I’ve really been hoping that this election is going to move the country leftward. Bush and the Republicans have been in control of the country and I think you couldn’t get a clearer demonstration of the failures of their policies. From Iraq to the economic meltdown, it’s been nothing but disasterous. Why would you think that tax cuts for the rich and de-regulation of everything would be a good idea in the first place? But I digress, hopefully with this demonstration that these are bad ideas, combined with their extra divisive politics this year, we’ll see a change. If the Democrats win big next week, then they’ll have a chance to change the policies of the country and show that in comparison to what we currently have. Although it will take a long time to come out of this economic mess. One of the most drastic movements I’ve seen was Alan Greenspan’s statements in Congress last week. He essentially said his ideology was wrong and his policies had failed:

“Do you feel that your ideology pushed you to make decisions that you wish you had not made?”

Mr. Greenspan conceded: “Yes, I’ve found a flaw. I don’t know how significant or permanent it is. But I’ve been very distressed by that fact.”

“I was shocked because I’d been going for 40 years or more with very considerable evidence that it was working exceptionally well.'’ Greenspan added he was “partially'’ wrong for opposing the regulation of derivatives.

“I made a mistake in presuming that the self-interests of organizations, specifically banks and others, were such as that they were best capable of protecting their own shareholders and their equity in the firms.”

I found this article about John McCain’s campaign to be very interesting. It starts out discussing a meeting they had about how to respond to the financial crisis. What’s interesting is that his campaign’s emphasis appears to be on what will be best for his political prospects and his election, instead of what’s best for the country. It’s the start of a huge financial crisis, the country needs leadership and a good solution, and McCain, whose campaign slogan is ‘Country First’, is trying to make the decision that will best help his campaign instead of his country. Here’s part of the beginning of the article:

The meeting was to focus on how McCain should respond to the crisis — but also, as one participant later told me, “to try to see this as a big-picture, leadership thing.”

As this participant recalled: “We presented McCain with three options. Continue offering principles from afar. A middle ground of engaging while still campaigning. Then the third option, of going all in. The consensus was that we could stay out or go in — but that if we’re going in, we should go in all the way. So the thinking was, do you man up and try to affect the outcome, or do you hold it at arm’s length? And no, it was not an easy call.”

Discussion carried on into the afternoon at the Morgan Library and Museum as McCain prepared for the first presidential debate. Schmidt pushed for going all in: suspending the campaign, recommending that the first debate be postponed, parachuting into Washington and forging a legislative solution to the financial crisis for which McCain could then claim credit. Exactly how McCain could convincingly play a sober bipartisan problem-solver after spending the previous few weeks garbed as a populist truth teller was anything but clear. But Schmidt and others convinced McCain that it was worth the gamble.

Schmidt in particular was a believer in these kinds of defining moments.

I just wanted to re-iterate and clarify my reasons why I believe Obama should be the next President of the United States (I already wrote about it during the the primary). Here are my reasons:

Policies

I agree wholeheartedly with Obama’s stance on the issues and his policy proposals. Getting out of the financial crisis is going to require economic help for the middle class (tax cuts), and government spending to create new jobs. We need to invest in alternative energy, not just to reduce dependence on foreign oil, but to create new American jobs and make America a leader in this industry. We need to invest in education and innovation so the American economy is strong for generations to come. And we need to end the war in Iraq, so we can focus on our real enemies hiding in the caves of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Judgement

Barack Obama’s judgement is one of the key reasons I support him for President. He listens to people from both sides of the debate and tries to collect as much information as possible. He is actually curious about how things work, unlike our current President. In a recent article about his economic policies, one Professor said Obama was more interested in research than any other political candidate he had talked to. It’s clear that Obama is interested in making the best, well-informed decisions possible, rather than just towing the party line or doing what is best for re-election. To have a President that is actually curious again, one who wants to understand how the economy works, will go a long way towards having one that understands how it can be fixed as well.

I thought this quote from Michael Cohen of the New York Times to be pretty interesting: “One gets the sense that during the last 18 months, Mr. Obama has thought long and hard about the direction he wants to take the country and the policy initiatives that would form the basis of an Obama administration. Mr. McCain has not; a view that I would imagine even the most hardcore G.O.P. partisans would have a hard time disputing.”

Understanding

Obama understands that the people on both sides of the debates have America’s interests at heart. They just disagree about how to solve the issues at hand. This is the opposite of what McCain and his supporters have been doing lately. Instead of talking about their disagreements on the issues, they have been accusing Obama of being anti-American or a terrorist. I think its completely ridiculous to question Obama’s motives or suggest this is all fake so he can become President and destroy the country. What an absurd way to run your campaign.

Obama knows that he needs to be President for everyone, not just those who agree with him. He has talked about not wanting to be a 50+1 President (with the support of 50% of the electorate plus one), but a Preisdent for everyone. He understands people’s concerns and I believe he will strive to do whats best for everyone and listen to everyone’s ideas.

Nation over Politics

Barack Obama understands how broken Washington is. To face any of the crises we’re at today, we need Washington to work for us. Recently its been too much partisan bickering to accomplish anything. Instead of trying to do whats right for our country, too many of our politicians are worried about what will get them re-elected, what will get their party more seats, and what will make the other party look bad. Obama will hopefully change some of this in Washington, by being pragmatic and listening to both sides. It has even been said that he will pursue his agenda of re-building the nation, even at risk of being a single-term President. While McCain’s campaign slogan is “Country First”, he seems to be putting himself first instead. He selected a VP candidate that is totally unqualified to be President, because he thought it would help him politically, while Obama selected a candidate based on who he thought would help him govern the most.

Summary

I think Obama should be President because he is right on the issues of our time and has the judgement to face any new events that appear. His intelligence, curiosity, and understanding give me confidence that he will make the right decisions on any crisis that arises.