This Election is simple...

... or not.

At its base, the framing of the DNC is correct: if you are happy with the policies of the Bush Administration, by all means vote for McCain. If you are not, vote for Obama. To Democrats, this seems like a clear winning strategy as most Americans seem to believe we are on the wrong track. This should be an easier task than Bush faced in 2000 when he had to convince people to vote for a change in the party in charge even though most Americans were pleased with the job Bill Clinton did.

The problem that arises is that many voters cannot actually identify the policies of the presidential candidates, are not willing to take the time to learn the policies, and, given that they probably do not follow the intricacies of current policy, are unable to compare the presidencies. And if Drew Westen is correct, most people vote based on emotion, not their analysis of the likely effects of policy decisions on their lives.

This emotional voting is behind the efforts of both campaigns to point to personal foibles or emotionally charged issues (Obama as elitist, McCain doesn't even know how many homes he owns). It also suggest that if Democrats really want to win, they need to emphasize the question Reagan made famous, "Are you better off than you were [8] years ago?" Everything else is a red herring.

Experience? Neither candidate has true executive experience. McCain is older, but then Cheney is older and more "experienced" than Bush. How did that work out? Not to mention that no experience is comparable to that of president of a major power, let alone the world's most powerful country. If we want evidence as to how either of these candidates will run a major organization, look to the campaigns. Which has run the better organized, more effective campaign?

Wisdom & judgement? With which candidate do you tend to agree most often? If you think the Iraq war was a mistake, support alternative energy research, and aren't a fan of torture & warrantless wiretapping, Obama's probably your guy. If you like Bush's policies, voting records suggest you should go McCain.

Race? Doesn't matter.

Obviously, this is a simplistic view, and really just represents some ruminations from this mornings exercise mentioned in the previous post. There's more, but I have to get ready for class.