Acropolis Endorsement: 2008 Presidential Election

The Acropolis begins its 2008 General Election endorsements with the President of the United States. Mississippi races will follow soon.

President – Barack Obama

The Acropolis endorses Senator Barack Obama for President of the United States. The following were the central issues I examined when making my decision.

Economy/Taxes

Put as plainly as possible, Obama’s economic plans are in line with President Clinton’s; McCain’s economic plans are in line with President George W. Bush’s. Obama promotes tax increases for the wealthy; McCain promotes further tax decreases for the wealthy.

Obama’s tax plan is better for the majority of the country, though, in our current economic situation, his plan to raise taxes on corporations and investments will only exacerbate the downward trend on Wall Street. McCain’s largely status quo plans help the rich get richer, but if timing is everything, Obama’s could be worse. The government must find a way to keep corporations in America while still receiving adequate funding from corporate tax. It is a tight rope that both candidates have fallen off.

Advantage: McCain

Iraq/Foreign Policy

McCain has consistently stated that he wants to stay in Iraq until victory is achieved. Obama plans to gradually withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq, with the last units leaving by Summer 2010. Residual forces would stay behind to support Iraqi forces and continue the broader War on Terror.

When we began the War in Iraq, it was to depose Saddam Hussein. “Mission accomplished.” Then, it was to set up a democracy. We oversaw the democratic election of the country’s new leaders. Now, the country is in better financial shape than we are, expected to end the year with a $79 billion surplus. Now, the country’s leaders feel they can support themselves. In fact, they told us to leave. (http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,566841,00.html) President Bush and Sen. McCain have both said they would withdraw when the Iraqi government asked them to do so. Now, facing that request in reality, McCain is refusing.

So, the question that Sen. McCain has failed to answer this entire campaign is, since we are not leaving until victorious, “What, now, constitutes victory in Iraq?” Is it ensuring that terrorists cannot setup in the country? If so, we will never leave. The Middle East is a hotbed of terrorist activity; trying to protect one country for the next – who knows how long – is not the answer. The War on Terror is larger than one country, and if we are truly committed to making headway, we must consider Iraq only a part of a much larger strategy.

In other foreign policy matters, Obama shows exuberance toward the rest of the world. He desires to work with other nations to rebuild alliances lost in the Bush Administration. Some of his plans for diplomacy with hostile nations seem like pipe dreams, but at least he is attempting peaceful resolution. America has a brash persona, but we need the rest of the world on our side, in times of peace and in times of war. Obama’s desire to reach out is encouraging, while still showing the resolve to move ahead without the world’s approval if it is in the country’s best interest.

Advantage: Obama

Healthcare

Obama is in favor of implementing universal health insurance, by offering citizens a choice between private insurance and government-funded insurance. McCain’s plan gives families a tax credit toward purchasing private insurance.

“Universal healthcare” has become an ugly term in American vernacular. We might as well be saying, “Communist.” I just prepared a graduate-level discussion on the American health insurance system, and though far from an expert, my eyes were opened to the way the world’s health insurance systems work. “Universal healthcare” does not mean total government control. It usually means some government role in the system. Very few countries have a healthcare program completely run by the government. Those countries fail at providing adequate care. The successful ones are hybrids of government and private. The ideal system for America, it would seem, is the German construct. In Germany, citizens choose between non-profit insurance funded by the government or for-profit private insurance. Hospitals are private for-profit institutions. Competition is created in two ways: For-profit insurance companies compete with non-profit to provide a better package for consumers. Hospitals compete among each other to earn the business of the non-profit policyholders. The system is set up so that everyone is insured; yet all facets of the healthcare system must be on their game in order to make any money.

Do not be fooled, universal healthcare does not mean an end to the private sector or to competition.

Obama’s plan starts America in this direction. We are the only industrialized country in the world without universal healthcare. This is not the same thing as our refusal to adopt the metric system. We must not act as braggadocios when it comes to the health of our fellow countryman.

Advantage: Obama

Education

The No Child Left Behind Act was yet another example of nice words covering up a bad idea. A bi-partisan effort designed, in theory, to keep students on grade level, it has created disaster in the school system. Now, school funding depends largely on its standardized test scores. If children don’t make the grade, schools don’t get the money. If teachers don’t get their students to that grade, they lose a job. It has created an environment where education is limited to preparation for one multiple-choice exam. Academic freedom is gone, as are the arts, since there is no fund-generating standardized test associated with music or dance or theatre.

McCain pledges to keep No Child Left Behind going, with no changes. Obama also supports the program, but desires change in the tests and how funding is distributed. He is, unfortunately, unclear on exact improvements, but at least he recognizes that the system is broken.

Advantage: Obama

Potpourri

There are a two other central reasons The Acropolis is endorsing Barack Obama.

The first is Sarah Palin. McCain’s selection of the Alaska governor scored him big points with the far-right that was going to begrudgingly vote for him anyway. It also cost him a large number of independents, including this one. In the beginning, the media was not allowed access to the vice presidential candidate, a topic addressed twice by The Acropolis already. When she did begin talking without a teleprompter, we learned just how ill-equipped she was to hold the second highest office in the land. She believes governing a state next to Russia and Canada gives her foreign relations experience. She also believes that as vice president, and president of the Senate, she will get to dictate what the Senate discusses and influence policy changes. Unfortunately, the president of the Senate is only there to cast a tie-breaking vote, not force an agenda down their throat. In retrospect, a Romney or even a Lieberman seems like a great choice, but McCain played to the party instead of the country, and now he will pay for it.

The second factor outside the issues is the transformation of the McCain campaign. As the longest campaign in American history reached its final leg, we saw McCain the Maverick overtaken by the Republican machine. McCain’s “straight-talk” on the issues was overshadowed by his running mate’s vicious attacks against Obama. Their rallies began having a mob-like feel, with supporters shouting “Terrorist!” and “Kill him!” when Obama’s name was mentioned. They also divided the country into what Palin so shamefully referred to as “real America.” Real America, we were told, is small town, hard working, church going, pro-life, pro-gun patriots. The message was the same that resonated throughout the Bush Administration: agree with us or you are un-American.

I do not believe that Sen. McCain ever wished to go down the dirty road his campaign has traveled. When he reprimanded the Minnesota woman who said at a town hall event that she was afraid of Obama because he was an Arab, I thought that was the true John McCain. He never seemed like the type of person who wanted to engage in the typical Republican campaign of fear. He would have preferred to talk about issues, rather than trying to label his opponent Muslim, terrorist, dangerous, socialist, etc…

But he did go down that road. He did engage in the campaign of fear. He let the same people who so polarized our country during George W. Bush’s administration get their hands in his campaign. How can I be sure that the self-proclaimed maverick will not let them into his presidency?

Overview

This will be the first election I have ever participated in, on any level, where I do not feel like I am voting for the lesser of two evils. Barack Obama is still not the perfect candidate. He is, however, the better choice in my mind. He will broaden the capability of our military by withdrawing from Iraq. He will improve our reputation in the world by seeking alliances once held. He will lay the groundwork for universal healthcare, allowing us to join the rest of the industrialized world. His victory, combined with expected democratic victories in Congress, will hopefully cause the GOP to rebuild and return to us next campaign cycle without the slime and divisiveness that characterizes them now.

The Acropolis supports Barack Obama for President. I encourage you to research the candidates and make an informed decision on November 4. Voting is a great responsibility. Please do not take it lightly.