IT’S ALL GOOD

On November 4, 2008 120 million plus voters will cast their ballot for President. What will influence that vote and how valid are the reasons? Some factors influencing a voter include a candidate’s age, intelligence, physical appearance, race, education, gender, religion, speaking ability, morals, ethics and work experience. Many of the above are also an integral part of the voter‘s personal makeup along with factors as peer pressure (unions, parents, spouse, friends), media propaganda, job security, emotion and knowledge of current issues. There is countless more and each one as diverse as the DNA of the voter.

How many of the above are really “valid” for picking a candidate? To properly judge we need to define the “perfect” voter. That individual would be well educated along with common sense and an excellent knowledge of our constitution and intent of the Founding Fathers. In addition, a thorough understanding of the major issues and the astuteness to compare the candidate’s promises with reality. That ideal voter would also have knowledge of a candidate’s major personal, business and political decisions for the last several years in order to ascertain the candidate’s judgment. That “ideal” voter will represent less than 5% of those showing up November 4. These standards would eliminate nearly everyone including most political pundits, TV analysts and definitely everyone at MSNBC. So how much validity does any election have? Before answering that question let’s take a closer look at three factors that the media can’t get right.

RACE--- During the Democratic primary one of those TV political “experts” actually said Hillary Clinton should make an announcement instructing white voters not to vote for her if their reason was racial. I kept waiting for him to prod Obama to do the same since black voters were going 90% for him. Never happened that night or since. Fortunately it was later explained by another “expert” that African Americans voting exclusively for Obama is not racist but a show of pride. H…….mmm. Racial overtones will be blamed if Obama loses in November. It will come from an agenda driven media that sees racism in every criticism of Obama. Look for more articles like “Has America matured enough to elect a black candidate President? In reality, American is more than ready to elect Colin Powell but maybe not a candidate with an extremely weak resume. Content of character and relevant experience will decide this election, not the candidate’s race. Obama, McCain and the American public know this. When will the media learn?

EDUCATION--- Considerable analysis was also made of the voter’s education during the Obama Clinton contest. Those “experts” couldn’t babel enough that the less educated white voter was going for Clinton. The inference was that the smart ones were voting Obama. (Media attempt at race and education) This type of analysis is very misleading because education is just one of so many factors. And what defines education? Is education a college classroom, the real world, or some combination? At no time in one’s life is the gap between what you know and what you think you know larger than the day of your college graduation. For those who stay in Academia there is never a chance of “real education”.

Are blue collar parents raising great children less educated than a Washington DC power couple because they didn’t attend college? Is the high school graduate who enters the military and makes life and death decisions on the battlefield less educated than those Donald Trump apprentice contestants who actually believe their under stress? Are the Journalism and Political Science graduates that roam the halls of Time, Newsweek and the NY Times any more educated than the rest of America that is actually living life instead of writing about it? Trying to define education in one specific way and then drawing conclusions about voting preferences is extremely arrogant and condescending.

GENDER--- Those pesky political analysts are out in force stating McCain’s VP choice of Sarah Palin is a cheap political trick to attract disgruntled Hillary voters. How can one group of people be so wrong so often? This choice has nothing to do with the Hillary crowd. They will either vote for Obama or stay home and read back issues of Cosmopolitan. Palin will attract the votes of hard working American families who struggle to raise good children. This will include Democrats and Republicans. If anything, she will have a bigger affect on the male voter. Sarah would have been a turn off 30 years ago, but not now. Most men today are wimps and a strong woman with “true grit” is very appealing to them. Many democratic husbands will vote McCain and not tell their wives. Gender is a huge issue in this election.

CONCLUSION--- So how valid is anyone’s vote? I’m voting for McCain because I believe Obama is a socialist windbag with no substantive work experience and numerous instances of terrible judgment. I am not a McCain fan and believe that the Republican Party will only have themselves to blame if they lose. They had eight years to show the country what good conservative leadership can do and didn’t come close. Are my voting reasons any more valid than a college student who thinks Obama is a combination of Moses and Martin Luther King? Absolutely not. My reasons are no more important to me than anyone else’s reasons are to them. I could be wrong and they could be right. Each and every reason is unique to the individual and is the correct decision for that person at that time and place in their life. By voting, we each take responsibility for our choice and that helps us become better educated for future elections. It’s all good. What a great country.

Jim Dooley
9/8/08