A Political Comment

Vote for me, and your wildest dreams will come true.

In less than two weeks, Americans will choose a new president. Some of you have shared your thoughts on the race in conversation with me, and there have been a few notable exchanges in this blogspace. For my part, I am seriously torn between the two major party candidates and, regrettably, for me it has become a choice of the lesser of two evils. Barack Obama, for all of his soaring and inspirational oratory, is a newbie to the national political scene who, I fear, would be eaten alive by the likes of Reid, Pelosi, and Dean. Some have likened Obama to JFK and I do see a number of similarities including the fact that JFK accomplished virtually nothing during his tragically brief time in office. It was not the New Frontier, but LBJ's Great Society that brought us the Civil Rights Act, Medicare/Medicaid, and even the mission to the moon. The meat of Obama's proposals seems appetizing but once through the Congressional grinder I think we may end up with goetta.

Then there's John McCain. I remember getting a phone call from Ted back in 1988 when George Bush the Elder announced Dan Quail as his running mate. Quail was a US Senator from Indiana (where we were living at the time) and Ted thought I would be excited about it. Quite the contrary. I regarded Quail as an attractive, personable, political newbie and intellectual lightweight. When McCain chose Sarah Palin, I hoped - really hoped - that she would be a star. Well, Palin did make it to SNL but it only confirmed her lack of gravitas. The choice of a running mate is the first truly important decision a candidate makes, and I'm afraid McCain came up short.

So, how will I vote? My loathing for the Reid/Pelosi/Dean cabal has me leaning McCain's way, if only to preserve the possibility of an occasional presidential veto of their lunacy.

Whichever candidate you support, may I suggest a simple exercise in political reality. Write down the four or five things you believe your preferred candidate will do as President. Choose from any of the grand plans and transformational programs featured on their websites and in their speeches. If your candidate is elected, tuck the paper away in your wallet or purse and leave it there. When the next presidential election gets underway, retrieve the paper and compare the list with actual events. It's likely you'll be surprised - and not in a good way.