A few weeks back I wrote a short piece promising a post about my thoughts on the election. Obviously, I didn't get around to that in a timely fashion. As I finally write this, my perspective on this election is changing a bit. I still support John McCain, and I don't see that changing any time before November. What's changing, rather, is not the candidate I support, but the extent to which I care.
At first, I was a little more gung ho about John McCain. Part of that has probably been simply a reaction to the fact that this entire misguided country has some manner of 'Obama Fever,' and refuses to acknowledge the man's faults. MSNBC, my favorite of the cable news networks, has served as Obama campaign headquarters since February. Were it not for Joe Scarborough, Pat Buchanan, and Tucker Carlson I wouldn't even watch the channel any more. I have a contrary personality, and when I see 'anything fever' sweeping the country, I tend to ridicule and despise it.
With time, though, I've sorted out my thoughts and still support McCain. I don't like McCain's policy on health care (though I HATE Obama's), I'm bothered by some elements of his stances in the Middle East, and candidates with strict constructionist constitutional views always concern me. However, the old "lesser of two evils" argument inevitably takes over, and I shudder at the idea of electing a borderline socialist.
I've always enjoyed getting into ideological discussions more than those regarding who will run the country better. Why? Because I've yet to see a nominee who is truly unfit to run the country. Not just this year, but ever. That's why, in my last post, I said "none of this matters." In my opinion, our two worst presidents in recent history have been Jimmy Carter and our current leader, George W. Bush. Did the country survive these two administrations? Granted, Bush's isn't over yet, but we're close enough to gauge it. After both administrations we've had terrible economies (not necessarily either one's fault), and a situation overseas that will need to be cleaned up by their successor (though Iran-Contra wasn't quite the concern Iraq is). My point? We've made it through.
The concerns I hear about Obama are that he'll destory big business, institute socialized medicine, and start some manner of radical income redistribution. If these things happend, it would be the end of the country as we know it. But you know what? They won't happen. This country's establishment was designed to resist radical change. Obama wants a form a socialized healthcare, but our current, liberal congress won't even bring these suggestions to a vote. Obama wants everyone out of Iraq, but congress won't pass such resolutions. Obama wants to stop companies from using overseas labor, but congress for years has consistently been pro-world economy. See a pattern. Even if Obama is as radical a liberal as I think he is, and even if he has a Democratic congress (he will), the politcal process manages to moderate itself.
My conclusion is that though I support John McCain for president, I won't shed a tear if he loses. I won't wake up sad the next morning. I won't be angry and talk about how stupid the country is (like many Dems did in 2004). I'll move on, becauseeach candidate has pros and cons, and neither one will destory America, much like neither one will cure its ills.
