March 05, 2008

Koh Tao (THAILAND)

My Take on the Presidential Race in the United States

As far as my take on the political race, below is my opinion of each of the candidates, presented in a pros and cons manner. In all truth, I wouldn't be disappointed should any of them win as they each bring something different to the table and are talented...

John McCain may be seen as somewhat of a 'war hawk,' but he has a responsible record in the Senate, and enough military experience to avoid entangling conflicts - having been a prisoner of war, he puts dead the idea that politicians are detached from the nasty realities of war. He is also widely touted as being a candidate who can cross party lines to get things done, which is evidenced by the many Democratic candidates who support his campaign (Lieberman), as well as the many Senate initiatives for which he has successfully managed to build a coalition. Lastly, McCain is widely regarded as an honorable man, which is rare in American politics, and he is not afraid to tackle controversial issues (immigration), even though they are political landmines that are avoided by everyone else.

My biggest fears with McCain are that he carries a certain 'conservative American resoluteness' that may not help the United States' international image (being a leader is never easy), he knows very little about economic policy (but then neither did Reagan), and many people will write him off as being "another George Bush" simply because he is a Republican (obviously unfair, and couldn't be further from the truth.)

Barack Obama has done an amazing job in going from an unknown entity to a household rallying call across the nation. He has certainly excited the population more than any other candidate, and after the bitter tenure of George Bush this is no bad thing for politics in America. Further, with a Muslim father from Africa, a stint with hard-core drugs in his 20s, several years spent living in Indonesia, and a string of successes later in life - Harvard Law School (and editor of the Harvard Law Review, I believe) - he brings "something different" to the table. He will probably do the most good for the United States' international image, and there have been no shortage of foreigners who are enamored by him. Lastly, he has a plethora of intelligent, talented supporters with fresh ideas, and this could greatly substantiate his claims for "change you can believe in:" he will push for the kind of "system fixes" students and intellectuals alike are always calling for from the outside.

My concerns with Mr. Obama should be fairly obvious from the above paragraph: he is certainly inundated with potential, but there is not much else to back up his powerful rhetoric. A three year term in Congress isn't enough time to accomplish the kinds of things Mrs. Clinton and Mr. McCain have, but whether that is Mr. Obama's fault or not is up for debate. Certainly, he talks the talk, but I wonder whether he can walk the walk. He is capable of saying the right things to a populace desperate for someone to believe in, but I wonder if he can do the same in the tricky realm of real politics where most seasoned politicians have seen it all before. In simple terms he is lacking: a record demonstrating he can build coalitions, any kind of foreign policy experiences (arguably at a time when we need it the most), and a large focus on domestic social programs (I favor less government.) At the end of the day, I don't want a silky salesman running the world, I want a hardened leader willing to tackle the tough fights, and win them. Right now, there is no way of knowing what he is capable of, but then again even someone with a great record could become a flop.

Hillary Clinton once made me cringe with absolute detest, and looking back, that is no bad thing. My reasons for disliking her were that she seemed like a bulldog purely interested in getting her own way, and I wanted nothing to do with her. However, such is life in politics when you tackle the kind of difficult issues she has - you can't please everybody, and you cannot let obstacles stop you. Much like McCain, she does have a rarely spoken of track record for crossing party lines in building coalitions, so she should be able to build the kind of support to do something as president. Further, she knows the ins-and-outs of politics better than anyone, so she will hit the ground running with an agenda for what she hopes to accomplish. Lastly, she has a great political network that will probably result in the strongest "team" among the three candidates.

My fears with Mrs. Clinton are that she is too divisive, too liberal, and too interested in seeing that her policies are what actually go through. Without question, there is no other candidate so many conservatives love to hate: while I now understand Mrs. Clinton's need to be the way she is (she has some serious political scars from prior initiatives that were shot down because of politics as usual), parts of the population will probably never get behind her. Also, much like Mr. Obama, I do not support many of the social programs so typical of the Democratic Party, so I am afraid of bigger government and greater taxes on the country's earners.