Going Neutral
By Alan Stewart Carl | Related entries in 2008 Election, Barack, McCainI’ve debated for awhile whether or not to write this post. But part of the difference between a blogger and, say, a reporter is that we admit our biases upfront. So I felt I needed to say the following:
For most of this election, I’ve supported John McCain. But I can’t say I’m comfortable in his corner anymore. Then again, Barack Obama hasn’t exactly won me over either. That makes me undecided – a position in which I’m not only unfamiliar but also uncomfortable. I’ve always thought those who don’t have a preference also don’t have a clue.
I’d really like to be sold on a candidate. That would make life easier – just as I imagine it’s so comfortable being a lockstep partisan, always able to state your belief because someone has already told you what to believe. There must be great tranquility in knowing your side is right and the other side is wrong/stupid/dangerous.
However, outside of certain issues of morality, I am not a man of absolutes. Which is why I’ve drifted away from McCain – he has acted too much like a man of absolutes, not just convinced of his own understandings of the world but also too willing to simplify complex matters in order to win votes. Obama has appeared more flexible but I don’t yet know if that is crafty political calculation or evidence of a serious man who’ll be able to handle serious times.
I prefer small government and balanced budgets. I’d prefer we only leave Iraq if our retreat doesn’t destabilize that nation. But I’d also prefer a president with a firm commitment to pursuing long-term energy and economic policies. And I’d prefer a president who will make a more concerted effort to balance the needs of individuals with the desires of corporations.
Whoever I end up voting for, I know I’ll have to make concessions. When there are two choices, there is no perfect option. It’s a balancing act. And I’m going to have to weigh all the factors. I don’t want to sit back and try to justify why I support one candidate over the other. I want to be looking at both candidates with a cold calculus. That is sure to antagonize supporters of both sides.
But antagonizing both sides of the political aisle is something I’m pretty good at.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 29th, 2008 and is filed under 2008 Election, Barack, McCain. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
July 29th, 2008 at 8:15 am
Thank you for your honesty, Alan. While I had somewhat suspected your sympathies for McCain for some time, you have always been respectful for Obama on a personal (if not political) level. It is that kind of respect and bi-partisan sprit that is desperately lacking in the blogispere. At any rate, I really like your post very much.
July 29th, 2008 at 8:40 am
I respect your point of view. The rare centrist who sees the pros and cons of both candidates/parties is a breath of fresh air.
Like you, I see McCain supporters every day regretful of the candidate he’s become. My father couldn’t wait to vote for him, ever since he fell in love with his maverick persona in 2000. He, like you, is also undecided, and it has more to do with the campaign McCain is running.
I long for the old days when you made your choice, and if you lost, you still respected the winner as your president and commander in chief. But politics has become us vs. them, win at all costs, demonize your opponents. I support Obama because he has mostly avoided negative campaigning, despite what McCain, and Clinton before him, would have you think. If someone like that wins, it can only help to bring a sense of bipartisanship and decorum back to the process.
July 29th, 2008 at 10:34 am
I am with you, Alan. I was excited to vote for McCain, because he always been such an independent voice. Now, not so much. I think he’s starting to do things that is causing moderates and independents to lose interest in him. That doesn’t mean I am supporting Obama, but like you, both McCain and Obama have to show that they are really trying to bring something different.
July 29th, 2008 at 10:43 am
I used to respect McCain even though there were things he took stands on that I couldn’t vote for. Then when the unofficial campaigning started just after the 2004 convention and he became in large part no different than any other Bush supporter that respect went away. He’s not a clone of Bush but he has become his fraternal twin. Extremely similar but not identical. That’s enough for me to consider him becoming President a disaster.
July 29th, 2008 at 10:44 am
Sigh…the 2004 election, not convention.
July 29th, 2008 at 10:51 am
I’ve been undecided all along, though leaning towards Obama. But I am leaning his way less-so every day. I am starting to get the feeling that as the stakes rise, each candidate becomes less and less capable of giving any sort of straightforward answer. They’re both becoming ruled by their fear of saying anything that could cost them a vote.
See, the way I feel, is “show me you’ve got what it takes to be a leader….tell me something I DON’T want to hear.”
Folks who feel that way must inevitably become more disenchanted as the process unfolds. For some time now I’ve felt that either guy represents a much better than usual choice. It’s the best pair of finalists I’ve ever had to choose from. But now I wonder whether the process itself turns each candidate into a proto-John Kerry.
July 29th, 2008 at 11:20 am
This is a most respectful and insightful chain. Thanks to all. Kranky - thanks for pointing to the process as the culprit that brings us more of the same “politics as usual”. I think these are two great candidates who are struggling to remain “independent” within an old, creaky, two-party, corporate and lobbyist dominated system. I think they’re both doing a good job. But either through luck only (which seems improbable) only Obama’s type of leadership is getting traction. The movement can no longer be dismissed as a fad. A of once-in-a-lifetime event is taking place. I respect McCain; but we are a new generation.
July 29th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
“But antagonizing both sides of the political aisle is something I’m pretty good at…”ASC
I also consider this my strong suit and will strive to support you in this particular endeavor.
July 29th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
It is a lot easier to be enthused about the John McCain that was on offer in 2000 than about the candidate we’ve seen this year.
July 30th, 2008 at 6:48 am
Kudos, Alan. It’s amazing to me, how many of us are in the same boat.