Politics: An Historic Result
It’s finally over! Well, that is the best part about the election, I guess. I’m not so thrilled about the outcome, but that being said, we have elected our first African-American president and I think that’s a good thing (I probably would have preferred a different first African-American president but that’s not important any longer). I just wonder how long the honeymoon will last. It seems that some people have some pretty unrealistic ideas about what he’s going to do for them like this lady who was probably just caught up in the emotion of the moment but now will be immortalized via this very popular clip (by people like me).
Apparently the Obama campaign has already started planning how to temper some of the enthusiasm that was generated before a backlash begins ("You mean I have to do all that stuff I said I would do?")
The sun did come up again Wednesday morning for conservatives
There is no doubt that the GOP has moved away from the ideals that gave them control of congress and then the white house over the past decade or so. We now have a bigger and less fiscally prudent federal government than eight years ago which is pretty much the opposite of what most conservative voters originally wanted.
The bright side?
In a strange way, I think Tuesday’s result will energize conservatives. My wife has been more involved in this election than ever before - I have never seen her so interested in the process nor have I been either. Another friend I spoke to Wednesday morning is really feeling the pull to get more involved with politics at some level as well.
And there can be no doubt that Republicans were routed by the Democrats this time around. I don’t necessarily think this means we are now a left-wing country. I feel that this election was more about discontent with the current leaders than an embrace of the far left. So, at the party level, I think you’ll see a change in leadership and a return to the ideals of the GOP - smaller government, lower taxes, fiscal responsibility, etc.
Who did we really elect as our President?
Most conservatives are very concerned about the next few years. Where we head in the near future depends on who we really elected to be our president.
Did we elect the Obama of his past and the democratic primary - a man who is liberal in all areas, embraces big government, redistributing the wealth, is big on social justice, abortions for all, etc.
Or did we elect the Obama of the presidential campaign - a man who will really cut taxes for 95% of working Americans and go through the government with a fine tooth comb to eliminate programs that aren’t working?
That is quite a dichotomy and it will be interesting (and maybe frightening) to see what actually comes to pass. The answer will greatly influence what this country looks like in four years.
The optimistic view
At my most optimistic, I think that he really cares a lot about being popular and well-liked and that would portend following through on some of the moderate/centrist promises he made.
The not-so-optimistic view
On the flip-side, I would guess that if he does veer sharply back to the left, he will not be granted a 2nd term as president. Remember, this is still a center-right country and I don’t think it will tolerate a liberal president and a liberal congress pushing us to the far left.
It is one of the great weaknesses of reasonable men and women that they imagine that projects which fly in the face of commonsense are not serious or being seriously undertaken. — Margaret Thatcher
I feel that a lot of people hear these far, far left-wing ideas (banning all guns, creating a civilian defense force for who knows what purpose, reviving the fairness doctrine, redistributing the wealth, encouraging the courts to enact social justice) and just can’t believe that a reasonable person would really want to do any of them (it must be a product of those mean-spirited attacks by John McCain). If some or most of these things actually come to pass, I think a great number of Americans will be absolutely shocked and Obama and a bunch of liberal congress members will be gone over the next few election cycles (even if they do promise to pay your mortgage and fill up your car with gas)
Ok - that’s it - no more politics! Back to personal finance next week
I could go on and on about this stuff but I will get back to PF. I think I need to find a friend with a political blog to do an occasional guest post and spare you from it! After all this stress and concern surrounding the election, here’s a little reminder for you…
Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble. Daniel 4:37
Have a great weekend and God Bless America…
It’s your Right and your Duty - Vote!
Tomorrow (Tuesday) is a big day. Wednesday is even bigger for me personally - it’s the day I finally get some relief from the incessant chatter about the election. Since this will be an historic election no matter which side wins, I feel like I need to comment on the election and urge people to get out tomorrow and vote. As such, this won’t strictly be a personal finance post, but since this election will affect our finances I feel like I have leeway to create the post (besides, it’s my blog!)
Can these guys just say anything they want?
