The Beagle Log, 3 January 2008 -- American Politics

QUICK UPDATE ON THE AMERICAN 2008 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. The three scheduled presidential debates have been held, the last this past Wednesday. Of the three, Wednesday’s was the best but still left much to be desired These formats limit the give-and-take needed for discussion of the issues. Partisan views of the outcome of each have been mixed. I think I would have to give Obama points on “presence” and McCain on “issues”, but on the whole neither candidate can be cited as a clear winner.

McCain has lost ground in the polls due to the mushrooming economic debacle slipping from the mid to high 40’s approval rating to the low 40’s/high 30’s. Obama has surprisingly made only modest gains from the high 40’s to the low 50’s (51 being the highest I’ve seen). Yesterday McCain’s ratings in some polls were again closing with Obama’s. With a little over two weeks before the general election, November 4^th, this race remains close. Obama has the current lead, but a slight stumble will pass the advantage to McCain. My current assessment is 55/45 in Obama’s favor.

RELATED TOPIC: Annually, at this time of year there is an Al Smith Dinner held for Catholic Charities. (For information on Al Smith see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Smith) Traditionally, presidential candidates have addressed the attendees poking a bit of fun at themselves and their rival. The link below will take you to a web site both speeches can be heard. To fully appreciate the humor, one must have been watching the campaigns.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/10/obama-and-mccai.html

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Don

Sorry I haven't kept up with your posts Don. You have made it a lot more interesting to follow and understand than the TV here.
In your view Don, how do you see each of them from a global perspective. How would each of them fare as an international spokesperson for the USA?
Keep it up.
Love to all.
Daz
xxx

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My family are like stars in the night sky of my life.
Always there at the end of the day.
The light of their love forever constant as the Northern star.
Safely guiding me home.
Dreams are the realities of tomorrow.
Everyone is in tune with the spirits of their ancestors. Unfortunately some are tone deaf.
Copyright. Daz.2008.

Barak Obama is the president elect and will take office as President of the United States in January 2009.

This is an historic time in the country’s history – the first African American elected to this office. A few decades ago this would have been unimaginable. Racial biases although present did not impact the outcome. White racial biases drove some votes to McCain and others to vote for Obama to show they were not racist. 70% of blacks normally vote for the democratic ticket, in this election it was in excess of 90% for Obama. (Blacks make up about 12% of the total population) The great majority of Obama supporters voted for the democratic ticket because they like Obama, are worried about the economy, and are seeking change from divisive politics. All-in-all this was probably the most historic presidential election since President Kennedy (a Catholic) was elected in 1960.

The election results were decidedly in Barak Obama’s favor. He won 349 electoral votes (270 are required to win) with 63 million popular votes vs. John McCain’s 163 electoral votes based on 56 million popular votes. (At this writing there are two states, 22 electoral votes, too close to call.) These results eliminate any charges of voter fraud, suppression, or other nefarious activities (recall President Bush’s election in 2000). Barak Obama is the clear winner.

Earlier it was asked who I supported. In an attempt to keep this string as objective as possible, I tried to present only facts not opinions. Now that it is over I can say I supported the Republican ticket. My preferred nominee would have been Mitt Romney with Mike Huckaby as his VP. I liked McCain but felt he was too old and waffled on too many issues. Sarah Palin was a great choice for VP and I expect she will be back on the political stage next time around.

Now for the meat - Barak Obama is an unknown. By that I mean there is not much actually known about him. The press did a poor job in vetting him; they mostly ran interference for him. Obama comes from a liberal political environment – the south side of Chicago and has earlier espoused support for liberal/radical programs. In the primaries he was to the left of Hillary. In the general election he moved toward the center but stayed left of McCain. As President, based on the advisers he has assembled, he may move to the center. This is good!

My areas of concern with an Obama presidency are 1) one-party domination, 2) the economy, and 3) international policies.

One-Party Domination: The Democratic Party now has control of the Presidency, the Senate with nearly a filibuster proof margin, and the House of Representatives. This will limit divisiveness in the legislative process but it will also limit views to what the democratic leadership allows to be heard. If one-party control does run amuck, the 2010 mid-term elections can rebalance the House and Senate.

Economy: I believe Obama will go forward with increased taxes for the “wealthy” (as yet undefined). I not sure if he will implement tax cuts for the 90% of tax payers as promised. At least half of those cuts will take the form of rebate checks and I don’t think there are funds for that. Campaign rhetoric on trade suggested he would take some steps to restrict trade in order to protect US jobs. Both tax increases and trade restrictions were used in the 1930’s and were contributing factors to prolonging the Great Depression.

International Policies: Obama will be loved by all who believe in his diplomatic skills and reluctance to project military power. Now that Iraq is winding down he will probably work with the Iraqis regarding troop reductions in a fashion similar to the current administration. More important though is Afghanistan and Pakistan. I am concerned he may be tempted to take actions that will have long-term implications. (Remember it was President Johnson, a liberal democrat, who presided over the massive troop build up in Viet Nam in the 60’s.)

I am a bit disappointed in the election’s outcome but a friend reminded me that there are few countries where a sea-change in political leadership could occur without civil unrest.

Now is the time to gear-up for the 2012 elections Laughing

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Don

Hola Don!

Well there is a fair amount of water to go under the bridge before 2012! I have to admit to being very excited by the outcome, however I am only an observer although American politics do affect us too.

Time will tell, as they say and soon he must prove he is the man he claims to be.

Cheers Gillian

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''What will survive of us is love.''Philip Larkin

Don you did a great job of being unbiased. You brought us the understanding of your electrol system. 2012 will an olympic year for us all as well. I never realised they ran hand in hand.

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Maxine
Friendship~
Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down. - Oprah Winfrey

Hi Don

Thanks for keeping us up to date with the election.
Sorry your side didn't win, but good luck to President-elect Obama.

Jean