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Why Obama? Why should Colorado Democrats caucus for the Illinois Senator?

Outside of an impassioned article by the Altantic’s Andrew Sullivan, which cast Obama in a

transcendant light, the smart move for Colorado Democratic caucus-goers would have been a

favorite-son strategy. By selecting fellow westerner, New Mexico governor Bill Richardson,Coloradans could have sent a message about Rocky Mountain politics, the viability of a

Hispanic candidate, and the value of working experience on the world stage. After all,

Richardson has more direct, hands-on, experience in foreign affairs as a diplomat than all the

other presidential candidates of both parties combined.

Obama, as of this writing, has to be the favorite, although not a prohibitive one, to become the

next president of the United States. An Obama presidency would mark a sharp break with the

past, a generational shift in politics at home, and a sign that we could leave history-- Vietnam,

Watergate, the Baby Boomer cultural schisms -- in the trunk of the national sedan. Notforgotten, but no longer in the way.

Picture a young Pakistani or Yemeni man, nineteen years old, on the street, without prospects

and without a firm sense of who to blame for his plight. Imagine, for a moment, how easy it is to

hate George Bush, an alien image of wealth and power, and see how that image can catalyze

into anger against America, to harden against our interests, or worse, push that a step further

into jihad, into the suicide bomber’s explosive vest. Now change the scene-- the man who

America elects is named Barrack Hussein Obama-- a man who no longer seems so other-

worldly, a man not so easy to hate. A man that symbolizes that America is more than the

caricature we so often show to the world.

This, then, is an odd argument. That we would select a president on the basis of who would

appeal to a potential enemy of the United States. But it is illustrative of the power of change that

Obama could usher in. How doors might open, how hearts might change, how old wounds could

finally heal, both at home and abroad. How many problems we might solve by simply rethinking

them, breaking free of old falsehoods and false limits.

How Obama will tackle the biggest issues facing America today— a critically bankrupt energy

policy, health care ensnarled in the Medical-Industrial Complex, flat or declining real wages

killing the middle class, the rise of a not always friendly China— is unclear. There is a measure ofhope in his candidacy-- the hope of a discontinuity with the past that could free our nation to

move forward. And that is the strongest argument for Obama— that he can disentangle the

stalemates and move us into the future.

So, if you are a registered Democratic voter, go to your caucus on February 5th. Gamble on

hope, and a fresh start in the White House.

Why McCain?

With actual military and foreign policy experience, John McCain represents the best chance forRepublicans to fight a November election on favorable ground.

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Let’s face it. If the November election is about domestic policy, with a recession, housing crisis

and a stalemate on health care and energy, then Republicans will lose the presidency. Even

against a Democrat freighted down with paralysing negatives, the terrain is just too hostile. This

is one election that won’t come down to just one state like Ohio in 2004 or Florida in 2000.

But if events and a campaign can refocus the electorate upon threats, real and perceived, from

abroad, then Republicans have a fighting chance. And if the economy presents a fait accompli

for the White House, then McCain is the best chance to have the top of the ticket not drag

competitive Senate and Congressional seats down to defeat with it.

In January 2008, the chances for an electoral reversal of historic proportions faces Republicans

nationally. The Republican base that has been so dominant in elections since 1994 seems

fragmented and past its sell-by date, as middle-class, suburban anxiety is at an all time high. So

McCain, who is a genuine national hero, and a reformer of arguable talents to boot, represent

what may be the saving grace for GOP voters.

McCain has challenged the Republican orthodoxy on campaign finance, immigration, tax policy

and torture. That record commends him to many independent voters. At the same time, McCain

is much within the mainstream of Republican conservatism on the majority of issues. He would

continue to appoint conservative justices to the Supreme Court, salting away a majority for a

generation. Despite well-worn concerns about his age and his insomnia-cure-all speech-making,

McCain represents the best avenue for Republicans with a change-seeking electorate. And if he

could weather five years as a tortured prisoner-of-war in Vietnam, surely he can rise above the

vicissitudes of a national campaign. And unlike, Bob Dole, the Republican nominee and

sacrificial candidate in 1996, McCain represents a fighting chance.

 — The North Denver News

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