Election Etc.

Wednesday:
Today I had lunch with a friend and her parents. We were each talking about trying to make sure we were home to watch the debate tonight. Her mother started talking about her feelings about the two candidates. I didn't even have time to steel myself to what I expected to be a conservative take on things before she said, "Obama just sounds like a more intelligent, more thoughtful, man. More of the kind of man that we need right now." Amen, Mom.

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In the 8th grade, a bunch of kids ran for student government. The speeches were pretty basic, probably the same speeches given by kids running for office every year in every school in the country. Nerdy, likeable, hard-working kids promised to do a good job. Popular kids' campaign promises of "vending machines in every room" or "longer recesses" or "no homework for a week" brought cheers and whistles from the crowd, and sometimes won them the election.

I remember thinking then, just as I'm thinking now when I hear some of the campaign promises being offered, "Do the people listening really believe that the candidates are going to be able to deliver on these promises?" It's easy to get caught up in the fact that someone seems to want for you exactly what you want-- be it free candy or lower taxes-- but can he or she really deliver, and does it make any sense to promise it at all?

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After watching the Frontline profiles of the two candidates last night on PBS, I have a better understanding of their backgrounds. While I see McCain as a little more human now, I still think that Obama is a smarter man. McCain was 5th from the bottom of his class. Obama presided over the Harvard Law Review. McCain was the son and the grandson of Navy Admirals, and chose to get into politics after he married the daughter of a wealthy Arizona beer distributor. Obama, on the other hand, tried community organizing out of high school, and chose to go to law school after he realized that his efforts at the grassroots level weren't enough to make a big difference.

And the number one reason not to vote for McCain? His stand on choice, second only to his choice of vice president. The sound of President Palin sends shivers up my spine. If he becomes president (at age 70) I believe it will happen.

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And finally, Fact Check.org is a great resource for seeing who lied, who fibbed, and who got confused during the debates.