Presidential Preferences

I have decided to write this next piece as an introspective exploration of my own justification for my preferences as to whom we select as being our next President.

My leanings (not grounded in concrete) are as follows (in descending order):

- 1 - Hillary Clinton
- 2 - John McCain
- 3 - Barack Obama

Now how could this be, given that Hillary Clinton's and Barack Obama's proposals are so much alike? Why is it that Barack does not fall into the second slot if my first choice does not end up leading the Democratic ticket?

The answer is because I like John McCain for the same reasons I like Hillary.

(See here) an MSNBC piece (that originally appeared in the New York Times) written by Carl Hulse that I intend to lift some quotes from.

“If you are a single-issue person or a really ideological person on a cluster of issues, in John McCain your ship has not come in,” said Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina and a close McCain ally. “He will be conservative, but this hard-edge ideology that is embraced by the hard left and the hard right, John has made a career of not giving in to that.”

And quoting Carl Hulse:

In fact, some see a potentially divided government, with Mr. McCain on one side and a Democratic Congress on the other, as an opportunity to make major
agreements.

Exactly. I look at John McCain as having the proven track record of working to achieve compromise in government. He might actually be able to get something through Congress to address some of the problems facing our nation.

No matter who wins the Presidential election in November, and no matter which party is in majority in either (or both) houses of Congress, the winner is going to have to deal with a divided Congress. Even if the Democrats retain majorities in both houses and a Democrat is selected to take a seat in the Oval Office, these facts will remain:

First: The majority party in the Senate will not have a filibuster proof super majority.

Second: Even if Democrats retain a majority in the House, portions of that majority are moderate to conservative Democrats. Significant numbers of Democrats caucus together as Blue Dogs, for example.

If the person selected as President is going to successfully address the issues the American Public is concerned about, that person is going to have to be willing to compromise. I am a moderate. I do not desire to have as my President an extremist from either side of the fence representing me. I believe that both Hillary Clinton and John McCain possess the characteristics necessary to successfully lead our nation at this particular point in history. I have yet to see any evidence that Barack Obama possesses any of these characteristics.

Would an Obama Presidency be a disaster for our nation? Not necessarily. Bill Clinton's first term in office did not start out so well either, however he quickly "learned on the job" how to become what I consider a successful President (if you forgive him for the Monica indiscretion). Perhaps Barack would be as adept in adjusting to reality. However Hillary Clinton has already been to school and has already learned the lessons. Why take a chance on the unproven candidate when two proven individuals are available for selection?

So there you have it. My justification for, thus far, placing John McCain ahead of Barack Obama in my order of preferences for the Office of President of the United States. I'm not sure Obama has what it takes to lead our nation.

What's Wrong with McCain

What's wrong with McCain. After posting my last piece, which was so critical of the person (Barack Obama) whom I assume is going to end up being the Democratic nominee for the office of President, I think it is only fair that I give equal time to criticizing the Republican nominee, John McCain.

(See here) a Washington Post piece by Jonathan Weisman which reports that John McCain seems to have become a recent convert to George Dubyah Bush's fiscally irresponsible economic policies.

I shared hopes with former Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee (Republican - R.I.) that McCain would return to a being centrist, moderate, supporter of fiscal responsibility. But to quote Chafee:

I was frankly surprised that he's kept it up after securing the nomination. I thought he'd move to the center, and I haven't seen it.

The attraction of John McCain for my vote is based upon his record as a Senator, that of being the maverick. While his present "borrow and spend" fiscal proposals might appeal to the conservative Republican Party base, they will make it that much harder for me to vote for him come November.

Right out of the gate, I lean towards John McCain in a match up between Barack Obama and him. However that does not mean I am motivated to support John McCain come hell or high water. If John McCain insists on grabbing the mantel and leading the charge in defending everything I disliked about Republican leadership over the last decade, Barack Obama might yet end up with my vote.