Commentary

Promise in the Undecided: Obama and McCain

The presidential election of 2008 has been an unpredictable one. The Democratic primary seems to be a lock-down between two frontrunners, Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) and Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), while the Republican frontrunner changes weekly. In recent days, however, it is becoming clear that two very different candidates look to be most promising: Barack Obama and John McCain. Obama has had a recent surge after a very impressive victory in Iowa; McCain finished third in Iowa with practically no campaigning and was victorious in New Hampshire. Why have these two candidates gained this sudden momentum? Just two months ago, Hillary seemed unbeatable; her nomination as the Democratic presidential candidate was inevitable, but now her campaign appears flawed, and she is on the outside looking in. Hillary’s troubles and weaknesses are now becoming increasingly exposed. The Economist described her as cold and robotic, and people are beginning to view her as untrustworthy. Obama’s recent success has forced Hillary to use her husband and his former staff more than she wished, and her politics are starting to remind voters of the faults and foibles of Clinton era. Hillary looked desperate when her aids attacked Obama on an essay he wrote in kindergarten about his wish to become president. Hillary has made claims of more competency than Obama, but she was an overseer of an infamously failed health policy, giving validity to counter-arguments of her claim. While Senator Clinton’s image has weakened, Obama has strengthened his. The public is growing sick of Hillary’s speeches on experience. The people want a candidate that will be different from the Bush-Clinton era, that will bring the country together, and that will break away from old party views. Obama seems to be such a leader, the candidate of hope. As the first black president in the history of the United States, he would bring a new face to the world and to America, just what people are looking for. Obama was educated in Indonesia, understands Islamic traditions and could improve Christian-Muslim relations. Senator Obama’s authenticity is his most well-known characteristic. Unlike Hilary who frequently appears fake, Obama comes out as honest, once even discussing the problem, directly confronting Detroit automobile companies with the problems of combustion of the fossil fuels while try to gain campaign donations from these companies. The Democratic race might end up similarly to the one of 1976 where Jimmy Carter triumphed over more experienced competitors by “running against Washington.” Senator Obama’s slogan is, after all, “Change we can believe in.” Obama is also profiting from many independent votes. While his views do not stray drastically from the Democratic party’s traditions, he is much more moderate than Hilary. Many republicans and independents detest Senator Clinton, making Obama the safer candidate. McCain, who is very different from Obama, has profited in many of the same ways. McCain’s dramatic comeback is largely due to the exposure of his opponents’ flaws. Governor Huckabee, the victor in Iowa, is viewed by many as too radically right-wing. John Edwards’s wife represents the public’s concern with Huckabee accurately: “He doesn’t believe in evolution and has some nutty views about what it is we should do about ending violence in our inner city-we should make sure all of our young people are armed. Republicans scare me.” Romney is viewed as a phony and a flip-flop. This was evident when McCain challenged him in a debate about whether water boarding was torture, and after a feeble rebuttal, the Governor seemed to back down. Giulliani has lost popularity because of his supposed lack of morals and his constant boasting about his handling of 9/11. McCain is considered the best Republican candidate to break away from the Bush-Clinton era and bring productive change to the country. McCain has long been an advocate of government reform, fixing social security and strengthening national security. Along with bringing change to the country, McCain has something that Obama doesn’t: experience. McCain has been a Senator of Arizona since 1986, was a Representative of Arizona for the three years before that and served 20 years of military service, including six years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. When asked whether the public preferred change or experience, McCain said that they want both. The honesty and straight talk of the Senator from Arizona have given him the status of a maverick, analogous to his position in 2000. McCain constantly criticizes President Bush and his Christian fundamentalist backers and was one of the first to criticize the handling of the Iraq War. Sometime his “real talk” goes too far, but, nonetheless, it is what the people want in a leader. In an election, McCain would win a large portion of the independent vote as well as crucial swing-states, unlike any other Republican hopefuls. McCain calls himself a common sense conservative, believing in reform, small government and traditional values. He has often broken from party beliefs: his stances on immigration, social security and health care all differ from Republican ideals and increase his popularity amongst independents and even Democrats. Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry even sought McCain to be his vice president. Obama and McCain differ greatly in beliefs, but their characteristics are similar. Both strive to improve the tarnished image of America through productive change, both are very authentic and both are more moderate than other party candidates. Their traits appeal greatly to the populous. But, more importantly, they also appeal to the younger voters. With record-breaking numbers of voters under thirty, the support of American youth is the key to winning the nomination in either party.