To be brutally honest, I have no dog in this fight. All choices this Nov are bad. It is just a question of who will be the least bad.
Some days I think Obama will be least bad, then I wonder if McCain might not be. McCain has a better chance of succeeding at getting his polices, bad and good, enacted by Congress then Obama. However, Obama will do nothing good and try to do quite a bit that is bad but Obama has much less chance of actually getting any legislation thru Congress. Then, there is the possibility that stagflation is rearing it ugly head again. Maybe we are better off having the Democrats running things so they take the political hit for the coming lean economic years then us. However, Obama will appoint fellow radicals to the SC. That would be a long term serious problem for the USA that would do damage for generations. However, Obama election would be a political enema to a political class seriously in need of a good cleaning out. And so the thought ball pings and pongs back and forth thur my mind, first McCain derangement, then Obama derangement then back.
For you Immigration is, and has always been, the end all be all issue. McCain is for the illegals so that makes him Public Enemy Number 1 in your world. Unfortunately, most of the Country has a more nuanced view of this year's election.
Here is the question. Are the people of this country really angry or do they just think they are angry because everyone in the Junk media from Talk Radio to their nightly sit-coms has been screaming at them "hate Bush" for the last 4 years?
Take for instance Iraq. Superficial media pundits LOVE to scream that "60% think Iraq was a mistake" pre Surge Poll number. Unfortunately the actual views of the American people is much less clear then that.
Yes, in hindsight, the American people have been sold the bill of goods that Iraq was a mistake. What they ALSO do not buy is the Democrat's notion that we should cut and run from Iraq. Only about 40% (i.e. the Democrat Party base) buy this notion we should have a time-line for withdrawal from Iraq. So why they don't trust Bush on Iraq, they also don't trust the Democrats either. Most of them say "Well yes, Iraq was a mistake but now that we are their we have to win". The Surge is showing them "Yes, we can win in Iraq" which is why, expect for fund raising efforts with their fringe base, Democrats have pretty much dropped Iraq as a Congressional election issue.
Pundits love to talk about "Bush's record low approval rating" What they fail to point out is Bush's approval rating has been pretty steady for over a year now. What has changed in that same year is the Democrat Congress's approval numbers. From a high of 50% the Democrat Congress has seen it's approval rating drop to, and stay at, a jaw dropping 17%. That is about 1/2 of Bush's. In that time frame, the only thing of note the Democrats did was fight furiously with Bush over Iraq. Bush's positions on Iraq, like his approval rating stayed rock steady, meanwhile Democrat's approval numbers dropped like a stone. That indicates the people have some serious mixed feelings about what to do about Iraq going forward.
So while right at this minute it is the Democrats election to lose in Nov., that is not set in concrete. McCain's campaign strategy of painting himself as better then Bush but not a scary radical like Obama may just sell this year. McCain is basically using Clinton's triangulation strategy.
McCain's saying "see I am not a scary radical like those people on the Left or Right, I am right here in the middle with you regular folks." may just comfortable to the average voter then Obama vague, and vaguely ominous, promises of "change".
Right now the country is angry. What most people are missing is the people are mostly angry because they are fearful about the future. They worry about the economy, about Iraq, about Iran, about their kids safety etc etc etc. So it is possible that Obama's vague promises of change are not going resonate with a mass of voters all ready highly nervous about their future.
Unlike you, I stopped clinging to my MDS this week and spent the week actually listening to Obama. Your hate for McCain is blinding you wholly to the very real problems the Democrats face. Obama is a serious radical running for electing in a country that has never been kind to radical politicians
The My guy is better than a dead dog syndrome is always gonna be there.
Hence, McCain will be elected President.
Soon after Inauguration Day, he will have one of his psychotic episodes and, well, it was nice knowin’ ya, Johnnie!