On the surface, the presidential race should be a runaway. With foreclosure rates skyrocketing, gas prices still relatively high, unemployment rates creeping upwards, a costly war, general discontent about the state of our country, and the current administration’s ultra-low approval ratings, one would think the keys to the White House would have been handed over to the Democrats by now.
This is not even close to being the case. After a battle in the democratic primaries, Obama’s early support gave him enough electoral votes to carry him even though he was limping towards the finish line as Hilary made a late charge. Now, even after the Democratic National Convention in Denver has wrapped up, many of those voters who supported Mrs. Clinton are reluctant to jump on board the Obama bandwagon.
Hilary has done her part to convince her entourage that if they stay home and don’t vote or go even further and cast their ballot for McCain, he could carry the general election. This is unthinkable in many dems minds, but not impossible. Clinton supporters need to heed the rally cry and vote in the best interests of the country.
To be sure, the Republicans are doing what they do best –playing dirty pool and trashing Obama at every turn. How many times do we have to hear about Reverend Wright, Obama’s Muslim middle name, and his lack of patriotism? This rhetoric gets old, but Republicans always turn the democrats’ negatives into positives for their own political gain. At least, Obama is fighting back whereas four years ago, John Kerry watched helplessly as the Swift Boat controversy left him struggling to stay above water.
Obama has chosen Joe Biden of Delaware as his vice presidential running mate. Mr. Biden is a life-time politician currently serving his sixth term as senator. Problems were already surfacing even before he was officially named. Biden is notorious for plagiarizing a speech in the late 1980’s when he was running for president. He failed a class at Syracuse University Law School for the same infraction. He runs his mouth quite often and you know that Republicans will be foaming at theirs waiting for Biden to get in his own way.
Even though our country needs real change and another four years of the same thing is hard for many Americans to swallow, in the world of politics nothing comes easy for the Democrats. Their own stumbling and the insatiable negative attacks by the McCain camp might be enough for the Republicans to stay the course.
The DNC has seemed to bring the party back together, and they know that the stakes are too high for failure. Those undecided voters who will determine the outcome of this election must ask themselves what Reagan famously asked in the 1980’s. Are we better off now than we were four years ago? This honest answer should lend itself to making the right decision for the future of our country.
