Richard MichaelA Landslide in November?
June 24th 2008 19:47
He's trying so hard...
A new Newsweek poll was released putting Barack Obama fifteen points above John McCain in the general election if it was held today. Now granted, this is a Newsweek poll and other polls depict a closer margin between the two canidates, but the fact remains that Obama has been slowly but surely putting distance between himself and senator McCain.
Anyone who watches the news or reads the papers might find this a bit surprising, given all the gaffs and scandals that seem to constantly surround Obama: the reverend Wright, his muslim background, his label as the most 'liberal' senator on the hill, his outspoken wife, his recent campaign finance hypocrisy, his youth and inexperience, and (my personal favorite) his refusal to wear a flag pin on his lapel. Meanwhile John McCain seems largely untouched as he makes his way across the country holding town hall meetings and playing a conservative game. (no pun intended)
So why the growing support for Obama? Perhaps its the fact that for every televised mistake that Obama makes, the media runs a positive, or at least neutral, story about him as well. He's new and young, charismatic and historic, the media loves to bash him and tear him down, but at the same time they enjoy building him up and subscribing to his message of hope.
Perhaps its also that Obama is attracting millions of people who have never voted before, youth and african american voters, voters that normally stay inside on election day now feel that they are being represented by Obama's fresh and exciting message. Moreover, McCain's town hall meetings have nothing on Obama's mega rallys. They are miniscule in scale and are populated largely by elderly white voters. Meanwhile, Obama's supporters wait in massive lines for hours to try to get into a sold out, 20,000 seat stadium.
However, the true reason that Obama is gaining support, I feel, is that the American people are smarter than most think. We can see past the superficial propoganda of flag pins and islamic background rumors to the issues that matter. And when conteplating the issues side by side, John McCain doesn't stand a chance. The three biggest issues being the war, healthcare, and the economy. The vast majority of Americans disagree with the war in Iraq, yet McCain pledges a prolonged involvement. Most Americans support or desperately need universal healthcare, John McCain supports privatized healthcare. And as for the economy, McCain's policies almost mirror the Bush administration's which helped to get us in this mess in the first place.
Despite how close the media makes the race seem, the issues and the enthusiasm of a nation aching for change, beg to differ.
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