The Vote !
I consider myself a right leaning centrist. I know because I took an internet test. On a ten point scale with 10 being extreme right and 1 being extreme left, I am a 6. I have looked closely at the election and am voting for those who fit my profile the best, whether popular or not. My biggest test is the test of bi-partisanship.
For President:
I am voting for John McCain. He has demonstrated bi-partisanship. He has reached across the aisle. McCain/Feingold, as an example. He has reached even as far across the aisle as Ted Kennedy. These were issues of campaign finance reform and immigration. Very tough issues. He didn't hide like the rest of Congress.
He has demonstrated character and mental toughness. He endured tortures most of us could not. He lived by the military code.
He believes life begins at conception. I do not think the abortion issue should be a litmus test. I believe it is not a political issue, it is a moral issue.
I believe Sarah Palin was a mistake and was made to please the extreme right. I think she has the potential to be a superstar, but not until she proves her chops on a more national level, she does not have the experience. Having said that I believe she can grow. I like her record in Alaska very much. I believe our greatest political strength is in most governorships.
McCain carries the burden of the Bush adminstration. George W. Bush is the worst President in my lifetime. Yes, I voted for him twice. I also voted for Jesse Ventura.
John McCain is old like me. I ain't dead yet.
For Minnesota Senate:
This has been a tough one for me. I have vacillated back and forth between Dean Barkley,the independent, and Norm Coleman, the Republican. I like Barkley, even though he was Jesse Ventura's campaign manager, but I believe Norm has acted more bi-partisan in recent times. He has shown leadership at times. He also has a history of being a political opportunist, but name me one politiian who isn't. I cannot believe the Star Tribune endorsed him. This is the first time the Star Trib has ever endorsed someone I support. If I were a man of total conviction, I would vote for Barkley however, I believe he would take more votes from Coleman giving the Democrats one more seat of a Super Majority.
For Congress:
This is an open seat, since Jim Ramstad is retiring. I looked very hard at the Democratic candidate. I liked his ads, but he didn't deliver in the debates. Also, it would move another seat closer to a super majority. I am voting for Eric Paulsen, but not with total conviction. Ramstad was a centrist and was just right for my congressional district in Minnesota.
Summary:
I believe Barack Obama will be elected. He has charisma, which some may believe superficial, but ability to communicate is a characteristic of good leaders. Compare john Kennedy to George Bush.
My greatest fear is not Barack Obama being president. I am willing to wait and see by performance. My greatest fear is a super Democratic majority in the Congress with Nancy Polosi and Harry Reed in charge. If Obama remains strongly to the left, we are on our way to European socialism. One of the key things to watch is what happens to the financial institutions with the government in ownership positions. When the crisis is over, will the banks remained nationalized. By the way, there is very little a president can do to affect the economy. Congress is the problem. Tax increases will kill the economy. Socialism has never worked, freedom and the free market place has.
So Let's all vote on November 4, for the candidate of choice. Itis still a free country.
God Bless America!
Samuel C. Arnold
Mayor of Einsteins Bagel Shop
2 comments:
I won't tell you all the reasons you are wrong, because you are wrong. You are on the wrong side of the election and the wrong side of history.
During this campaign, one candidate has conducted himself with class and showed deep understanding of the complexities of the issues. He has shown himself to be a fine statesman in every sense of the word. The other, has not.
Instead, I would just point out that your blog is starting to read like an unedited Sid Hartman column.
"McCain/Goldfein." That's not a sentence. I am not even sure what it is supposed to mean, but I think you were probably referring to McCain-FEINGOLD campaign finance reform.
Also, and this is just a little thing. As someone who has payed attention to the issues, one would think that you would have picked up on the correct spelling of Barack Obama. There is only one "r."
So, yes, go vote for the candidate of your choice. I will do the same, and I will cheer and possibly weep when this country makes the decision to turn away from the old politics and the old ways of thinking.
The United States is a great country because of its ideals and its potential. Two things it has failed miserably in living up to in the past eight years.
Vote Obama.
i just finished voting. Jack Kevorkian was actually on the ballot for US congress representing my district. I did not vote for him.
I find the referendums very entertaining. In michigan, I voted for stem cell research and restructuring the language of court procedure in Oakland county to remove gender bias and have the ability to conduct simultaneous sessions. i don't really understand what that means, but it sounds like a better use of everyone's time.
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