The Complications of American Politics

Recently, I've taken a turn of interest in American politics. That would seem to make sense, seeing as this is an election year, and the election has never been more in the media and on the minds of the American people. However, my interest has developed for a reason separate from the actual candidates. My interest has been piqued more by the reaction of the American public to the candidates running this year. Allow me to elaborate.

Barack Obama is the democratic choice for president. I have no problem with him in a general sense of the word. I do find some of his claims interesting (wanting to downsize the government, but increasing taxes and providing for universal health care would seem to be at odds with this, among other things) but it is not this I would like to focus on. It is more that he is being praised so greatly in all media publications. He is looked at almost like a Savior, someone who will bring us back from the brink and save us all. It is a well known fact that a president only has so much power to influence the economy and political opinion during his first term. Normally, the effects of a presidency aren't seen for around 4 - 8 years. Some could argue then that the economic results we are currently experiencing are a result of President Clinton's decisions while in office. However, this is not the argument I wish to make.

Obama, while a worthwhile candidate for the presidency, is not a "savior" of the American people. He is a good man, and will probably be a worthwhile president -- however, he is not without his faults. Much has already been said about his mysteriously absent flag pin, the flags in his campaign office, the pastor to which he listens. I'm not about to talk about these subjects, as they have been covered. However, it would seem in the media that Obama can do no wrong and that McCain can do no right. Obama is praised for his VP; McCain is made fun of. Lack of experience of the McCain's VP candidate? What about lack of experience of Obama?

Obama's speech was watched by more people than the Olympics. Why is there such an intense interest in this? The American people have been truly polarized by George W. Bush, however, does this mean that Obama will be THAT much better as a president? Let me say: the economic prosperity of the US is much more influenced by the secretary of the treasury than by the president. In the same breath, bring back Greenspan! But that's for another day.

I agree that Obama is a good man. But he's not the only hope for the American people. I think that we need to be careful in our lauding of everything that he does. I encourage people to analyze the issues and make sense of them. Don't vote for Obama just because you don't want another republican. Let's not forget that not every republican agrees with everything that Bush has done while in office. While there are certainly polarizing issues, Obama is not perfect either. It would seem that he can do no wrong, but I would contend that both candidates are human beings and are perfectly capable of making mistakes. Please, don't get caught up in the hype, and remember to evaluate the issues individually to determine what is best for you.

In the same breath, I want to state that I have not yet decided who will receive my vote. I am just disturbed that it seems that Obama can do no wrong.

You know where the comments go.