The latest 2008 political hullabaloo has of course been over Sen. Barack Obama’s choice of Delaware Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate, causing murmurs on both sides of the fence as to whether it will damage or enhance the B-Rock’s bid for the White House. Before I get to the more pressing issues at hand, I just have to ask: What does one do in Delaware? It brings to mind the segment in “”Wayne’s World””: “”…or imagine being able to be magically whisked away to… Delaware. [bored pause] Hi. I’m in Delaware.””
This 2008 election is one of the most important we’ve had in a very long time, and what with a Minor Depression creeping in (not to be confused with the Great Depression), it will be up to the fine voters of this country to go with either gravedigger John McCain’s promise to put more young men and women in harm’s way in Iraq, or Obama’s declaration for “”change.”” Seriously, when has it been this bad? I can’t think of a time. Between paying close to $4 for gas, having to take out student loans just to go to the grocery store, an economy on the quick decline and a food crisis overseas, it’s hard to know when the nightmare will end. My friends, we deserve better. The only change we’re seeing right now is what we’re scraping together to pay for a gallon in our cars or wild hogs.
It’s sad to think that Mr. Bush has been president my entire adult life, and worst of all, the warmonger really hasn’t accomplished anything in his eight years. Obama may not be the best candidate imaginable, but considering the alternative, he’s sunshine on buttered toast in the morning. In the meantime, the differences in opinion over Obama’s selection of Biden are quite varied, from both the right and the left. The National Review’s Michael Graham declared that he was not cackling with glee over Obama’s choice of Biden as his running mate, with the conservatives columnist adding that it is not good news for McCain. While there are those who recognize Biden as a worthy selection on Obama’s part, he has also drawn criticism for saying in early 2007 that Obama is the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy, and later asserting that Obama wasn’t ready to be president.
Marty Peretz of The New Republic opined that Biden’s “”personal finances are middle class finances.ÿHe will understand – as John Kerry and John Edwards cannot possibly understand, nor McCain, for that matter – the real-life choices that many, maybe most Americans can no longer make.”” Peretz touched on what could very well be a crucial issue for this campaign: the plight of the working class. Michelle Obama already painted her husband as an everyman at the Democratic National Convention, and it is indeed the Simple Jack who has hurt the most during the reign of King Bush II.
Biden will easily be able to provide the working class hero angle that Obama needs to attract more voters, a stark contrast to the holier-than-thou John Kerry/John Edwards ticket of 2004. The senator from Delaware had humble beginnings, growing up with a stutter and tragically losing both his wife and daughter in a crash shortly before he was elected to serve in the Senate. A recent Los Angeles Times article portrays Biden as a devoted father who is very close with his two sons and strives to lead a simple life removed from the standard political circuit – the only question now is whether Biden’s motor mouth will hurt Obama in the long run.
As we wait to find out who McCain will choose as a running mate, it becomes clearer than ever that Obama could easily win this election. Or could he? There is certainly a palpable Obama fever in the air. You can feel it on your clothes, on your shoes, in a sultry voice over a loudspeaker. Hell, I don’t even like the guy that much and I can feel it. The smell of McCain, however, is the smell of death. The crusty senator from our state could pull off an ingenious move, but I’m really not counting on it.
Matt Wavrin is a senior majoring in media arts. He can be reached at letters@email.arizona.edu.
