Joe The Plumber For President!

Ugh--this is my second post as of late concerning politics. I really need to be careful here, I may end up with a social conscience--eek! Regardless, I'm certainly not the savvy political blogger that so VERY many of my fellow bloggers are. In fact, if you're looking for partisan eloquence or thinly veiled venom--er, cynicism, you should probably just move along. I'm just a regular ole American, trying to make sense of WTF is going on in this election, and how my lonely little vote can make the biggest difference.

I'm not afraid to admit I've always voted straight Republican. This is hardly a surprise I'm sure, especially if you know anything about me. I grew up on a farm. I'm a Christian, Baptist in fact. I'm male. I live in the South. I love to shoot guns. Not a big shock I have Republican tendencies I would imagine. And in the beginning I was a sure supporter of McCain. In fact I thought the nomination of Palin as VP candidate was brilliant.

And then the wheels fell off the apple cart. I'm not sure exactly when; I can't put my finger on a single event. But the overall tone of the campaign changed for the ugly. I shudder when I hear all the sabre rattling and the personal attacks. More and more McCain/Palin are sounding shrill and nasty. Frankly, I'm embarrassed for the way they are acting.

But lest you think I've flip-flopped and am supporting Obama, that simply isn't the case. The Democrat's campaign has been undeniably ugly, and from the start. I mean really. Accusing Palin's husband of incest? Or suggesting that McCain gave up vital military secrets while being tortured as a POW? What the hell kind of people have the audacity to say things like that? So really I guess this issue for is expecting MY candidates' campaign be held to a higher standard.

I think what America could really use right now is a young, confident President that is polished and well-spoken. In my opinion, the USA has some major relationship mending to do with the other countries of the world. We've acted like a head-strong petulant child for quite long enough I think. So of the the two Presidential candidates, obviously McCain comes up short here compared to Obama.

I wish I could get a feel for who Obama is. But I'm having a hard time finding that. It's like he's created this nebulous persona that everyone is high on. I mean talk about drinking the Kool-aid--the vast majority of those who claim to be Obama supporters that I've actually spoken with really can't tell me why they'll be voting for him. After listening to the man speak, debate, stump, byte sound, I still don't know who he is. And as such, I can't tell how he's going to react when that bump in the road comes along.

The job of running our country is so large and complex I firmly believe that one person cannot do the job adequately. Presidents have long relied on their closest advisers and support staff to do this impossible job. So, the campaign issue becomes just as complex. Now I have to consider which candidate will surround themselves with the best people. And I have absolutely no idea how to even begin to ascertain that...

What's a regular ole American to do?