Sunday, January 20, 2008

My ideal candidate

There is no single candidate that speaks to me in a way that makes me think, “Yeah, he/she is the one.” I wish I had an option that combined:

  • The sheer competence of Hillary Clinton. No one would approach the task of running the government with more care and attention to detail. We have millions of people spending hundreds of billions of dollars in our government, and it’s time that someone paid a little attention to this complex beast.
  • The clarity of vision Ron Paul exhibits when talking about the terrible macroeconomic hole the country has dug itself into through excessive government spending and borrowing.
  • The real business experience and success of Mitt Romney. He’s a hard guy to like, but it’s even harder to argue with the business success and creativity on his resume. We’re in a geopolitical, life and death struggle for economic supremacy and I don’t want my children to be living in the U.S. economic version of post-WWII England.
  • The inspirational and visionary qualities of Barack Obama. It is time to move on from the confrontational, old-school, ideological, nature of our political discourse. I think Obama can lead the country towards a more rational, 21st Century-style of problem-solving; plus he clearly has appeal to younger voters, who must be brought into the battle to save their futures.
  • The integrity, resolve and experience of John McCain. No other politician has the courage to take difficult positions when he believes they are in the country’s best interest, regardless of the political consequences, and the depth of international relationships and perspective to know what is truly important. And few other living Americans in any profession have made a greater commitment to public service, nor paid a higher price, than has Senator McCain. The word hero is over used these days, but is aptly applied in his case.

Well, unfortunately, this fantasy candidate doesn’t exist, but as mentioned earlier, I lean towards the moral leadership of McCain over the others.

9 comments:

Are We Really? said...

I am supporting Nobody For President because I want Nobody running my life and Nobody to tell me what to do or how to think.

Anonymous said...

How about a list of the worst of each candidate? Duplicity and hypocrisy trump any favorable qualities. Looking at both lists should help clean out some of the obvious dead wood on the election list.

Anonymous said...

I think we'll be given the choice between competance and integrity (Clinton v. McCain). The resulting horse race will be interesting to watch. Will McCain permit the republican storm troopers to savage Clinton they way did him in 2000 and Kerry in 2004? Will Democrats squander the obious opportunity they've been handed? We'll see. I do think that if the Republicans nominate anybody other than McCain, they'll get crushed.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your blog Dennis. I agree with most of what you wrote. Joe Biden is the guy to get us out of the war. It would be odd to have had 12 years of a Bush, & 12 possible 16 years of a Clinton. Some "politico's" say that a Clinton/Obama ticket wouldn't bring anyone new to vote. That they pull from the same group. But I think it would be a great day in American if that happened. Had a group of friends over Saturday night....some democrate, some republician, & indepentant's. One of them said a Republican couldn't be elected this year.....hmmmm, I didn't think Bush would get re-elected, but he did.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the blog, Dennis. Interesting ideas and comments. Unfortunately, Really's approach to the election won't work since this is how our government is set up and whether he votes or not, someone will be telling him what to do. As we all know however, he won't listen. Eight years ago, I think McCain would have been the ideal candidate. Now I wouldn't give him my vote. I think his integrity has taken a hit. Even though you say that is a necessary element of politics, I would go with my gut on this one. He has lost his focus and backbone (just my opinion). My "ideal" candidate at this point would be Obama with Hillary as his running mate. He has the charisma, oratory skills and experience among the people to be an inspiring and uniting leader. And not just here but with nations around the world. Hillary, as you say has the experience, diligence and political savvy to help him succeed. And just to stir things up a little, how about Ron Paul on staff. He is the Republican equivalent of Dennis K. with a little less erratic behavior. This is an exciting year even if it is because we finally get Bush out of office. We have a lot of ground to regain.

Anonymous said...

Denny, I love your blog! It's so professional! You are such a great writer. I find it amusing that we both voted for Kerry the last election and now I agree with you that McCain would be a good man for the presidency. What a turn around. I think McCain, though hawkish now, would actually go toward peace in the middle east and the rest of the world because of his experience with the realities of war. I also think he has the ability to weigh both sides of a decision. I think Mitt would do a good job with the economy, but I don't know enough about him to really stand behind him. I like to vote republican when I can. Fundamentally, the party is more optimistic and capitalistic which is where jobs are created and money is made. Hillary is a smart gal for sure, but I couldn't stand her know-it-all voice for four years. Obama is a sweet guy and I hope he gets the democratic nomination. Sounds simplistic, I know, but that is how people get elected, likeability and trust.

Are We Really? said...

>>>>Unfortunately, Really's approach to the election won't work since this is how our government is set up and whether he votes or not, someone will be telling him what to do>>>>>

Hey Lou... look over there...

How many people voted against George Bush in the last eight years and what did that get them?

A case in point: my congresswoman is Speaker Nancy Pelosi. I own a home across the street from a 1.2 million square foot Veteran's Administration Medical Facility in San Francisco. The area is among the most spectacular in many respects in the United States. Twelve years ago, I learned the Veterans Administration (VA) wanted to build a 14,500 square foot "research" building on their sweeping front lawn within two hundred feet of my home. The VA never asked the neighbors about our opinion because they thought they didn't need to. With the help of Congresswoman Pelosi and fifteen Freedom of Information Act requests, we discovered the VA really planned to build a 28,000 square foot building in spite of the fact San Francisco had other appropriate facilities they could have used. Boom! The VA backed off, fired the local administration and we have no building on that front lawn.

It is now twelve years later. The current administration at the VA across the street wants to build a 200,000 square foot research building, not on the front lawn, but on the back side of the VA campus out of view of the neighborhood. The VA has no plans in their design to mitigate or compensate for the parking issue and increased traffic which will overwhelm this neighborhood. Congress doesn't fund parking garages or increased traffic flow! Congresswoman Pelosi now supports the VA because the money driving the issue is "research", in particular, biotech research money. The largest and the fastest growing business in Congresswoman Pelosi's district is biotech companies who are now lobbying Congresswoman Pelosi and pouring millions of dollars into campaign contributions and public relations efforts? Biotech and medical research by drug companies disguised at the University of California are steam rolling our neighborhood.

Lobbying. That's the name of the game!

Not whether my wife and I, or our neighbors vote for Congresswoman Pelos or Hilarie Clinton or Barrack Obama or John McCain.

Anonymous said...

hey really! you have to lobby somebody though don't you? and that person is either elected, or they are appointed to their position by someone who is elected, so at some level it matters who is elected, and it can't be nobody.

Are We Really? said...

I surrender. Everything I know is wrong.