I blew my stack recently at someone who suggested he wasn’t going to vote because the three major candidates running for president all "suck." All of us have heard a friend or relative or maybe even ourselves saying, "they’re all bums" when referring to politicians. Arguing against that proposition is not easy. We are living in a time when the governor of New York is forced to resign because he spent thousands to cheat with a high-priced call girl and then dragged his wife on stage for his phony apology and again for his resignation. I am not unmindful there are reasons why the public ranks politicians below used-car salesmen in matters of trust. Be that as it may, I argued with this cynic we actually have a choice among three pretty good candidates.
It may seem like ages ago the three candidates were saying good things about one another. Barack Obama admitted that Hillary Clinton is a talented senator. Hillary touched Obama on the shoulder during a debate and said it was an "honor" just to be on the same stage. Both said John McCain is an honorable man. McCain at one time, before this whole electoral marathon began, told Tim Russert Hillary would make a capable president. And less than a week ago, McCain refused to take the bait from Sean Hannity to condemn Obama for the mad rants of his pastor. McCain essentially said, I know Obama and he is a tolerant and patriotic American. We can say the same thing about all three candidates — they are patriotic Americans, known by their friends and supporters for their tolerance and all of them would grace the White House with their presence.
Please understand I am not a pollyanna. As a columnist and not an objective journalist, I am as fierce a partisan as you will find. I have a strong preference for Obama. I also believe the Republican party had their chance for the last eight years and failed the nation miserably and it is definitely time for change. All three candidates are flawed. At one time or another I have disagreed with all of them. But we shouldn’t lose our perspective in the midst of a heated and often negative campaign.
It is a long and hard road to being elected president. This race in particular because of its closeness and because it involves racial and gender pride has become as negative as it gets. The Democratic race is incredibly tight and the brass knuckles have come out. With the help of the 24-hour news cycle on cable, the candidates and their surrogates have gone over the top in attacking and countering one another. Every day brings a new and ridiculous charge and another forced resignation of someone in the campaign. Electoral politics can be dirty and vicious. It always has been. It is likely to get worse as what are known as the 527s — which are beyond the candidate’s control — air outrageous charges in TV ads. All of the enthusiasm and idealism with which these candidates began the race is fading. By November, it is likely once again voters will be turned off to politics and not vote. People better qualified than me have proposed solutions, which should be considered. In the meantime, we as voters have the obligation to distinguish what are legitimate issues from the phony inflammatory ones.
It also is as important to know what the candidates are not as it is to know who they are and what they stand for. Obama is not a Muslim (though if he were, he would not be disqualified from running for president). He is not a radical or a racist. He is not unpatriotic. He is not Reverend Wright. He has risen to become a presidential candidate like a brilliant comet who has run a campaign that has reached out to people of both races and attracted many Independents. His quick rise raises legitimate concerns about his lack of experience.
Hillary is not the shrew demonized by right wing talk show hosts. She has been a political moderate and a hard-working senator who has earned the respect of colleagues such as McCain and Newt Gingrich. No one questions her ability or knowledge of the issues. She was not part of the Clinton-Lewinsky mess, but a victim of it. About 45 percent of voters have indicated they will never vote for her under any circumstances, so it is legitimate to wonder whether she can be elected.
McCain’s record as a patriot is unquestioned. His performance under duress as a prisoner of war was heroic. He has taken some brave stands against the rabid right wing in his own party. He is not a warmonger. He was against our intervention in Bosnia. It is legitimate to question his judgment because he was wrong on Bosnia and wrong on the intervention in Iraq. He also seems to have little interest in domestic issues such as the economy or healthcare, but he is not a doddering old fool.
It is all too easy to get caught up in the negativity bred into our political campaigns. Here’s the best reason why not to get mired in it — any one of these candidates will be a tremendous improvement over the current occupant of the White House. Better days are coming.
