Nothing is clear cut about this year’s upcoming presidential election. Now, to throw a little more confusion into the matter, Ralph Nader has announced his bid as an Independent, on the ballot. Some political pundits would charge that Nader’s same action in the last election cost Al Gore the presidency. Yet, at 74, Nader is compelled to try to make a difference and give the American public a more viable choice, as he sees it. Earlier in his career, Nader made headlines by setting up consumer rights groups in Washington. He’s set up a website: votenader.org
Goodness only knows how all of this political bantering will finally pan out. I wish that the election were more clear-cut among the two major parties. The truth is that in November, America will have to elect a new leader. Who is best qualified to lead the country?
Anyone who watches the news on television can see that the candidates are all beginning to look a little bedraggled. Deep circles are setting in under the eyes, they are a little thinner than when they first started, and their personalities are getting a little testy. At the same time, the media is digging for dirt, and zeroing in on every casual and not so casual remark caught on camera. “What does it mean/ What does it mean,” they ask themselves.
Running for president is kind of like being a bug under a microscope. As soon as you are found unworthy, whether the allegation is true or a trumped-up one, you are dissected until you die. Trouble is, everyone is looking for the weak spots and vulnerabilities of the candidates.
The most amusing segment of “Meet the Press” this morning was a discussion of candidates borrowing words from other people’s speeches. Tim Russert delineated a long record of the use of statements using “I see …” by a number of presidential candidates going all the way back to ten years after the Civil War.
So, nothing is new under the sun. We have the contenders and we have the spoilers, and we have the vulture-like media ready to add their observations, polls, and conclusions.
I would never mention politics on this blog, if I did not care about this country so much. Right now, I feel as though the nation is “going to the dogs.” We need strong and determined leaders to make a difference. When all is said and done, I still support Hillary Clinton and wish her well. I think that this country needs her leadership.
At the same time, I don’t agree with any one candidate on all of their stands on issues. Just last night, a farmer in Texas was complaining that a fence through his land, to keep out “illegal” immigrants, would cut off a great deal of farm land that has belonged to the family for generations. As a result, he might have to stop farming and doesn’t know what he would do then.
So, for one “solution,” we always seem to create another “problem.” We can’t even come up with the right flu vaccine at the right time. So, consequently, we are under attack by microscopic organisms that can be more deadly than any bomb.
Pat, with the Flu, dreaming of springtime blossoms and the call of Orioles
