Many Americans in less than three weeks will go to the polls and vote for the next President of the United States of America. We hold in our hands such a great responsibility to choose who we see fit to lead our nation in the next coming years. The situations that the next president faces will test and prove to us if we have elected the right one. For the past eight years, America has faced some of the most trying times and we have become politically and culturally divided. America needs a president who will be able to mend the subtle, but significant, divisions that have plagued our country. Who is right for the job?
In the LA Times there is a great editorial entitled Bringing Us Together. The author writes to show us which presidential candidate would be better suited to “bridge the partisan divide”. The author explains that there are ideological, partisan and cultural divides that “reflect an often bitter and surly populace.” The author begins to compare Obama and McCain in their past experiences in bringing together political parties, and people, that have been divided. The author praises Obama because “He is physical testament to the bridging of our ethnic divides...” With McCain, though he has shown bipartisanship and has rejected many proposals from his own party, he has now abandoned all those positions in his candidacy. Obama is praised for his efforts in not demonizing McCain and respecting him in serving our country. On the other hand, the editorials mentions that during their debates, McCain has avoided eye contact with Obama and at one point, referred to him not by name but as “that one.”
The support for Obama is very evident through out this editorial. I do believe that Obama is the best candidate to help bridge many of the divides. Though his experience might not be very strong, his has balanced it out by choosing a very well qualified running mate, Joe Biden. Biden is a long time member of the Senate and is respected by both parties. McCain’s choice in Sarah Palin seems to prove that he’s not a “maverick”, but is still trying to please those on the far right of his party. At McCain’s rallies, some people have proclaimed that Obama is Arab and some even want to harm him. McCain has put this on himself for allowing his campaign to become more of an attack than a persuasion to support him in uniting this country.
Who do you think is the right candidate to bridge those things that divide us? Can we as Americans be reunited or will we be continually driven apart by the next administration?
Bringing Us Together - Opinion, LA Times. Oct. 14, 2008.
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