no one, at least not yet. I've decided to talk myself through three major issues and see which candidate I like more by the end.
Foreign policy:
Just to start out, I would like to say that John McCain terrifies me on this issue. Obama does too, but for entirely different and slightly less serious reasons. John McCain’s position on foreign policy is that he has far more experience than Obama, but what kind of experience is he talking about? After reading through pages and pages of quotes from McCain, he comes off as overly aggressive and dismissive of other countries around the world. This attitude may have worked back when McCain was young (circa 1850) but it’s pointlessly patriotic in a swiftly globalizing world. Obama, on the other hand, is simply pandering to the international community and those in the United States that see America as morally obligated to pour money on the world’s wounds. His plans to meet with leaders of hostile states without pre-conditions might be idealistically sound, but it’s realistically unreasonable. Despite what Obama says, not holding talks with other nations can be used as a bargaining tool, although this does not apply in all situations. Of the two candidates I can only say I dislike McCain more because he’s said more to dislike, I’m sure that if you gave Obama a mic and a few years, we would have plenty more material to fuel the debate. On the Iraq war, McCain too enthusiastic, Obama too timid and he probably wouldn’t even be able to get us out.
Verdict: slight + to Obama
The Economy:
Obama seems to be disconnected from reality on this one. More spending and bigger government programs, but a huge tax cut for “the middle class.” And how does he propose to finance this fairy tale? A tax increase on the rich. How does he plan to keep them from just leaving to live elsewhere? They’re rich for heaven’s sake. Semi-jokes aside, Obama’s plan for the economy seems to be saying he’s not Bush enough times that it’ll make everything better. On the other hand, McCain fails to stand out as well, easily admitting that he “still needs to be educated” on the economy. On the other hand, he appears to be sane enough to realize that the government is spending way too much. His claims that he’ll veto “pork barrel” spending are heartening, if a bit empty. At least he was smart enough to make an attempt at disassociating himself from the “republicans” and Democrats in congress that spent our tax dollars like baby-boomers in a Vegas casino.
Verdict: slight + McCain
Energy Conservation and Energy Independence:
On this issue it’s really down to if you want America to be energy independent sooner or in a safer manner. Obama and McCain both support similar efforts to make the United States more energy efficient and more environmentally friendly, but McCain supports a wider array of more aggressive programs while Obama tends to focus more on a safer but much slower set of alternatives. McCain supports offshore oil drilling and says it will act as a temporary measure to support the American economy until his plan to build 45 new nuclear power plants is completed by 2030. This might seem like a long way in the future, but if we don’t start at some point nothing will ever get done. Obama instead supports conserving fuel and developing more environmentally friendly habits to work our way slowly out of our oil dependence. I have no problem with being ecologically-minded, but I think that we need to focus more on becoming independent from foreign powers that might seek to control our fuel supply. Why should we spend our time legislating our way to saving the earth through smarter driving when there are much more efficient ways to preserve our planet? Another facet of this issue that interests me is the alternative fuel that each candidate supports. As far as I’ve been able to tell, Obama is heavily in support of ethanol while McCain supports a variety of different sources, from wind to nuclear to clean coal. As much as I dislike the idea of funneling money into the big oil companies, I think that I could easily dislike Big-Corn just as much; ethanol seems like just another gimmick for the large corporations.
Verdict: Slightly larger + to McCain
Final Verdict: I would have to say that I would vote for McCain, not because he’s the best person for the job but because he’s a better than Obama (though not by much). The lack of a candidate who supports my views in a decisive manner is very disheartening during this time of crisis for America.
I would like to close by posting a brief summary of my views of both candidates.
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