Obama vs. McCain?

(Image credit: Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com)

I typically am not a very politically-involved person. This is not to say that I am apathetic – I certainly have my own thoughts and opinions about certain issues – but I am not one to go around actively campaigning for a particular candidate or issue. I support everyone’s right to have their own beliefs, so I try not to push mine on others hoping to change their minds – especially when my opinion is unsolicited. I will defend my beliefs, but I will not say that your beliefs are wrong just because they’re different from my own. I prefer to agree to disagree. (If only the rest of the world were like that – it’s the extremism and inflexibility of those who believe they are right and everyone else is wrong that causes so many of the world’s problems, in my opinion.) I will, however, at least share my ideas; in this case about the 2008 Presidential Election. Just know that it is not my intention to sway anyone one way or another. I’m just sharing my thoughts (that is the purpose of my blog, after all).

I support Obama and plan to vote for him. However, despite my preference for one candidate over another, I am hard pressed to “bash” anyone. Certain politicians may have different views than me, but at least they’re taking action – trying to create plans, supporting issues and taking a stand. I can’t necessarily say that I could do the job any better or that I have any better solutions, so who am I to complain? My motto is, “Don’t complain unless you’re going to do something about it.” I may not agree with McCain’s position on the war, but I certainly do not have any sort of plan while at least he does (even if I don’t agree with it), so I generally keep my mouth shut. However, since I do not agree with most of his views, I will vote for someone else who values the same things that I do; and in this case, that is Obama. Here is my personal, politically-limited and inexperienced take on the two candidates:

Obama

Experience
Many people say he doesn’t have enough experience – “he hasn’t been to war;” “he’s never run anything.” But sometimes it’s not the experience of actually doing that is required to succeed, but rather knowing what needs to be done and having the tools to figure out how to do it. We need some fresh ideas, because what we’ve got going on right now obviously isn’t working too well. Maybe Obama’s “inexperience” gives him a fresh view of our country’s current situation and would actually allow him to bring in new, creative ideas and a breath of fresh air to our stale government. I honestly don’t think he could be any worse than Bush, so it’s worth a shot.

Race
One downside I see with Obama is he does tend to pull out the race card a bit too often. I acknowledge that it is an unfortunate obstacle for him, as I do foresee a lot of people ignorantly choosing to not vote for him simply because of the color of his skin rather than his ability; however, if he does not want that to be a major factor in whether or not someone votes for him, I’d advise him to stop bringing it up. People who would vote that way aren’t going to be persuaded otherwise by guilt tripping them – but continually talking about the issue will definitely keep it fresh in their minds.

War
I’ve had enough with the war in Iraq, so I'm with Obama in his belief that we need to get out of there. I can understand the need for security – we need to be ready to handle any threats and to defend ourselves. But somehow defending ourselves after 9/11 turned into a mission to “save” Iraq and completely change their government so they have democracy and equal rights and all this lovely stuff that it feels like we barely even have ourselves sometimes – all the while really just trying to maintain a supply of their oil. Just because a country has a different way of running itself doesn’t necessarily mean they are a threat. It’s the relationship with that country that can make or break you. If we had a good relationship with the rest of the world, it wouldn’t matter how each government runs its own country. Unfortunately, most of the world HATES us, and putting our nose in their business isn’t going to change that.

Selfish
I have actually heard some people call Obama selfish, saying that he brings up his own life too much. These people need to understand that, when it comes to public speaking, this is actually just a technique -- a rhetorical tool, if you will -- that most successful speakers and debators use. He is trying to relate to his audience; increase his appeal to those who are going through similar situations or have concerns about those issues. You can't blame the man for trying to convince voters that he understands their wants, needs and concerns. This IS a competition, after all...


McCain

Age
He is OLD. At age 74, both of my grandparents died... Not to be crass, but c'mon, he's not getting any younger. At this point, most people are looking at McCain thinking, "There is an extremely good chance that your Vice President might actually end up having to take your place if you get ill or die." And to be honest, I don't think too many people are all that convinced that Gov. Palin should be vice president, let alone president...

Military Experience
I have the utmost respect for McCain and his military service. I think, in general, he is probably a great person and has good intentions. But I don't necessarily think our president needs to have military training to run the country. Defense is only one aspect of the government, and the president doesn't really have that much control over what happens. He may come up with general plans, but it still has to be voted on and approved by other people, and he is not the one actually telling the troops what to do. He just sets a goal and the military does the dirty work.

Attitude
One of the things that bothers me the most about McCain is his attitude and temper. During these debates, he seems to snap at Obama and be on the brink of actually yelling sometimes. It's not professional and it's not respectful. McCain also constantly harps on Obama for what he is or is not doing/has or has not done, rather than focusing on proving that he really is the better candidate. Rather than come out and say why he should be president, McCain seems to want to bash Obama instead and say why Obama shouldn't be president. Ok, McCain doesn't like Obama -- BIG surprise. McCain points out Obama's flaws but doesn't necessarily tell us why he is any better. He is just pointing out the differences between them, and for some of us, those differences aren't enough to make us want to vote for McCain instead.

Oil
Tonight McCain so cleverly said that Obama is eloquent but you have to pay attention to his words. He pointed out that Obama said they'd "look at" offshore drilling, but added that instead of just looking at the possibility, we need to just do it now because we can. You're forgetting something, McCain -- what do you do when that oil runs out? Sure, we could go ahead and drill away, but it's not renewable so it's going to run out eventually. What then? What we need to do is focus on creating alternative fuel sources -- renewable sources -- rather than just drilling until it's dry. If we can figure out a way to create our own fuel and not run out, then we'll definitely be able to significantly decrease our dependency on other countries.

Again, I am not one to force my opinions on anyone, and I will not say that if you are a Republican or are voting for McCain that you are stupid or wrong. However, this is my blog and these are my opinions; take them or leave them. No matter what people say or how well either candidate does in the race, my decision can not be swayed because, in the end, McCain's views do not coincide with my own when it comes to most of the issues, including abortion, gay marriage, health care and the war. But I completely respect those who support McCain because they do not share Obama's views. As long as you believe in something and stay true to it. "Stand for something, or you'll fall for anything."