Not a “Socialist,” not ‘“President Bush’”

Recently, CNN and Fox commentators have been debating about the negative remarks arising in Senators Obama’s and McCain’s rallies. McCain supporters have pointed to people wearing shirts with inappropriate messages about Sarah Palin, while Obama followers argued that the McCain rallies have been experiencing blatantly racist remarks regarding Senator Obama’s “Americanism.” A recent article from Fox News gives a thorough account of the different ways in which the candidates are “attracting rowdy supporters.”
While it is important to consider the ugly behavior at the rallies and pay attention to the responses from both campaigns, we should remember that behind all the commotion, we are experiencing an economic crisis that is directly affecting our lives, even if some of us have not realized it yet. I hope that the differences between the candidates’ political and economic approaches will be the important issues for voters, especially those who are currently undecided.
An NPR article titled “Some Voters Surprisingly Crossing Party Lines” indicated that nothing is set in stone for November 5. Conservative Republican Colin Powell’s recent endorsement of Barack Obama, and Democratic Senator Joeseph Lieberman’s support for John McCain serve as examples for the “Joe The Plumbers” of a person’s beliefs being more significant than party loyalty. No, Obama is not a “socialist,” and McCain is not ‘“President Bush,”’ but one of them will become our president and have the opportunity to contribute to America’s history.