows his passion and heart. And the fact that he writes notes and apologizes to those he blows up at makes him human… and more like me than I want to admit (except I’m not good at writing notes).
I also agree with most of his policy positions (abortion, national defense, and supreme court) and generally respect him a lot more.
In short I’ll be voting for John McCain.
I don’t know that it will help though. I think the media has already anointed Obama. And the majority of Americans vote more on a candidates personality then his positions. And the McCain campaign has not run a great race (they’ve focused on the minor issues while ignoring the important ones – plus they’ve played a reactive instead of proactive campaign). And Obama has run a better race.
Sure McCain has a Hail Mary left and could pull this election off, but I don’t see it happening and if it does then his victory would be bittersweet (can anyone say race riots?)
If Barack Obama does win this election I’ll tell you what I’m going to do though. Well, I’m not going to go to Canada or leave this planet (I wish those who spout off such jibberish would actually keep their promises). No, I’ll stay right in America and pray for our next president. Pray for his safety, wisdom and that God would use him to lead this country.
So I will pray … but first I’ll vote. I just wish I lived in Chicago or that ACORN had contacted me. That way I could vote a lot.
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