Comments on: Two Different Candidates With The Same Problem

By: Dan Trabue

Dan Trabue — Tue, 20 May 2008 13:20:56 +0000

I think we need to pray that more real leaders, folks who don’t pander to specialty groups

I agree wholeheartedly that we need leaders who don’t pander to special interest groups is vital to our democracy. But I’m wondering, who do you think Obama is beholden to?

That, to me, is one of his appealing features: He seems unbeholden to any special interest groups.

By: Padre Steve

Padre Steve — Tue, 20 May 2008 04:29:26 +0000

I think all three of the candidates that we have left are flawed. Sadly we must choose one of them anyway! I think we need to pray that more real leaders, folks who don’t pander to specialty groups, will emerge the next go round. We need a conversion of heart in our country and so do our politicians! God bless! Padre Steve, SDB

By: Dan Trabue

Dan Trabue — Mon, 19 May 2008 21:32:51 +0000

Oh, I agree. The rock concert turnouts are not merely because Obama’s a nice guy. His positions are what’s exciting everyone I know. Go to his website and read his planks (which are FAR more extensive and detailed than McCain’s – and in many ways, more traditionally Conservative – conservative in the good way, not the Bush way – than McCain’s) and you’ll find a well-reasoned platform that people are excited about.

That’s part of my point: McCain’s issues are largely Bush’s issues, and they are not popular nor desired. We want positive change and I think McCain does not represent that.

By: Doug

Doug — Mon, 19 May 2008 20:36:49 +0000

I think a McCain win would be more related to the fact that he’s the most centrist candidate the Republicans have had in quite a while, while Obama is the Senate’s farthest left member.

There are still issues in play, other than rock concert turnout.

By: Dan Trabue

Dan Trabue — Mon, 19 May 2008 19:03:51 +0000

I do agree that this has been an odd year. It would be even odder if McCain won.

On the one hand, we have a candidate who has charisma and leadership skills like no one’s business, turning out thousands and TENS of thousands to his speeches, which take on a Rock Concert flavor.

On the other hand, we have a candidate who is not much liked nor supported by the party base and is only (mostly) getting support as the lesser of two evils.

On top of that, McCain hopes to succeed one of the least popular presidents in our nations history with basically the same platform!

For McCain to win would be an extreme oddity, seems to me, and not speak well of our system.

By: Dan Trabue

Dan Trabue — Mon, 19 May 2008 16:13:43 +0000

I don’t think so, at least in Obama’s case. For most Dems I know, they would have been fine either way (well, there are a significant portion in the more progressive wing of the Dems and Greens that vote Dem that have a problem with Clinton, but it’s not going to turn out that way). I think once the nomination is secured, you’ll see a huge rally in favor of Obama amongst the Dems, the Progressive independents, and out there in general.

Obama will need to do some work reaching out to the more old-timey racist-ish edge of the Dems, but I don’t think this is significant. (There are folk in my grandparents and sometimes parent’s generations that aren’t especially racist – they love everybody and all that – but, God love them, they just can’t see voting for a black man. That’s what I mean by old-timey racism; the vestiges of hundreds of years of racism in our world.)

Just my guess, time will tell. But look and see if, by the end of June, there’s not a big Obama upswing in polls and surveys.