The Final Countdown and the Messages that Matter Most
- By Walter Johnson
- Published 10/26/2008
Walter Johnson
I'm a 28 year old computer programmer an web designer. Most of my interests revolve around computers and computer gaming and have been since I was 10 years old. I also love to learn new things. It has been those interests that have propelled me into earning my high school diploma and my bachelors in Computer Engineering from NC State University. Since then, I've been trying my best to better myself and my understanding of both my chosen profession and the world around me.
If you're like me, you've been waiting to see this election finished since the pundits from 2005 were talking about who would likely run in the next presidential election. Now that we're finally down to the last week, I can sigh with relief in knowing that it's almost over and that the choices for this election are finally open and ready to be tallied.
Yes, I plan to do the early-vote. Not because I want this thing to be over and done with. Personally, I just can't stand the line and the hassle and the hustle that the first Tuesday of November brings to my local election poll. So as a voter in this "most important" general election (and to be honest, haven't the last 4 or 5 elections seen that phrase before?), I find myself switching over to CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News more and more often. I'm hanging on every word I can from most radio talk-shows and trying to listen in between the words for what's really being said by the political candidates.
Now, this is just my opinion. And it should be taken as such. But here's what I've been hearing out of the political bullhorns lately. "It's the economy stupid!" And rightly so. I don't need to go into the hows, whys, or whats of the matter. The other authors here at fayetteville.net have weighed in already and so have I. But it's what they're saying that's interesting to me.
To be honest, I'm really getting more and more disinterested in what the proposed policies are. I know from experience that most of the issues that presidential candidates say they will implement will never go through. That's the reality of our nation and I'm willing to accept that some promises are the equivalent of "a Jaguar in every Driveway".
But between the two major political campaigns, you have to give credit where credit is due. Obama's "I can take x more days of John Mccain's attacks, but the nation can't afford 4 more years of the same failed economic policies" is really taking hold and garnering praise from a lot of the sources I'm paying attention to. And personally, it speaks more directly to me as a voter more than the Republican's attempt to get me in the camp with "Joe the Plumber".
And let's really think about that. "Joe the Plumber" is a nice guy, I'm sure. And I'm sure that there's a lot of people out there like Joe the Plumber who want to start their own businesses. However, I'm not Joe the Plumber. I'm Walter the Computer Programmer. What's in Mccain's plan for me? What is in the Mccain economic policy regarding research and techonology here in the United States? Rather than answer these questions, the Mccain camp suggests that I take a deeper look at the alternative and weigh whether or not I want my taxes increased by Obama.
Obama doesn't necessarily answer my questions either. But it does have some key phrases that at least get my attention. "No jobs overseas" which is where the majority of our R&D jobs seem to be going nowadays. Even Bill Gates addressed congress year after year begging them to lift limits and encourage businesses to hire more overseas workers for these industries. His reasoning follows the line of "because in a global market, we need the best and the brightest". Since when did we stop hiring, training, educating, and treating American college graduates as "bright" ?
So between "4 more years" and "Joe the Plumber", it's getting right down to it where these are the last messages we're going to hear from these candidates for now. And unless John Mccain can get the whole of America in on his side and not just the Plumbers and the Joes out there, he's really going to be found wanting.
Yes, I plan to do the early-vote. Not because I want this thing to be over and done with. Personally, I just can't stand the line and the hassle and the hustle that the first Tuesday of November brings to my local election poll. So as a voter in this "most important" general election (and to be honest, haven't the last 4 or 5 elections seen that phrase before?), I find myself switching over to CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News more and more often. I'm hanging on every word I can from most radio talk-shows and trying to listen in between the words for what's really being said by the political candidates.
Now, this is just my opinion. And it should be taken as such. But here's what I've been hearing out of the political bullhorns lately. "It's the economy stupid!" And rightly so. I don't need to go into the hows, whys, or whats of the matter. The other authors here at fayetteville.net have weighed in already and so have I. But it's what they're saying that's interesting to me.
To be honest, I'm really getting more and more disinterested in what the proposed policies are. I know from experience that most of the issues that presidential candidates say they will implement will never go through. That's the reality of our nation and I'm willing to accept that some promises are the equivalent of "a Jaguar in every Driveway".
But between the two major political campaigns, you have to give credit where credit is due. Obama's "I can take x more days of John Mccain's attacks, but the nation can't afford 4 more years of the same failed economic policies" is really taking hold and garnering praise from a lot of the sources I'm paying attention to. And personally, it speaks more directly to me as a voter more than the Republican's attempt to get me in the camp with "Joe the Plumber".
And let's really think about that. "Joe the Plumber" is a nice guy, I'm sure. And I'm sure that there's a lot of people out there like Joe the Plumber who want to start their own businesses. However, I'm not Joe the Plumber. I'm Walter the Computer Programmer. What's in Mccain's plan for me? What is in the Mccain economic policy regarding research and techonology here in the United States? Rather than answer these questions, the Mccain camp suggests that I take a deeper look at the alternative and weigh whether or not I want my taxes increased by Obama.
Obama doesn't necessarily answer my questions either. But it does have some key phrases that at least get my attention. "No jobs overseas" which is where the majority of our R&D jobs seem to be going nowadays. Even Bill Gates addressed congress year after year begging them to lift limits and encourage businesses to hire more overseas workers for these industries. His reasoning follows the line of "because in a global market, we need the best and the brightest". Since when did we stop hiring, training, educating, and treating American college graduates as "bright" ?
So between "4 more years" and "Joe the Plumber", it's getting right down to it where these are the last messages we're going to hear from these candidates for now. And unless John Mccain can get the whole of America in on his side and not just the Plumbers and the Joes out there, he's really going to be found wanting.
