Careful where you step
Depending on whom you ask, America is either a country overrun by warmongers or terrorists, homosexuals or bigots, flag-burning environmentalists or SUV-driving egoists in denial. While eight years of President Bush have seen a questioning of the country’s global dominance and an unveiling of its vulnerabilities, they have too witnessed the birth of an unprecedented political divide, spanning urban and rural populations, upper- and lower classes, and the new strains of conservatism and liberalism. America doesn’t know what America wants, and the dismal approval ratings of both the conservative Mr. Bush (27%) and the Democratic 110th Congress (19%), exemplify this fact.
For Senators Obama and McCain, violent divisions have required careful treading when formulating public policy. On issues like abortion, same-sex marriage, and the death penalty, where presidential candidates have traditionally taken pro or con stands, McCain and Obama have discovered some less decisive, less punishable alternatives: Mr. McCain does not oppose abortion, but he does support the nomination of Supreme Court justices who may overturn the Roe v. Wade decision and give states the right to choose if it’s the woman’s right to choose; instead of supporting or opposing same-sex marriage, Mr. Obama endorses states’ right to decide for themselves; in addition, Mr. McCain has come to the decision that it is unclear whether there should be a national identification card, and Mr. Obama has found himself supporting the death penalty remaining a legal option in a limited variety of cases.
In all fairness, campaigning in a sectionalized country is difficult. Governing one will be harder. With both major candidates lacking definition, it’s likely that Mr. Obama’s speaking ability will put him at an advantage going into the election. Even so, you ought to prepare your gag reflex for some more invertebrate stands because this year the earth is unsteady, and issues are hazy, and there are at least two senators afraid to step on a crack.
-David Lamb
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What are your sources?
Historical Bush Approval Ratings
http://www.hist.umn.edu/~ruggles/Approval.htm
NPR-Bush Approval Ratings and those of Congress
npr.org
Candidate positions
Procon.org
“America doesn’t know what America wants, and the dismal approval ratings of both the conservative Mr. Bush (27%) and the Democratic 110th Congress (19%), exemplify this fact.”
I’d submit that those abysmal approval ratings are indicative of job performance (or lack thereof) and not that “Americans don’t know what they want.”
The Democratic majority was voted in on a laundry list of promises that they have apparently either thrown out or lack the competence to get done (in spite of their majority and service under one of the most unpopular Presidents in American history) - thus the low rating.
Personally, I can’t wait for November.