No Guarantees

Much of the discussion going on now and that has gone on in the last 12 months regarding who we should choose for president is based on what one believes will happen if a certain candidate is nominated or elected to the office. Some have said that in the primary you should vote for what you heart tells you and in the general election follow what your head dictates. This was perhaps the reason that many Republicans chose not to vote for John McCain in primaries after it was clear that he would be the Republican nominee. They wanted to vote for who the really liked.

Now we see the general election campaign beginning and Obama is moving to the right to try to enhance his chances of getting elected. He has said he agrees with the US Supreme Court decisoin supporting the right of individuals to own fire arms, while he supported the Washington DC law that was overturned by the decision. He has also voiced his opposition to the ballot measure in California to define marriage as between one man and one woman.

His campaign is saying that will take the unprecedented move of spending money in every state regardless of whether or not Obama has a chance to carry the state. In fact, Texas is one of those targets and not because he believes he can win the state, but because Obama hopes to turn out enough Democratic voters to help his party win down ballot races. He hopes that his supporters will vote for Democrats all the way down the ballot so he can usher in Democrat control of government at the national, state and local level.

Many have responded to this blog saying that they will not vote for McCain and that is certainly their right to do so. McCain certainly has many positions that I disagree with, but the fact remains that either he or Obama will be president of the United States of America. There are no guarantees about what a president will do on a host of issues but we can judge general based on past statements and records. I strongly disagree with those who say that there is no difference between the two.

Although the Supreme Court has given some rulings that have heartened conservatives it has also disappointed. While we may be uncertain as to McCains possible appointments he as said he will appoint judges in the mold of Roberts and Alito. Obama will without doubt appoint those in the mold of Ginsberg. Add to this the issues of the war against terror and our desperate need to become energy independent and in my view John McCain is the only viable choice for president.