An Unusual Year

This is a very unusual election year. We have an incumbent President who everybody likes and hates at the same time. I think it’s because “W” is truly a nice person but just an awful manager. His ratings are as low as any in history for a President.

Then we have Obama. He’s the first minority to ever be nominated by a major party as their presidential candidate. He’s young. He’s exciting. He’s a great candidate but, he has very little experience in national government. But, hey neither did George Bush, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter or Ronald Reagan. So, how important is experience at the federal level?

John McCain is a true American hero. If elected, he will be the oldest first term President in history. He started out aligned with George W. Bush but has done an about face and now tries to position himself as one who will shake up Washington. A man with a quick and fierce temper, he has the respect of millions of Americans.

There’s Joe Biden as a vice presidential candidate on the ticket with Obama. A long time Senator who has run for president a couple of times. Biden has a perpetual case of foot–in-mouth disease. Widowed early in his first marriage, he devoted himself to raising his two sons. He travels two hours each way to and from Washington each day. He sleeps at home and is not a part of the Washington cocktail crowd.

The newest player in the election drama is Sarah Palin, the current governor of Alaska. She’s attractive. She has a great looking family. She married her high school sweetheart. Her approval rating as governor runs in the low to high eighties. Again, she has no Washington experience but promises to shake up Washington. She too appears to suffer from foot-in-mouth disease.

The issues in this election are quite different than in most elections. There’s the war in Iraq which has the potential of becoming another Korea as far as the commitment of U.S. troops is concerned. Iraq also has the potential of becoming another Viet Nam where we had no exit strategy. In my opinion Iraq is a lose/lose situation. There’s no way we can post a “mission accomplished” sign and really mean it.

The oil situation is something to be dealt with. The price per barrel is artificially high. The situation is raping the U.S. Economy. The price of oil affects everybody and almost everything we use in life. Both major party candidates say they support more offshore drilling to include our Atlantic and Pacific coasts, if a state approves drilling fifty miles or further off their coasts.

The economy is in the worst condition it has been in almost a century. The immediate response is for the government to bail out everybody. Nobody has any clear cut plan of how to deal with it. It is definitely starting to adversely impact this election.

Then there are the normal issues of health care, education and taxes.

In the midst of all this a couple of things are evident. America wants new blood in the White House. Americans really don’t give a big flip about Washington experience.

Why do I think that? Obama has drawn record setting crowds throughout this campaign. He has delivered speeches before 50,000, 60,000 and up to 80,000 people. Can you imagine Americans standing in line to hear a political speech?

Once Sarah Palin joined the McCain campaign, she has been the draw. Lately it was reported that she drew 60,000 in Florida. The fact that McCain just happened to be there was incidental. Clearly they were there to hear Palin even though she is on a short leash and highly scripted. Americans don’t really care. They are hungry for change.

Or, perhaps, Americans are hungry for relief. Either way, this is an unusual election year.