Country May Benefit from ‘Never-Ending Primary’
April 23, 2008
The fact that neither Democratic candidate has won the party nomination before now, and that neither candidate is ahead of the Republican contender in national polls is more evidence that Americans are not happy with either party. Not all of this indecision can be attributed to voter misgivings about race, gender or the backgrounds of the candidates. Just think about it.
Whether or not you want to call this “economic downturn” a recession, evidence continues to mount that the economy is in trouble. The mission in Iraq that the President declared accomplished on May 1, 2003 still drags on, costing more in lives and cash than he ever dreamed of. Fewer and fewer people can afford health care. These are issues that affect us all in some way, and they are just the top three in a long list of woes.
At age 71, John McCain is attempting to succeed a president with the lowest disapproval rating, 69 percent, in the history of the Gallup Polls. There are people in this country who have doubts about voting for either the female or the African-American male challenger. But the poling numbers address something other than age, gender, and race. People are tired of being used and lied to.
Most people will vote for someone who meets (or promises to meet) their needs. After decades of partisan positions that benefit some groups at the expense of others, the American people are fighting back, and they’re willing to cross party lines.
Certain types of voters have supported each candidate in most of the contests. At times the women and white men who normally vote for Clinton have voted for Obama instead. In Pennsylvania last night, Clinton siphoned off some of Obama’s support among college graduates and whites under 30.
No one candidate has support from the majority of Americans. All three are being forced to listen to the concerns of voters with varied needs.
Not one vote can be taken for granted. Even McCain is touring economically distressed areas of the country that Republicans have surrendered to Democrats for decades.
When the smoke clears, the country could have better leadership than we’ve seen in quite a while. One candidate will be the president, and the others will return to the Senate. All will have a better understanding of the needs of everyday people.
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