It seems like the razor9edge blog has become political and I promise this is my last post on this type of stuff for a while. To be honest, I'm ready for more fun stuff myself...
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Georgia Senate Run-off Election: Saxby Chambless vs Jim Martin
Just like on the Presidential election back on Nov. 4, my primary objective is to stop the Democrats from having a filibuster proof Senate. In my mind, Obama was a lock for President even if he did not win in Georgia.
For the past few weeks, large amounts of money have been spent in Georgia for the Saxby Chambless / Jim Martin runoff election. Complete control of the Senate is a paramount goal for the Democrats and stopping it is the only hope the Republicans have to stay relevant. With all of this said, it does appear that Republican Norm Coleman will keep his seat in Minnesota thus blocking the Democrats from the 60 seats needed to stop a filibuster. Of course, the situation in Minnesota is far from over as Al Franken is trying to get the courts to help him win the race.
Let's be honest... Both the House of Reps and the Senate have been controlled by the Democrats for the past two years and little to nothing has been accomplished. They have earned the lowest approval rating ever for a Congress and have done little to move the country forward.
In Georgia, we have been bombarded with TV ads and telephone calls for each candidate. As the election day neared, both candidates used increasingly negative ads. With that said, I found Jim Martin's claim that Chambliss supported a 23% sales tax to be the most intellectually dishonest accusation of the election. It's simply not true and it's just another Democratic class warfare tatic to scare their base supporters.
My best guess is that Saxby Chambless keeps his Senate seat. It would be a key Republican victory for sure.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The Presidential Election
I have said many times that I thought that Obama and McCain were the two worst candidates for President since Carter and Ford. This statement shocks many people at first because they instantly know that I haven't bought into the "Hope and Change" sales pitch.
In my opinion, the two most important issues facing the nation are the economy and national security. In these areas, I thought McCain had the edge. Obama made serious mistakes in national security and foreign policy, when he was against the "surge" strategy in Iraq, did not fully understand the Georgia / Russia situation, and said that he would meet with Ahmadinejad without conditions.
Obama appeared dazed when "Joe the Plumber" questioned him on his tax plan. In the cold hard light of day, the Obama tax plan is very hard to defend to a working American. Joe Biden was equally flustered when questioned by a reporter comparing the tax plan to Marxist principles. Also, it's pretty simple -- a tax increase will only damage an already fragile economy.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Hope and Change
To start with, Obama is from the Chicago political machine, which is one of the most corrupt political entities in the country. It's history is well documented and it's reputation well known. A true outsider can not make it in this system.
Because Obama was friends with Reverend Wright, does this make him a racist? No. Because Obama had a political relationship with William Ayers, does this make him a terrorist? No. Because Obama had financial and political ties to Tony Rezko, does that make him a criminal? No.
IMHO, it does mean that Obama will consort with racists, terrorists, and criminals to further his political career... and to me... that makes him a typical politician. No more; no less.
In other words, I don't buy into the "Hope and Change" message.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Why did Obama Win?
I really believe that the entire presidential election was a statement about the Republican competency for the past eight years. The American public found the Republicans to have made serious mistakes in the economy and (much like the Democrats of the past two years) really accomplished nothing.
For me, the election really came down to "Socialist Policies" vs. "Same old, same old". Not really a pleasant choice for anyone in my book.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Hope For the Future
I really do hope that Obama is successful with restoring the economy. Let's be honest, both political parties put us in this mess over the past 15 years or so and it's going to take the cooperation of both political parties to pull the country out of this problem. It's going to take time and patience for all our leaders to get through our current situation.
There is little money in the government coffers for large social programs. McCain or Obama would have a tough four years ahead of them and the public expectations are high.
Indications are that Obama is not going to raise taxes immediately. Keeping Gates as the Secretary of Defense is a good move, while appointing Clinton as Secretary of State is not. Again, I hope that we get the more "moderate" Obama from the national election and not the "liberal" Obama from the Democratic primaries.
Of course, these are just my opinions... your actual mileage may vary.
Comments