How much a decision? I will vote, and I have already chosen who I will vote for in my state’s primary election. The person I’m voting for in the presidential primary is not likely to win, especially in this state.
I am all for a president who is female or African American. For that matter, I’m open to a president who sports purple skin with yellow polka-dots. My concern is that voters are falling in love with the idea of a woman or black president, rather than the candidates themselves. I neither love nor hate Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Rather, I wonder whether they have the chops to least the most powerful nation in the world.
Look beyond promises to see this or that legislation through. The president can veto that which passes the House and Senate, but s/he does not do the actual work of seeing it through. Congress does it. Committees and votes and more hoopla than I care to imagine all go into the pork rolls we call bills. The real change will come when the government suffers an identity crisis and fixes the broken cogs in the system’s wheels.
I’m not a politico–I don’t bring anything more than opinion to the business of voting. Still, I can share my observations of the major candidates.
DEMOCRATS
Hillary Clinton
Alone, she is a strong woman with strong opinions on how to make many wrongs right. She may or may not have participated in a series of wrongs. Her husband is a liability. Inserting himself into the campaign does hurt her standing in people’s eyes, as many pundits suggest. After all, if she can’t “control” him during the campaign, how does she expect to keep him heeled if they move back into the White House.
This argument can go two ways. One can spoil it by suggesting that as the First Gentleman, Bill won’t have the clearance levels he enjoyed as the president. On the other hand, he’s likely to have his wife’s ear on a regular basis. On another hand, does Hillary listen to him? She may not be open to his help. She is intelligent, strong, and can stand up to or with the best of them. Bill may be superfluous.
All this aside, there is an aloofness about her that turns many people off. It’s quite the contrast to her husband’s reputed ability to charm an audience. How necessary is it for a president to be approachable? Will her personality lend needed space to tense situations, or will it be a detriment?
…More later. I am rather tired and have many things that need my attention. Next: Barack Obama
