Decisions 2008

[kokopelle]

I can see that the election season is going to be very strange, with a flavor driven by diversity not seen previously. Sadly I find myself leaning toward voting a party line. I am in the position of being sacred to death of any Republican president. McCain is a world better than Bush, but I don't know who will be lurking in the background, and the Republican background really really bugs me. So, I find myself getting ready to vote for the Democratic ticket even though I am less than passionate about the choices. This puts wulfwalker and I at odds. She will probably not vote a party ticket, canceling out my vote as she goes for the more experienced McCain. I'm really OK with that. The reality is that I don't like being afraid of the Republican machine, but my reaction comes from how Bush has driven that bus for the past eight years. Maybe he was the one that was driven, but if that is the case, McCain could be turned to the dark side too.

Opinions on this quandary???

Comments

[iskender.livejournal.com]

Ask her how experience is going to change McCain's presidency when he supports the same economics as Bush--trickle-down--wants to expand the war that isn't ours to fight in Iraq, and will be beholden to the same social regressives that we've seen take over under Bush?

Experience is only valuable if you make good decisions based on it. Experience isn't merit. If you think Washington's been doing right for the last thirty years, I suppose experience is a virtue. Right now, it's a liability, if you ask me.

[chimerae.livejournal.com]

I think either of our choices is an improvement over what we have.

My level of concern over Obama's youth and inexerience would be greater, except that I think the conservative Republican machine is still really powerful and I think, if elected, he will have little opportunity to effect significant change beyond the drama of change. I think in THIS case, at THIS time, the drama of change is a good and powerful thing. Obama appears to surround himself with competent people, so it may be that he can put together a team that can manage to be effective -- if he DOES, it looks like he will staff it with maturity.

My level of concern over what I perceive as McCain's goofyness and tendency to be a loose cannon would be greater if he had as little mileage as Obama. He's part of a whole complex culture that knows and can stabilze him.

My greater concern is the polarizing effect of all this yummy diversity we're seeing. Getting elected is just the starter's gun in the real race. Based on what I have already seen in the election, my greatest concern has been that the conservative machine is already geared up to set either of these candidates up to fail. The machine plays a long game, and the long game target is to teach the voting public that change is ineffective.

I think it's most important to find a way for the country to unite towards change behind either of these candidates.

My greatest fear would be an McCain win, followed shortly after by a Palin presidency. I really like lots of things about her, especially her "hold me accountable" mantra. I think her immaturity would make her a great front for the effective political machine and inadvertently continue the last 8 years. I hope she's not hijacked by this process, because she has interesting potential.

I'm voting Obama. That seems like a clear choice to me.