Choosing A Candidate
Posted: Thursday, February 07, 2008
by Rebecca Ashby
http://www.rmashby.com
Do we pick a President based on our own personality traits?
At a small family dinner party tonight, we gathered round the circular oak antique table conversing congenially while we enjoyed an Italian meal. After completing our dinner, we migrated casually to the side porch.
At this point, the conversation turned to politics. The tone and volume of our voices shifted as we exchanged views on the leading candidates for President of the US. I remember saying that any of the three, McCain, Clinton or Obama would be fine with me. My male friend said "Hillary wants to garnish your wages to pay for health insurance." My daughter remarked, "I don't like Michelle Obama's lack of fashion sense." Her husband said "it is too bad that John Edwards is out of the race." My daughter and I agreed that we wanted a woman to win, Hillary but we felt magnetized by Barack's compelling charm. "What about John McCain," I thought; "he's a war hero and I am the widow of a Vietnam veteran."
As I reflect back on the last two lack luster presidential campaigns, I sense this one is different. Excitement is in the air; people are really fired up about their choices. For the first time in eight years, the top candidates are all extremely intelligent, affable, articulate people. After seven years of listening to a president who mutilates the English language, we're all ready for a breath of fresh air!
So many "firsts" are possible in this election. We could have the first woman or the first black man. How ominous is that? Although intellectually, most of us know that a subjective attitude is unacceptable, how many of us will actually vote strictly on the issues?
Will a black man vote for another black man just because he's black? Will a woman vote for another woman just because she's female? Will a vet vote for another vet just because they are both vets? If we're honest, the answer is yes!
Oh, I know, many of us will vehemently deny any prejudice. We profess to vote for the best qualified man or woman, as the case may be, but in essence don't we just make the issues that we admire in our candidates fit our personality and essentially vote for the candidate that is most like ourselves? I, for one, intend to ponder this question in an attempt to be part of the solution instead of part of the problem.
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)Thank you Rebecca for such a well rounded explaination of this difficult time in our history. So many times we have to be careful to stay away from the real issues we believe we struggle with. You have pointed out the real world of gender bias, race, political leanings, and so much more. As the author of "A Woman's Ladder to Success is Paved with Broken Glass Ceilings" most of what I am interviewed on these days is Hillary's chances of breaking the glass ceiling of the White House. True enough topic but the picture gets a little confusing when you try to understand if she is in this position because the country is looking for a woman to lead, or her political connections put her in the right place at the right time. Is the country ready for a woman president? Is it this woman at this time? There are many opinions, but I am pleased to see a refreshing point of view for such a talented writer. Thanks for being there with us!
Rebecca, Nicely done. This is an exciting election time. I have never seen the level of enthusiasm. I guess that's one things our current President made possible. LOL
How can anybody consider having the Clintons back in the Whitehouse? 8 years of disgusting lie after lie! Either someone was not yet born or has lost their memory!
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