Stumbling Towards Election Day

The election contest has eroded into complete senselessness. Need proof? Consider the fact that CNN is reporting how Biden's comments on the University of Delaware and Ohio State University's respective football teams could impact the election. Are you kidding me? Look, my family is from Ohio and I now live in Delaware so I have an affinity to both schools, and I couldn't care less about his comments. Of all the challenging and substantial issues we are facing as a nation, someone wants to make comments about a college football game a campaign issue?

The Economist has a few good articles this week talking about how the election has taken a nasty turn and how the Republican party idolizes Reagan but acts more like Nixon. Even as a Republican, I think both articles are true. Lest one think I have come down with terminal Obamamania, you might also want to read their review of the new book, "The Case Against Barrack Obama: The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media's Favorite Candidate."

Although McCain's choice of Sarah Palin has energized the base and apparently improved McCain's chances of success, it has done little to help win me over. While she has a charming personal story and I appreciate that she was willing to take on the powers that be in Alaska, I'm not convinced she is ready to be President. I understand that I am in the minority who holds this opinion, but I tend to believe that experience in the Senate better prepares a candidate for the responsibilities of the Presidency than experience as a governor because you are more heavily confronted with both national and international issues rather than state and local issues. I understand that most of our recent presidents have been governors and it's been ages since a senator has become president, but I still hold this as a general principle, especially when a governor is only half way through their first term.

So who should I vote for? It sounds strange, but at this point I remain undecided. There are aspects of both candidates' positions that I agree with and that I disdain. Just for fun, I went to Who Should You Vote For? and it revealed, unsurprisingly, that I match up much more strongly on the issues with McCain than I do with Obama. Another quiz I took recently that included independent parties revealed that I best match up with Bob Barr and the Libertarian party.

I don't think either candidate has put forth a workable, comprehensive agenda that will suitably address our national concerns nor assembled a grass roots body that would help to achieve those goals on the local, state and national level beyond election day. I can't necessarilly say that I blame them though. We have brutal realities to face as a nation and as a whole we are either apathetic or in denial. We the people, are a bit like an obese, smoking, depressed alcoholic who goes to the doctor and when told that we need to change our ways or face the consequences would prefer instead to blame and fire the doctor.

Or maybe I'm just cynical. There's more to say about the whole election, but that's all I have time for today.