Trying To Decide Who Is The Best Candidate Oct. 19 2008: As an independent I had not made up my mind who to vote for with a little over two weeks left to the election. Circumstances first moved the polls toward Obama for a couple of days this summer and to McCain for a week after the Palin nomination, and now back to Obama. Things have been changing so rapidly that anything can happen and two weeks is a lifetime. However, today for the first time I am leaning towards Obama. The endorsement of Colon Powell on Meet The Press and all the reasons he mentioned today made me reflect on how McCain has run his campaign. Some of the choices he has made have forced him to make the ”Hail Mary Pass” his signature move. I have never doubted that McCain is a patriot and a great America but since he selected Governor Palin as his Vice-President the gamble that seemed like a brilliant move has turned out to be a disaster for the Republican ticket. Having watched Palin on a couple of unflattering interviews I have been uncomfortable with her choice since she has been kept away from the media. I think if they had let her face the public scrutiny she might have improved. We will never know and meanwhile doubt has built against her. Other Republicans besides Colon Powell are in agreement. At a time when this country is facing so many issues it is a big question mark whether Sarah Palin is qualified to be president if anything should happen to McCain and he were president. The experience issue about Obama has been taken away meanwhile by this endorsement. McCain has run a tactical campaign on Obama’s character that has not panned out. Strategically, Obama has run a campaign like a war general that has made me question McCain’s judgement. In a world where everything a presidential candidate says is recorded McCain’s statement that the economy is not his strong suit loom over the inconsistent reactions McCain has had to the crisis on the economy.
It has been great to see the old Mccain on Letterman and at charity, which was also attended by Obama where they both traded jokes. Too bad Mccain lost that wonderful sense of humor before he got it back, that is the John Mccain I remember. I haven’t counted out McCain, however, the man is amazing. Win or lose I would like to remember him as the man I have seen the last couple of days. No, I can’t count him out, ten, twelve days is a long time and with McCain turning on the charm anything could happen. There is also the Bradly effect that everybody keeps talking about. Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradly a few years ago was ten, fifteen points ahead on the polls when he ran for govenor of California and he lost. I hate to say it but some people are still not comfortable with a black man as president. We will see if the bad news of the economy trumps Racism. Hopefully, If Obama is elected he will be the strong president I think he can be and govern from the middle in what will be a one party government with Democrats Nancy Polisi and Harry Reid heading congress.