We all gotta dream, don't we?
For seven years, we've been living somebody's idea of a perfect world: terrorist attacks, multiple wars, killer hurricanes and economic calamity. Oh, what fun it's been.
Now, the rest of us get to fantasize a little. Imagine a world where the hero comes riding into the White House, carried by a magical force that heralds the arrival of an enlightened era. He brings along with him the hopes of millions, perhaps billions – for peace, for prosperity, even for a step toward redemption from our country's dark racial heritage.
Stop hallucinating!
If Barack Obama wins the presidency – as polls now say is likely – he'll have his hands full with grim reality. Al-Qaida's stronger than ever, and the Taliban's enjoying a comeback. North Korea has the bomb; Iran's working on one. We're bogged down in a war that's made our enemies stronger and our allies disgusted. This is looking like China's, Iran's or even Dubai's century – anybody's but ours.
American influence hasn't been so low since the days of Chester Arthur.
There are plenty of reasons – our trade deficit, national security, climate change, rising prices – to believe our reliance on fossil fuels is leading to disaster. Yet every year we become more dependent on oil and coal.
Then there's the economy. As of this writing, stocks have taken a bigger dive than at any time since the Great Depression. The deficit's so massive it would be hard for the government to use spending to juice the economy. Much of our debt is owned by China and Saudi Arabia, who'd been lending to us so that we'd buy more stuff from them. Except now that we're looking broke, they're starting to just buy up our country. It may take the better part of a decade to dig our way out of this credit crisis.
And no matter how much you like Barack Obama, he's still untested by the cavalcade of new crises bound to hit Washington just as he gallops his unicorn up Pennsylvania Avenue.
So get your head out of the clouds, people. Making things better will take long, hard work and attention to detail. Take the Nov. 4 election.
There are things you can do with your ballot to help place the American dream within reach again, or at least to change Georgia for the better. Frankly, voting for Obama, or for that matter, for John McCain, is the least of them.
Georgia's not going to decide the presidential election. If Obama scores an upset here, he'll surely have won enough electoral votes elsewhere for victory. If McCain wins Georgia, he'll still need to beat Obama in nearly a dozen battleground states where Obama's now favored.
But your votes on local races could really make a difference. So when you go to the polls, make sure you stay at the booth long enough to mark the entire ballot – not just the first screen.
The guy on the white unicorn would want you to.
– Ken Edelstein and Thomas Wheatley
COMMENTS
RE: CL's 2008 Voter's Guide
Posted by Bush Out! Obama for Pres! on 11.03.08 @ 01:05 PM
It is truly mind boggling how a person can seriously believe that health care is not a right. We have a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Is being healthy not a component of living a happy, liberating, life? It's truly pathetic that people would rather convince themselves health is a privilege than pay additional taxes for universal health care. The issue is not funding a universal health care system (the money is there, believe me). The issue is reallocating funds so more important line items (such as universal health care) will receive the most funding and less important line items (such as a bridge to nowhere) will receive little or (gasp!) no funding and be taken out of the budget completely.
Oh yeah, government regulation is needed. We do not need to become a socialistic nation but the hands off approach of good ole Bush obviously placed our country in several binds.
RE: CL's 2008 Voter's Guide
Posted by Gangitano on 10.30.08 @ 06:22 PM
Obama is the best "Candidate" for the job, weather you think the USA has any hope of redeeming itself or not, Obama has the metal power to handle more 21st century "issues" -- The fact that he doesn't have "experience" (as negative campaigning against him will critize), makes him less corrupt and more suitable for handling a nation that hates it's own government. A government that kills 3,000 of its own people to start a war. aka Sept 911. That was a slap in the face. We are governed by an elite group of very greedy and corrupt individuals. I want answers. I want change. Anyway......I want someone like Obama running the country, not McCain.
RE: CL's 2008 Voter's Guide
Posted by tikigod311 on 10.20.08 @ 06:44 PM
Wow, this is pathetic. Everyone with their glossy eyes looking up to Obama as their savior. All you have to do is hand over massive amounts of power to federal government. HOW COULD THAT FAIL?!
Listen, I can't stand McCain, Bush sucked a fat one, and the republicans are a failure. But do yall honestly think the Democrats are going to do better? Who has been in control of Congress in recent times? Congress are the biggest failures of all.
If you are a Obama supporter, I can't blame you. The supposed only other choice >>(a lie) has been a failure. But please, do yourself, your kids, and your country a favor and REMOVE THE HAZE FROM YOUR EYES. Please be vigilant when he is office. Don't let him and his cronies pass whatever they want and cheer it on as change.
Please keep an eye on the fairness doctrine (google it if you don't know what it is). Think about it, if you hand this power over to feds now, while they are controlled by your preferred party, you might like it..."Yeah! Screw Rush Limbaugh!!!!11".
But what is going to happen when a more extreme ideology gets a hold of the fed? Do you really want the idea of "fairness" controlled our government? Wouldn't it be best to just allow everyone to speak their mind and let individuals make their own choices? Don't hand the government this level of censorship. It will expand, it always does.
The fairness doctrine is an unapologetic assault on the first amendment. Free speech is essential to a free society. Don't even let them play with it.
Please remove the gloss. Take off the rose colored glasses once he is in office. Don't trust the media to give you the full story. Be skeptical. Change is not necessarily a good thing.