Legal Research

US Election

By scott

It is now only a day until the US Election. In just over 24 hours time we will hopefully know whether from January 2009, we will have four years of President McCain or President Obama. If the polls are to be believed it is already a done deal, and it will be the latter, but a lot of people still think it could be a close call, perhaps a closer call than that going on in Congress.

One of the most popular reasons for people thinking it still isn’t in the bag is race: a black and white issue one might say. Some still believe when it actually comes to election day that some voters who said they’ll vote for Obama with have a last minute change of heart and vote for the old white guy instead. Hopefully more will be like this guy . Still, I think a lot of Americans have gotten used to the idea of a Black president by watching programmes such as 24 - where Dennis Haysbert was so charismatic and , well, Presidential in the roll of President.

There are also fears of assassination, fears that will only increase if Obama does indeed end up victorious. Just last week we have heard of foiled plans to kill Obama, and that’s before he even has the chance to become President. There is little doubt, that this will not be the last plans hatched to kill him. Is this just racism? Well, I don’t recall Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley or JFK being anything other than white, and they were all assassinated. Likewise, Jackson, Ford, Reagan, and most of the other Presidents have also had attempts made on their lives. It does seem to be something that comes with the job, regardless of the colour of your skin.

Regardless of the result this has been a historical campaign. It started with it being the first since 1952 or 1928 (depending on your criteria) when neither the sitting president or vice president was running for president. The Democrat primaries brought it down to a decision of whether to give voters to chance to vote for the first black or first woman presidential candidate, and as a result tomorrow will be a history making decision, as we will either have the first black president, or the first female vice-president. Speaking of which I did see that Sara Palin has already taken a call from the French President (believe Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross have also left her some ansafone messages).

Who would I vote for? Well, I have to confess, I do actually quite like John McCain, although I think the Republican party has done its best to rein him in. Also the master-stroke of adding Palin to the ticket has backfired - although, make no mistake, if McCain does indeed loose, you can expect Palin’s campaign to be the Republican’s candidate in 2012 will begin 5th November; and you can bet she will not make a lot of the mistakes she has made this time in 4 years (cynically people may also say if McCain wins she will also be doing exactly the same).

So, it would have to be Obama for me. Whilst, I do have some concerns that Obama could take America in a more protectionist direction, I think the time is right for America to take a chance on someone who is eloquent, educated, and engaging - how freshing would that fact alone be, after 8 years of GWB - and who, if the democrats can take control of Congress, may actually get two years in which he can make a real difference. Now that, would be something.

Full post as published by Information Overload on November 03, 2008 (boomark / email).