Friends Can Make You Think

A friend of mine has asked me my opinion of the upcoming primaries and I have pondered this for a couple of days.


One of our local talk radio stations was asking, with the upcoming primaries (NC, SC and VA) are you shifting away from your party? It was an interesting question since the question was not directed to Republicans, but to everyone. While it is usually the voter who does not waiver from his or her party that does not need to be won over, it is those who are more "independent" minded and swing voters the candidates have to go out and convince he or she has the better plan. These voters tend to scrutinize more than the party affiliated voters. What surprised me more were some of the answers.


While listening to this announcer and his guests, I was expecting to hear a parade of Republicans defecting to other parties, namely the Democratic Party. What I didn't expect was the people who were defecting from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party. There were various reasons from the lack of sincerity of the candidates to the feeling of abandonment. So this whole question got me to thinking.


I was raised in a Democrat household, complete with card carrying union members who would do anything to keep the union and Democrats in control. When I first started voting I was a "yellow-dog" Democrat. When I went to college I shifted to the Republican side of the aisle. Now, things are not so black and white. I would like to think the candidates have to win my vote and not with 8-second sound bites. I expect a little more from someone running for President of the United States. So with that in mind I am going to make an attempt to make some sense of my friend's question.


Of the people defecting from the Republican Party (and they were going to independent parties and the Democratic Party) I completely understand why they are feeling the way they do. We have been orphaned. We are the poor bastard children of our party. Our values have been lost to radicals who, it seems, are destined to make life difficult for everyone but themselves. So what are Republican candidates offering us?


I have heard some of the debates (about as much as I could stomach). The top offerings are two Senators, two Governors and one Mayor. While I was enamored with Fred Thompson at first, I have come to the realization that sometimes when you want something then finally get it, it is not what was really wanted at all. That is how I feel about Mr. Thompson. I thought he was a good Senator but he is not Presidential material. I almost feel as though Mr. Thompson is lock-stepping. Not a pretty picture.


Next is Senator John McCain. While this is not his first bid for the candidacy, I would liken it to watching re-runs of "Welcome Back, Kotter". The show was good the first time but the re-runs really are not what I remember. The Senator is running the same campaign as before. Here again, as a Senator, John McCain has proven that finding a common ground will do a whole lot more for the good of America than trying to push only his own agenda. Also, Senator McCain is one of the very few members of Congress, on the Republican side of the aisle, who has publicly disagreed with President Bush. That shows he is an independent thinker. He might make a viable President but too many people dislike him for many different reasons.


Next is Governor Mike Huckabee. While he touts conservative values such as fiscal responsibility, family and the like, his record does not agree. Also a Baptist minister and the former governor of Arkansas, his attraction is fundamental evangelicals. While this appears to have done him well in Iowa it would be harder to predict in the more diverse and politically liberal NE corridor.


Then there is the ever popular Governor Mitt Romney. The first thing that seems to come to mind at the mention of his name is he is a Mormon. Big Deal. John Kennedy was a Catholic and that turned out OK. I would expect the candidates to have some moral upbringing. How else do we know what to expect of our leaders. I don't remember this being published in the newspapers in Ohio but here in NC candidates religious affiliations are published just before an election. Governor Romney looks presidential, but don't be too sure he is presidential material. Once beyond the Mormon "thing", his platform is closer the the middle of the road. There is an air of arrogance that needs to be overcome. Another possibility, but I don't see it as likely.


Then Mayor Rudolph Giuliani comes next. I heard a quote from a Democratic Senator who said that all of Mr. Giuliani's sentences contain a noun, a verb and 9/11. Hate to say this but I agree. During the last debate it was apparent Mr. Romney and Mr. Giuliani are more impressed with themselves than impressing the voters.


But let's sneak to the other side of the aisle and we have, as front runners, three Senators. They are an interesting lot. Foremost in the minds of many is Senator Clinton. While she may be sincere there is an awful lot of baggage with her. There is White Water, failed health care reform, people who do not like President Clinton and those who just plain do not like Senator Clinton. There is a tremendous amount of history to overcome. A lot of people do not connect with her and consider her insincere and calculating. (We all know the word not being used here.)


There is also Senator Barak Obama who is charismatic, a powerful speaker and, here again, looks Presidential. His appeal is for unity among the people. He wants to unite the people of America. By the way, he is the only one who is publicly saying so and it is a breath of fresh air, but I am not sure it is enough. Amazing thing is as Mr. Obama picks up more support the more diverse his speeches become. Here is another who may show some promise. Time will tell.


And lastly is Senator John Edwards. It will be hard for me to comment on him as a resident of NC. I was vastly unimpressed with his one-term tenure in the Senate. It was as though the Senate seat was solely for the purpose of spring boarding into a White House bid. Not too much happened when the Senator was in office.


So back to the radio show. What caught my attention was the people defecting from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party. Some of them were self-proclaimed "yellow dog" Democrats until... (you can fill in the blank and the reasons were numerous)


The majority did not like Senator Clinton in particular and were doing what they needed to prevent her from acquiring the candidacy. (Most used reason.) Others felt like the description earlier given about the Republican Party, having been orphaned, and were looking for something - anything.


What is most important is what is not being said. Immigration reform. Taxes. Stabilization in the Middle East (not just the war). The Economy. All that seems available are the 8-second sound bites. Looking on brochures and web sites seem to give the SSDD version. We have all read and heard it before.


So lets raise our glasses and hope the next few months actually produces something for us ponder. Lets look for more than a figure head and, probably most importantly, remember to clean House (& Senate) to make your voices heard. Unless the fundamental root cause is extracted from the legislating bodies there will not be much change no matter who is elected. One thing is for certain, this election will not be a choice between the lesser of two evils, it is an election for change.