A Call to Duty

Today represents what may be the final breath of the Clinton campaign, even if she chooses to stay in the race until the convention. I can say she has at least toned the rhetoric which reduces the collateral damage to the overall party. But either way, unity must come for the party.

We hear on the news the campaign is twenty million dollars in the red and Hillary is already loaning large sums of money to the campaign. But, we also hear that there is no fear about how the debts will be paid. It just goes to prove that no matter whether you are Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Green Party, or any other party out there you must be somewhat wealthy to run for president.

Today it is all about the money. I also read that Senator John McCain is running into some financial struggles. His money raising efforts are hitting a snag even in the old reliable Republican stronghold of Texas. Well, Republican stronghold as of late. McCain will have to raise some serious funds for the main campaign which is about to begin.

But why is McCain having money raising issues? The analysis I read mentioned that the American public has grown weary of President Bush and the quagmire politics of the current administration. It would seem Bush has become an albatross to the Republicans. Personally, I am not surprised. Both my friend in North Carolina and I predicted catastrophe under the Bush administration. Frankly, George W. has failed in many areas and there is little time left to correct the legacy he will leave behind.

And yet, many of the same people that voted for Bush have now turned to finding an alternative selection. Our stagnated two party system within what is a multi-party platform leaves us few choices for that alternative. Ross Perot has been the only recent independent to demonstrate the ability to gain popular steam. But alas, it seems he was only teasing us with the prospects of a president who really wanted to run the country and wasn’t interested in Washington politics.

In McCain’s efforts to recover his momentum within the party I think he has made another miscalculation. While Senator McCain is a wonderful person who has gained my admiration in previous years, his desperation has forced him to move away from some of his moderate policies that gave him high marks. Senator McCain seems to believe that clinging to the foundation laid by President Push will restore fever the general public once held for the Republican Party.

His miscalculation is understanding Bush policies and what the American people actually want and need. Ronald Regan found that grassroots admiration of many through his rejuvenation of patriotism and his staunch advertisement of conservatism, a former foundation of the Republican Party. If the Republican Party ever had any conservative policies then President Bush has definitely disposed of them.

American people want fiscal conservatism. President Bush has put us in a financial quagmire that will take years for our country to overcome if we started last week. Unfortunately people seem to have gotten confused between fiscal conservatism and a conservative theocracy. Yet, we left our theocracy guidance to a party that has not demonstrated any theocratic principals beyond popular talk. George Wallace could have helped them. He was the master at swaying with the wind and carrying the people with him.

That leaves Barack Obama. While Senator Obama may not be perfect, it is time for a change and I think he can bring that change. Few people can argue his intelligence no matter how they feel about his politics. It is way past time we had higher levels of thinking in the Oval Office. While Senator Obama isn’t the common man that probably knows all about the suffering of the middle class, he does demonstrate the empathy long needed back in the Oval Office.

Some people have questioned Senator Obama’s lack of military experience. We need somebody to make an intelligent decision, not a single handed decision to charge off into a foreign country on a witch hunting mission. That decision should be based on intelligence and being surrounded with solid advisors. We need someone who will listen to their advisors rather than tell them what to say. We need somebody with enough intelligence to have an exit plan before charging off to start a war. We need somebody with enough intelligence to understand the suffering of their people. We need somebody to instigate change. Senator Obama, we need you.

© 2008 Mark A. Daily