I have paid much more attention to both candidates this time around as compared to prior years and honestly, I have not liked what I have seen. My wife has been very interested in the process this time around and has pulled me into it (albeit kicking and screaming to some extent). I get the feeling that they are just making stuff up as they go along. I especially felt this way while watching the debates. Most questions that were asked were greeted by a new program that was to be created or more spending. Obama did this throughout the entire debate (McCain pointed it out later in the debate) but McCain did it as well to a lesser extent. And of course, all of this new spending while cutting taxes, eh? Let me put it this way - I’m not holding my breath for my tax cut.
The great thing about a campaign (the great thing for the candidates, certainly not for you and me) is there is no accountability. You can promise whatever you want and after you get elected, if anyone even remembers all the promises you made, you can just blame the previous president for you not being able to follow through.
My take on Obama’s campgaign
I feel that, for the most part, Obama ran a very good campaign strategically. He always had a big lead so it wasn’t necessary for him to take too many risks. Of course, the fawning major media coverage and huge disparity in money to spend certainly didn’t hurt. The best thing the Obama campaign did was to effectively associate McCain with President Bush (let me say that must drive McCain crazy - most of the base republicans don’t really like McCain since he differs so much from some of the traditional republican positions and he is here being linked so closely with Bush!)
My take on McCain’s campaign
I feel that McCain’s campaign, in contrast to Obama’s, has not been run very well. I feel that his messages have been too disjointed - it seems that they send out differing messages from one week to the next. I also think that they seemed to get distracted with the whole Bill Ayers as terrorist thing and are only now focusing on more effective strategies like pointing out how liberal Obama is. That being said, in light of our current situation with the economy, Bush, the money disparity, etc, this should not even be a race. Obama should win in a landslide so it is somewhat astounding that this race is still going on. Now, maybe it still will be a huge win for Obama but there is some uncertainty still.
What is the deal with the polls?
How can there be so many different polls with so many different results. Let’s go back to one of my favorite quotes:
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." Mark Twain (attributed to Benjamin Disraeli)
With the huge disparity among the various polls, It is certainly starting to make me wonder if these polls are being manipulated purposefully.
My advice?
Ignore the meaningless campaign promises (how can you cut taxes and spend $800B more at the same time?), rhetoric, and name calling. Look at how the candidate has acted in the past and use that as your measuring stick. If they have consistently voted for something that you support, they will most likely continue to support that in the future. Similarly, if they have never voted for a tax cut in the past, do you really think they will turn into a tax-cutter tomorrow? The best advice I can give is to turn off the TV and look into each of these men’s political records and decide which one matches up with your values. Vote for characters and values and not for campaign promises.
Who am I voting for?
Well, I’m done prattling on about this and frankly, I’m fed up with the entire process. I keep thinking about all the hundreds of millions of dollars being spent campaigning and wishing that money could be put to better use - so wasteful!
As for me, I’ll be voting for McCain for a number of reasons. I like his experience. If you want to foster cooperation across the aisle, I feel that he has a track record of doing just that compared to one of the most liberal senators in office.
I do not agree with Obama that scapegoating the wealthy is the best way forward. I do not think that burdening people who work hard and are successful is the best way help out those less fortunate or less motivated (especially when the government is involved in the redistribution). I’m not really tickled by Obama calling me selfish for not wanting to pay higher taxes. Frankly, I’d much rather give my money to charity than the government as I feel it will get put to much better use. [By the way, what was up with Joe Biden telling us that it was "fair" for the wealthy to pay more taxes. Whether you agree with that philosophy or not, isn't making a certain group of people pay a higher percentage than others actually the definition of unfair ? Besides, even at a flat tax rate the wealthy would pay more money in taxes.]
I don’t like Obama’s record on social issues and I feel this topic is being unfortunately overshadowed by the poor economy. On top of that, some of Obama’s actions in relation the media (especially the few outlets that have the audacity to not fawn all over him) are extremely troubling to me. And honestly, I just don’t trust him.
So, there you have it - my reasons for voting for John McCain. I could go on and on about this stuff, but since is a PF blog, I’ll just stop there!
Now, you go out and vote! (but only once please)
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