Down with the White Man
Assuming that none of the Republican candidates put on any serious opposition to the Democrat candidate for president, it seems almost a given that within a year we will be electing our first black, or female president.
I think thats great. While I dont necessarily think that it really matters what color skin you have, or if you’re capable of giving birth, to be the leader of the free world, the act of electing a white man into office for the entire 200+ year history of the nation is getting a bit long in the tooth.
I’ve been watching the election with hope this year. Our long national nightmare with Bush is thankfully coming to an end and I believe that voter backlash will almost guarantee a Democrat in the White House - so the question (for me at least) comes down to whether Obama or Clinton will become our next president.
Adam wrote a post about voting for the person you want to be president instead of picking the one you like best out of the leading candidates. And in a lot of ways, I agree with Adam that you should vote for the person you truly want to be president. It is your vote, your citizen-right and duty to pick the person you feel is most qualified to lead the nation. But I dont quite agree that voting for the best leading candidate is throwing away your vote. People often have to make compromises in life. People make decisions with their heart that are tempered with considerations to reality.
If I really wanted to vote for the person I felt was most qualified to lead the nation, why would I vote for Obama? Or even Kucinich? I’d be writing in the name of a certain teacher in junior high who I have found to be one of the most dedicated, well-meaning, and selfless persons I have ever known. Having him in office, I would be absolutely certian that he would never lie to the nation, and he would only use his office to perform actions that he felt in his heart would be the best for the nation. Someone who would be a complete counter to the Bush administration.
And how likely would it be that he’d win? So even for those people who say they’re not voting for one of the leading candidates, but instead voting for the candidate they identify closest with, they in fact, STILL are applying some sort of criteria in terms of “winning-ability”. In other words, a well-known public person that has some sort of broad name-appeal with other people all over the nation.
So I see Adam’s argument is really more in the sense of just *how* much of a compromise is one willing to make between the most-qualified person, and the potential electability of that person. Some people are more willing to trade off more than others are.
To me - electing any of the Democrat candidates, be it Clinton, Obama, or Kucinich is far more preferable than electing any of the Republican candidates. So it is with that in mind, that I evaluate the electability of that person, along with that person’s platform, that I consider my vote.
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tim,
i understand adam’s perspective about try to be true to himself in the mirror of democratic candidates. but…he needs to stand back then look at the real big picture before he plays the cards right and wiser.
did you notice something go wrong when bush won second terms again by close numbers of the votes. keep in mind, people who used to be democratic then switched to the new one call green (independent) due to eco issue that it did republican a favor in mystery way!
how?, for example: did you notice there are some extra little % vote left over in green. try to image if green didn’t exist against both republican and democratic then where do you think green ghost will end up to vote for? of course, more favor will go to democratic because democratic does value green more than republican does. however green wants more strong eco pure which ended up to lose to republican anyway. it means more death of soldiers in war for oil. green thinks like adam does as they both see the small picture to be true to himself in mirror of democratic rather than play the card right and wiser. for me, i have to go for instinct to vote for either clinton or obama but not kucinich. kuninich has no vibe. oh, man it is hot to see positive vibe between clinton or obama. my method of thinking ask myself the question in first place? who in dfl is strong enough to beat mc cain in republican. NOT ask who in dfl is strong enough to beat whom in dfl? will black beat mc cain enough? will woman beat mc cain? who is hungry to vote for first history of either black or woman. that is hard question because i have consider black and woman equal. i need my dog to sniff the positive vibe around in usa before i take dog’s advice to vote.
i bet you that republican is smiling that green still exist in vote to drain the democratic’s vote down.
in case, i forget but belate happy new year to you!
buzz