So far, here are my impression of candidates for the Presidency.

H. Clinton: She has little going for her other than her name. Her husband was far better than average, as Presidents go, but that means nothing for her. I’m wary of her successes so far, as it’s hard to tell how much is inertia from riding on coattails. Present circumstances taught me that dynasties are disastrous.

R. Giuliani: Same as Clinton. Mayor of New York during a disaster. Whoop-di-doo. The only thing I admire him for is lowering a crime rate by fixing the “broken window” problem of minor crime. Other than that, he’s nothing but a stammering “b-b-b-b-but 9-11!” hanger-on. Being a secondhand victim doesn’t make you a hero.

J. McCain: I had immense respect for him last century. He was a man who thought for himself. But some time in 2000, he became Bush Jr.’s lap-dog, and turned into a blathering meat-puppet, who can do nothing but parrot the party line.

Serendipitously, the candidates I like come at the end of my alphabetical list.

B. Obama: A senator who impresses me every time I hear him speak. He’s new to politics (and wouldn’t even be a senator if an actress on “Star Trek Voyager” hadn’t balked at sex-play in clubs). Specifically, in the last few weeks, Obama called for the debates to be released under a Creative Commons license, which impressed me mightily by showing that he understands copyright and fair-use and the importance of political participation. Next, his speech on the role of religion in politics knocked my socks off with its lucidity. When he speaks he doesn’t peg my bullshit-meter, and that is high praise from me.

Obama’s two practical faults are that he’s not white, and that he’s far too intelligent and reasoned for our anti-intellectual public to embrace. We’re far too racist, and we prefer to elect buffoons who poke our emotional buttons. I’d love to cauterize just those two warts of America, and Obama winning would go a long way.

R. Paul: He’s my new McCain. He’s not afraid of speaking truth, even if unpopular. He’s much like Republicans used to be, when they admired small federal government and balanced budgets and non-interventionist policies. He wants us to cast off the 9-11 shroud we eagerly wrapped ourselves in; we’ve been its shadow so long that we can’t see and can barely breathe. He soundly beats other candidates in debates, if your criterion is coherent thought, full of meaty substance without vacuous platitudes. If you add sound judgement and good ideas, it’s like he’s the only person on the stage.

Republicans who can’t see past the Party talking-points are either confused or terrified of Ron Paul. If he’s not lynched and thrown out of sight, he could just steal the stage like James K. Polk did.

So, those are my picks so far: Barack Obama and Ron Paul.

18 May 2007, 09:33 #