Election Day

Well, it's here. November 4. The day we not only elect our new president, but local representatives, senators, and school board members. For those of you that have talked to me about the election in the past few weeks, you have heard that I am changing my vote, and will vote Obama today. I didn't reach this decision easily, so let me tell you how I got here.

I was a McCain fan in 2000, and I was extremely excited when he announced his candidacy this year. My excitement, however, has turned to apathy, then disillusionment as I saw McCain fight rightly into the GOP's model of W. I saw Rovian politics at work again, and as time has passed I question the decision to pick Sarah Palin as his VP.

Early on, my concerns with Obama were that 1) he didn't have the particulars lined out and 2) there is no executive experience on the ticket. As the campaign has progressed, Obama has lined out the particulars- diplomacy, alternative fuels, and getting out of Iraq. And on the experience note, I agree with friends who have argued that nothing really ever prepares you for the job of President. Ex. John F. Kennedy.

While I don't agree totally with Obama's agenda, I do like his focus on foreign diplomacy rather than just relying on brute force and military strength because if you haven't noticed, our military is not the strongest in the world any more. I honestly believe Obama will do more to heal our global image and do more to build back burnt bridges than McCain. On top of that, I despise McCain's health care policy and his plan to get the economy back on track. I honestly believe that Obama will provide the tools to get over the recession faster than another four years of Bush economic policy. More transparency, oversight, a balanced budget, and alternative energy will be the tools to get our country back on track.

I know I will have comments disagreeing with me, but please keep the political trolling off the comments.

Beginning of the End?

I have been following the
Presidential primaries closely, not sure of who gets my vote. In the Republican primary, there's not one that really gets me excited. I almost jumped on the Huckabee bandwagon for a couple days, until I learned about his love of the regressive flat tax and realized how really unelectable he is. A Huck nomination would be the Dem's Christmas present for the next four years. And while Hillary has had Republicans trembling in their shoes with the possibility of the Dems extending the Clinton dynasty, it appears that the trouble for the Republicans is just beginning. Truth is, Republicans should be more concerned with an Obama nomination, which they might just be getting. Howard Fineman of MSNBC said today that the Clinton campaign could be in major danger of losing all four of the key early states despite a double-digit lead in national polls. What does this mean for the Republicans? Obama's surge means that the Republicans better get serious soon about finding an electable candidate and forget this fleeting love affair with Huck. The Dems would love to see a Huckabee nomination; they're waiting until the general election to tear him to shreds. With this in mind, I am rather reluctantly thinking about supporting Romney. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, that is, I am Mormon. I am leaning toward supporting Romney despite his religion, not because of it. However, that is not the main issue in the Romney campaign for me. While I believe he may be the most electable in the Republican field, I have been reluctant in my support of Romney 1)because I'm not a huge fan of the way his health care plan is carried out... I don't think it helps enough, 2)I am worried about the impact that United States foreign policy would have on the image of my religion if Romney were President, and 3)I have worried about his chances of beating Hillary. However, after Romney's performance at the latest Iowa debate, realizing Giuliani's authoritarian personality, and McCain's anemic campaign, I have reluctantly turned to Romney. If he is able to come back and win Iowa and hold onto his lead in New Hampshire, and gain the nomination, though, he will have a tough road ahead if he has to face Obama in the general election. A Romney-Thompson ticket might just be the one to beat Obama.