Issue date: 10/29/08 Section: Opinion

Media Credit: Thomas A. Ferrara/MCT [Click to enlarge]

Jordan Guinn [Click to enlarge]

We all can agree on the significance of the upcoming presidential election. With that being said, it's utterly depressing to contemplate how pathetic both choices are. Virtually anything will be a step up from the Bush administration, but people should really be careful about suggesting that either candidate has the ability or the means to make this country great again.

On one hand we have John McCain, a war hero who's past his prime. Seeing him on the campaign trail is like watching Jerry Rice when he was trying out for the Denver Broncos. It's heartbreaking.

It only became more apparent that he has lost his political savvy when he picked Sarah Palin as his running mate. Not only did he pass up the opportunity to choose someone from a battleground state, he picked someone with less experience than Barack Obama. The senator from Arizona gave up the strongest argument he had against Obama, his inexperience, with Palin's nomination.

He pandered to voters who wanted Hillary Clinton, and it backfired. Palin has been publicly feuding with McCain and an unnamed McCain advisor recently called Palin a "diva" in a recent news story on CNN.com.

Then we have Obama, a charismatic speaker who says wonderful things about hope and change. His youth and enthusiasm have injected energy and excitement into politics. Because of Obama's influence, young voters are expected to show up to the polls in record numbers this election. While his presence is good for Americans getting involved in politics, his policies are socialist, dangerously na've and idealistic.

Forget about his initial idea for a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq, which would have let terrorist organizations wait and build their resources until we left. Pay no heed to the concept that William Ayers is basically his version of Karl Rove. Ignore his conversation with Joe the Plumber and his desire to "spread the wealth around."

Put universal health care, a money pit that turns the American taxpayer into an enabler for drug addicts, in the back of your mind. All you need to know about Obama's cockeyed optimism when it comes to leadership is the Global Poverty Act.

Obama sponsored S. 2433 in 2007. While it has not been voted on by the House and Senate, or been signed into law, it's reasonable to suggest that this initiative will pass if Obama wins the election.

The Global Poverty Act would require the president to create and implement a strategy to eliminate global poverty. The ideal impact of the bill would be to cut in half the proportion of people around the world who live on less than a dollar a day. The figures the Global Poverty Act is based on are from the Millennium Development Goal, a United Nations project to end world poverty by 2015. No concrete figures have been finalized for the Global Poverty Act., although estimates show the United States forking over close to a billion dollars to aid foreign countries, on top of what we already contribute.

While Obama's heart is in the right place, it's just another example of foolish and wasteful actions that have become the trademark of the Democratic Party.

Republicans believe in ignoring problems and hoping they will go away. Democrats believe that throwing money at something instantly makes it all better. The Global Poverty Act may help some families, but it's safe to assume the UN will either mismanage the money or it will end up lining the pockets of dictators who couldn't care less about starving subjects.

Many of Obama's supporters are clinging to the concept of hope as one of their main reasons for voting for him. Obama's passionate speeches do inspire optimism, but you can't make someone president because they make you feel good about yourself.

Democrats somehow have the audacity to think that Obama has what it takes to turn this country around when the Democratic Party hasn't accomplished jack since Lyndon Johnson was President. Spare me your pro-Bill Clinton nonsense, too. All Clinton did was bang ugly girls, ride the booming technology-based economy and ignore genocides in Rwanda, Somalia and Kosovo.

Anyone who thinks either of these candidates, or their running mates, can restore our image in the world, end the credit and housing dilemmas and keep Detroit from hemorrhaging jobs needs a CAT scan.

Jordan Guinn can be reached at jguinn@statehornet.com

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