Obama vs. McCain

Being that it’s Super Tuesday, I am putting out my positive energies for these two candidates. Since I live in Washington State, I unfortunately have no vote in the primary. The parties here have chosen to ignore our preferences and hold caucuses instead. Like many other Washingtonians, I am an independent, registered with neither party, voting for any candidate as I see fit. Therefore, I am unable to participate in the caucuses. So, instead, I am adding my energy to the universal air-waves, to have what influence it can. And in the independent spirit, I am endorsing one candidate from each side, to form the match-up I would most like to see in November.

Both candidates share some things in common - they are independent, smart, thinking men. They take issues as they come, and are willing to work with anyone to meet their goals. I believe they would be ones who truly would and could reach out to both parties and make progress. They do not represent old-style partisan politics, of the type that is paralyzing our government. Selection of these candidates to vote on in November would send a strong message to the party elite that we don’t want what we’ve been getting.

Why I like Obama - OK, here I have to admit that who I really liked originally was Edwards. My dream ticket was an Edwards-Obama ticket. That may still be possible, but with Obama on top. Edwards seems to admire Obama and dislike Hillary, which pretty much fits my views.

But Obama has his own positives, that even Edwards didn’t have. An almost iconic ability to make people believe in a better future, coupled with a vision of the future that fits my dreams. A way of uniting people and transcending past injustices without playing the race card. A civility that is desperately needed in government, and one of the only candidates that actually has a clue what poverty is like. Steadfast opposition to the war. Someone I believe would reflect well on Americans and who could be an ambassador to help repair some of the damage done in the last 8 years. A desire to reach out to everyone in creating solutions.

And yes, he’s not Hillary, and he doesn’t come with Bill. Half of Congress won’t instantly hate him, like they would Hillary. Just how likely do you think it is that she would be able to get her policies approved or keep Bill from trying to run things? Don’t get me wrong, I actually like Bill. But I’m not sure I want him in the White House again.

(Aside: does anyone else think it’s exciting that universal health care is being discussed seriously by all the candidates?)

Why I like McCain - This part may surprise more of you. But here goes - He has a long, long record of working both sides of the aisle and opposing his own party when necessary. That kind of independence is what I believe we need a lot more of in Washington, and bodes well for being a president that could work with a Democratic Congress (or evenly split Congress). He makes up his own mind on issues. He helped build the bipartisan coalition that prevented Congress from melting down over the judge confirmation issue.

He supported reconciliation with Vietnam, even thought they held him prisoner and tortured him. That says good things to me about his ability to work without holding grudges and to be a positive force in our relations with other countries. He has been one of the strongest voices in Congress for fiscal restraint AND environmental issues. Even as a Republican he was one of the strongest advocates of dealing with global warming, something I don’t really see any of the Democratic candidates really talking about. He holds more moderate views on social issues like abortion and gay rights than most Republicans and is unlikely to make it a litmus test for anything. Yes, he supported the war, though disagreed with how it was fought. But at least he’s earned the right to an opinion, unlike the current President.

Seeing these two candidates go up against each other would be one of the most exciting contests of my lifetime. For once, I might feel like if my candidate loses it won’t be a disaster. So good luck Barack Obama and John McCain!