Hillary or Obama?

Religion and politics - two topics that one would be wise to steer clear from at work, in a bar and probably, in blogs. Naturally, I'm digging right in. Today, politics:

I am technically "unenrolled," but do tend to vote republican. OK, I most always vote republican. OK, every single time, I vote republican. Not that it matters in the Bay State, which has gone democratic in every election since Fred Flintstone was elected Grand Poobah. That said, I am fascinated at the battle taking place on the democratic side. No matter who secures the nomination, either an African-American or female will be up for President, and not only is that pretty neat, it's about time. Female Jewish Muslim Transgendered Dwarf African-Americans? Your day is coming...

With regards to the two Democratic candidates, here is one fairly uninformed man's opinion:

Hillary - Not a fan. Clearly, her objective is to convince the public that she is our savior. First it was the "It's 3 a.m., your children are asleep..." ad. But what really got my attention was the on-screen text from an earlier TV ad that ran during the N.H. primary:

"A nation at war, troubles at home. America at a crossroads, demands a leader with a steady hand who will weather the storms, solve our problems, rebuild our middle class..and renew our greatness."

Wow, really? Hillary can solve our problems, rebuild our middle class and renew our greatness? All by herself?

Hillary touts decades of political experience, despite the fact that she has held public office only a few years longer than her opponent. Perhaps this is the experience she is referring to: less than a week into her tenure as First Lady, she dove head first into her attempt to reform the nation's healthcare system. Although I commend her effort, she was not successful and I am hard pressed to remember another cause that Hillary publicly championed while hubby was President.

Thankfully, I didn't have to remember, as the records of Hillary's time as First Lady have just been released. Those records show that Hillary privately lobbied for NAFTA, which business experts at the time feared would result in the loss of tens of thousands of jobs to Mexico. It passed and President Clinton declared it a great victory. Today, Presidential wanna-be Hillary Clinton wants NAFTA to be re-negotiated, as it has resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of jobs to Mexico. Of course she does.

Obama - Seems to be the anti-Hillary. Doesn't make grandiose promises or tout experience that isn't there. Talks to people, not at them. Last week, describing Obama's terrific speech on race relations, The Daily Show's Jon Stewart said, "And so, on March 19 at 11 a.m., a prominent American politician spoke to Americans about race as though they were adults."

When it comes to politics, I am as skeptical as they come. Whether they are candidates or elected officials, I believe that most politicians pander to the masses, telling them what they want to hear, not what they need to hear. Most of the time, it's one promise after another, just about all of which go unfulfilled. But to me, Obama just comes across differently....more honest, more direct, more real.

Clearly, I am making sweeping generalizations. Both have no doubt done good, and both have no doubt made silly promises that cannot possibly be met. But here is where I differentiate the two - It's very debatable just how much Washington can be changed, but for the first time in my adult life, in Obama I see a politician who I think actually has a chance to doing something about it.

That said, Democrats like to raise taxes and Republicans like to lower them, so I'll probably vote for McCain.