Politics 2008 and More

The race is set.

We know the two major party candidates and the conventions are done - thank you!

Every four years we hold national elections to decide the leadership of the federal goverment - specifically, the executive branch of the national government. Change is always a topic so there is nothing new about change. Elections are always about change.

In 2008 the Democrats have made "change" a major issue. It is the campaign slogan of the Obama/Biden ticket. They use the term loosely to mean shifts in national policy on foreign policy, on the War against Terrorism, on tax policy, on the size and scope of the federal government, and other unknown shifts that will effect our daily lives. McCain/Palin are running on Country First insisting that Washington must return to serving the people first and drop the "politician first" mentality McCain says has infected DC during the past several years. McCain promises to rid our federal budget of "earmarks" - the pork barrel spending that enables the pols to buy votes and remain in office for a lifetime.

Obama selected Joe biden as his running mate. Biden is an old Washington insider having served in Washington since 1972 - ten years longer than McCain. How Biden represents change is a puzzle. Biden may have been selected because of his "foreign policy" experience. To which I ask, what foreign policy experience? In my opinion Biden has consistently been on the wrong side of foreign policy - on the ash heap of history - throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Biden opposed President Reagan's extremely successful policies of the '80s and history proved Reagan correct and Biden et al wrong. According to The National Journal Biden is the third most liberal (read left) US Senator. Obama was rated the most liberal.

McCain selected a little known governor as his VP running mate. Gov Palin of Alaska is unknown outside her state, but her performance at the RNC demonstrated ability, toughness, a sharpness of mind and presence that will fluster Biden and Obama. I think she is a fantastic choice because she is removed from the elities of the extreme coasts which is why she was attacked so savagely by the mainstream media. Why imagine the nerve of McCain to appoint someone the media elites had not vetted and even worse, was not one of their peers. Palin is young, attractive in many ways, an outsider, and appeals to mothers and fathers whereas Biden is older, an insider, who has had two serious medical problems in recent years.

As to the top of the tickets Obama is an unknown quality despite all the attention-superfical in most respects- the mainstream media lavishes on him. There have been no penetrating analysis of his record, his past connections with shady characters, and the people behind the screen pulling the strings. One thing we all know about McCain is his record. He has a long record open to scrutiny - in camparison to Obama who has little or no open record for voters to judge. McCain is a maverick meaning he opposed President Bush and the GOP on many issues unlike Obama who votes lock step with his party leaders. McCain supports the War on Terrorism whereas Obama appears ambivalent about using American power to destroy international terrorism wherever it appears.

The next 60 days will be telling. Which direction will the country go?

More to come.