Friday, January 11, 2008

And why do you want to be President?

Is anyone else a little overwhelmed by all the political information we are having thrown at us lately? I've really started trying to decide, as a good American citizen should, who I will cast my ballot for when it comes time to do any voting. There are so many choices right now, and I see several interesting people I think would do a good job. Let me detail some things in a very positive way for you:

Hillary Clinton
I've always said that if Hillary ran for president I would vote for her. She has the experience. She lived through eight years in the White House, and even though she was only titled First Lady, I think she basically ran the country with Bill. She knows what comes with the job, and has a good idea of how she wants to manage the country. She has a vision that a lot of other Americans share. There are many issues that she wants to tackle as president. A lot of these may fall to the wayside in order to focus on realizing a few of these issues, but I think she has the intelligence and capability to surround herself with people who know what to do and how to do it. And it'd be cool for the first female president of the United States to have ties to Arkansas!

Barack Obama
I've been infatuated with Barack since I saw him on Oprah a year or so ago. He gave a speech at the Democratic National Conference in 2004 where he said "the audacity of hope is God's greatest gift to Americans." People jumped at this phrase, and in his book, which I am reading right now, he uses his life experiences to detail his optimistic outlook on what America could be. He is a very strong supporter of education and bettering the educational system. He has other issues that, as a young American (yes, I am still young), I believe call to the nation as a whole. We have lived in such a seemingly dark time, with the war and the threat of recession, that any ray of light we can be given will be grabbed and held onto tightly. I believe that Barack could bring America that light, and let us have the ability to hope again.

Mike Huckabee
When I heard he was running for president, I shook my head in dismay. I never thought after all the years as the governor of Arkansas, he would be able to gain the national spotlight the way he has. As a Christian, I know what this man believes. He was a Baptist minister for several years. He has a strong point of view of how to deal with many issues that face our nation today. I always thought he went a little overboard on the health issue when he was governor. I did not agree with many of the rules he instituted on the public schools and the way they deal with student health. But, as his message has gotten out to the public, not just about his health care plan, but about all the issues he raises (American security, marriage, immigration, education and the arts, etc.) more and more people are realizing he has a good grip on what his vision is for our nation. My only concern with him is his lack of foreign policy experience. As governor, he did occasionally work with foreign dignitaries, but not as much as he would need to as president. Can that be overlooked? Maybe, if he'll take America back to the forefront in world politics and make us stronger at home.

John McCain
What can I say about John McCain? I liked him in the last election, and I still do. Even though he is a Republican (not that that's bad or anything), he doesn't focus on the big business as much as other people-who-shall-remain-nameless in his party, but tends to focus on the middle class more. He's very veteran-minded, being a vet himself, and will be an invaluable asset for our military. He has experience with dealing with big issues, and seems to have a good handle on what he wants to do as president. I just hope doesn't run out of steam like he did before.

The main issue all the candidates are bringing to the table is CHANGE. It's turning into the catch-phrase for this election year. I think a lot of people in the country are ready for a change, no matter what the change is. We as a nation have been brought down to our knees by gas companies, government entanglements, big business collapses, and immigration problems. I really hope that all Americans will take a moment and research all the candidates and choose who they believe will be the right choice for America. These are not all the candidates, and I'm sure I'll hear about more issues that I didn't talk about, but I just wanted to get this off my chest. Keep America in your prayers people: she's gonna need it!

1 comment:

Clare said...

I think I may go blindfolded to cast my ballot. Throw a dart at a board, and whoever is closest is who I'll vote for. Everyone has something that appeals to me! Why is it so dang hard????