T Diddy :: Your Friendly Black Dentist

For me to do three more blogs on Clinton, Obama, and Edwards is futile. They are so much in the media at this time of year, people should no about them. Also, I am tired of these blogs. However, to make my documentation complete, I will write a statements of each.

Edwards - I am not sure where he stands. His current MO is to slam Hilliary. this tactic is fine, but John, "You need to tell where you stand." He is not telling us what he will do once he is in office. His entire rhetoric is about condemning Clinton and her old school politics not working. If you are a true liberal, Edwards is your vote. As he thinks it is okay to read gay relationship stories to little kids in the classroom. There is nothing really conservative about this Southern Boy. You are basically getting John Kerry of 2004 in 2008, except for the fact Edwards is a smooth talker. My first thought of Edwards is that he does not have what it takes to win. He is in the running, but he needs to begin to define himself a little more.

Clinton - It is true. You basically love Hilliary or you hate her. She is a savvy politician who can wiggle her way out of a tough situation better than her man Bill. If you do listen to her speak, you will hear vagueness. She only once answered a question directly as her common practice is to say something that appeases everybody. Additionally, she typically answers in a manner that is inclusive of the other candidates to make it seem that they all agree with her and there are no differences. With Hilliary, you are getting somebody who as seen the dirty ways of the Oval Office. I do not know where she gets 35 years of experience from because she has only been a Senator during this century. She is polarizing and potentially will not be able to work across party lines due to excessive baggage from her husband and her senate term. Clinton tells us what she is for, but she is not admitting or specify details of what makes her different. Her claim of experience is hogwash because there is no experience that will make anybody ready to become the president of the US. The only person who can claim this advantage is Bill Richardson.

Barack Obama - Obama is the fresh face on the scene. He is realatively untainted by the political process. Unlike the other Big 2, he is doing a good job of what he wants to do and enough detail to differentiate himself between the other two. He says things that people may not want to here like raising the salary tax level to pay for health insurance on top of balancing the budget. This is not what I want to hear as I will soon be in that tax bracket, but you have to respect his view. A vote for Obama will be vote for an unknown an new direction. He for sure is more culturally aware than the other candidates and will use that to drive his foreign policy. He has a better opportunity to work across party lines than the other Big 2 as he seems to be more of a peace maker than a fire starter. The strike against Obama, is not his experience, it may be is the fact that he is black. However, it seems through recent polls that the country may be overlooking this fact. A good move on his part is that he is running on his platform of initiatives without crying out any race card. You cannot compare Obama to Jesse because Obama is much more intelligent, articulate, and has higher moral values. Obama is the JFK vote in this decade.

Whether people like it or not, poll play a huge role in elections. Polls dictate what the media talks about and how they will talk about it. This past week in Iowa, Obama has the lead according to an ABC poll. This is huge news since Clinton has a large poll lead in the National although, it is slowly shrinking. Personally, I cannot wait until the December 10 debates in LA. These debates will be key for Obama and Edwards to really set a tone that is about them and show off their qualities that make them a better candidate than Clinton. On this date, Clinton will come will prepared and should give her typical all inclusive ra-ra answers. I no longer really want to see an aggressive attack on Clinton. Instead, I want a logical and practical argument that clearly defines a road map to respectability as a nation from Obama and Edwards. I want to see a contrast of how the American people will be the focus and not the privileged few in the next 4 years.

If it is not known, let it be known now that I am not a supporter of Clinton. I was when she first announced, but her platform that she is running on is uninspiring. I just don't understand how every answer she can give can be on "my side." I want real talk. I like my man Dennis, but he just has no chance to win. Richardson has a lot to offer, but he is not the right man to be president. Somehow, it just does not work. Joe Biden is solid and I like how is more relaxed and his personality is seen more than the others. In fact, I think he would make a good president.

Personally, I am more moderate than liberal. I don't support everything that liberals say and fight for, but I do respect their right to fight. To me, sometimes people are too sensitive and spend time on issues that are not necessarly the issues or that do not need to be issues. A good example of how I am moderate is regarding gay marriage. I do not support it because it is defined as a union between man and woman under God according to one of the oldest books, The Bible. This is one book that I cannot dispute. Disputing the bible is another argument. Contrary to marriage, I fully support same sex partnerships and recognition by the government even though I do not support the lifestyle. With this recognition, couples will have hospital visitation rights, benefit eligibility, estate inheritance, etc. This is the core issue with this issue. I am liberal in the fact that I do not want to impose what I believe by telling people how to live and alienating them as a citizen of this country. On the other hand, I am conservative because I do not support "Gay Marriage". Hence, I am moderate. This stance does not mean I am homophobic like many people will try to label me. Nor does it mean that I do not like people who are gay. I do not care if people are gay and have many friends who happen to be gay.

For my rant above, I cannot sincerely support Edwards. I just cannot imagine my little kids coming home telling me they were read a story about two men playing daddy and mommy. These are my values and Edwards does not support them.

I find myself supporting Obama mainly because of practical, sensible and diplomatic approach. I do not prefer conflict and would much rather talk out issues. However, if you do cross me, I will strike and I will strike hard. Obama offers this for Foreign policy. He is practical when it comes to social security and health care. He knows he cannot wave a magic wand and make everything better. It sucks he talks about raising the salary ceiling for taxes to help social security. but I am okay with it because I little more money I will be taxed will help out people and in the long run, it will come back to me when I am of age. Regarding health care, I think he is right on the money. Costs are completely out of control. There are many reasons for this. I think he is capable of fighting this battle as he is not in bed with the big corporations. The media makes it seem that only our Mexican neighbors are the problem with people taking residence in the USA illegally. This is not true as there are many people on student and work visa that choose not to leave and stay illegally. The problem is not with the people. The problem is with the process and system. Obama recognizes this and knows that internal reform is needed and not some dumb wall. These are a few example of Obama's practicality. My vote is for Obama unless it is miraculously change this forthcoming month and there is unexpected bad news about his policies and/or past. December 10, I hope to see his vision clearly stated as he shines over Clinton. I hope you join the Obama train with me, but regardless of who you support, my hope is that you just get out and vote for change. Our nation is in peril and it will take a pray and a miracle to bounce back.