But if there's one thing I'm certain of, it's that we're better off with John McCain and Sarah Palin in the WH in the midst of
ANY crisis than we would be under the leadership of a US Senator with hardly any experience in federal government and
NO executive experience at all.
To elaborate, anyone who has studied the "path to power" knows that
governors, not senators, are traditionally the best elected officials (and are most electable) thanks to their executive experience. This year, we don't have the option of voting for a
governor for President, but there is ONE governor on the VP ticket and ONE senator on the top ticket who has the experience necessary to possibly navigate the very different waters of leading instead of legislating.
If anyone wants to listen to me lecture in a mostly non-partisan fashion (I can argue both sides of the point almost as well as my beloved college advisor and dear friend LvA, and as calmly as my boyfriend on most days), I will be happy to spell it out for you. I'm not naturally pushy unless I'm being paid to be
(in which case I'm kinda like a pitbull with lipstick -- ask any of my former bosses -- I play to win), but I'm NOT being paid in this election cycle -- I just am in terror of what might happen to this country (which I love with ALL of my heart) under the leadership of a man with so little experience -- yes Barack Obama is like JFK in many ways with his charm and youth and delightful rhetoric -- but does no one remember the Bay of Pigs? JFK wasn't a great president, friends -- he was handsome and sexy and even I swoon listening to his old speeches, but he was too young, too unseasoned, and when a foreign policy crisis presented, he botched it. We live in the age of post-9/11. We cannot afford a single mistake.
I know some people (okay, most) want us out of Iraq, but a troop surge followed by a slow withdrawal is standard when you dismantle a hostile government and replace it with a democracy (think Japan, post WWII). This isn't anything unusual.
Yes, there have been casualties and life altering injuries as a result of our presence in Iraq (even though we do WIN every skirmish with terrorists)-- I've seen these people, sometimes still in their hospital beds, just back from Iraq. I've cut their steak for them at dinner because they lost a hand in Iraq. I've danced with them when the dance floor was empty because it made them smile, though they could barely walk. I've had countless mothers cry on my shoulder and thank me for MY service, my little, insignificant contributions to my nation. I've spoken to wives of men who fought in Vietnam and came back with PTSD that was so severe that they could never hug their children. But you know what? Not a single one of these brave people ever complained. That's more than I can say for myself. Freedom isn't free. It's frightening and shocking and terrible what we have to do to defend ourselves sometimes. I don't care why we went into Iraq. So what if it was bad information? Do we now leave those people before their government is totally stable? Do we risk losing a potential ally and turning it into a terrorist state? I'm not a graduate of the War College. I know it's beyond me to implement a time-line for withdrawing our forces. You know who else doesn't have any experience in this area?
BARACK OBAMA. You know who does?
JOHN MCCAIN.
Vote blue during times of peace and prosperity, if it floats your rosy boat. But for now, we're in crisis mode, and we don't need change, we need experience.
RED alert, friends,
RED alert.
Also, for the record, I would have considered voting for
Hillary (51% of the country has NEVER had descriptive -- or for that matter, true substantive -- representation in the Oval Office), but
Hillary didn't make the top of the ticket... or even runner up (Veep). I'm not a right-wing lunatic. I'm a highly educated person who will NOT just jump on a bandwagon because the rhetoric is good. I look at the voting record. I look at the candidate. I look at the state of the nation and I try not to point fingers, but instead to think of who will be best equipped to fix/maintain our status.
For what it's worth, I'm also a national award winning essayist on the topic of what it means to live in a democracy, where everyone has the right to cast a vote. I want you all to vote, even if you disagree with me -- I just want to make sure you understand what you're doing. This is a BIG deal, and if you don't have a deep and extensive understanding of foreign policy, American government, politcal behavior, and economics (especially those specific to our type of free market -- meaning that if you know anything about this you know our free market is only about 50% free), you might be setting up your tent in the wrong camp.
I won't lie: It would be rare for me not to vote
Republican, because I'm a fiscal conservative and a social libertarian (keep your hands off my
money, ovaries, and 38 special, and you've got my vote -- and I'm more willing to let you control my ovaries than my
money).
*****
McCain - Palin, 2008: because it's the only shot we have at keeping our nation safe from terrorist attacks, cleaning up this financial crisis, and putting
COUNTRY FIRST.
KEEP VIRGINIA RED!*****
Ed. Note: I have a distinguished degree in Political Science, with an emphasis in American Government and a research emphasis in women and political behavior. I was accepted to be a PhD. candidate in my field of expertise and I still hope to take my place ASAP. I also have a strong foreign policy background, having worked for Lt. Col. Oliver North, and through my collegiate coursework. Additionally, I have economic experience -- again, both through my career (yes, I have worked in banking, too), my connections, and my classes. I'd suggest writing in MY name for president, but I'm under 35 and I don't have Tina Fey glasses.
