Believing in Changes

Change. The promise of this ambiguous word has been a staple of American elections since its initial history. This year, it is the word that exemplifies today's campaign for commander-in-chief. As seen in the campaigns of Barack Obama and John McCain, this year's presidential race offers changes unforeseen in the nation's history.

Barack Obama's campaign ads and posters declare that Obama is the man who can bring upon "change". While the slogan is catchy and hopeful, it also represents the current state of politics and the field of presidential hopefuls.

Obama has called for a simplifying of the issues that confront America today. On foreign policy, Obama believes in setting up a timetable to get American troops out of Iraq and speaking face to face with the leaders of Iran. A 2008 Rasmussen Report poll shows that 60 percent of Americans agree with this belief and would like to see the withdrawal of troops within the next year. The proposition to set up a timetable and then focus more resources on helping the Iraqis formulate a functioning government is quite proactive. This would be neither an utter surrender to al Qaeda, nor a continued attempt at trying to fight an unpopular war that appears to have no near end.

Obama's other major "change" would be in politician-lobbyist relationships. All interactions between politicians and lobbyists would be compiled on a searchable web database. Additionally, Obama believes that if all unnecessary spending (a.k.a. pork-barrel) put onto bills were also made public on the web, many politicians would then steer clear of such acts. This plan would then eliminate most pork barrel spending, or at least curve it to a more moderate allocation of government funds. Such spending is a necessary part of politics, but Obama's watch plan would ensure that no spending occurs solely for the benefit of politicians and private businesses. Of course these ideas seem a bit radical, but Obama's proposals all stem from his belief that he can bring along bipartisan legislation.

John McCain is a politician who has long stood for such bipartisanship. Now that he has become the clear front runner on the Republican side, it should be noted that he has begun to rescind much of his bipartisan policies. However, it would be fallacious to assume that a man once willing to make deals with his opposition would suddenly be staunchly against it. As seen in the work done by
McCain and Democratic Senator Russ Feingold with the Bipartisan Reform Act (McCain-Feingold Bill), McCain has not been afraid to stand for his morals even if they went against party beliefs. The Arizona senator voted twice against Bush's tax cuts, proposed an immigration reform bill with the despised Ted Kennedy, and has even spoken against the Bush administration's supposed usage of extreme torture techniques, such as waterboarding.

McCain's stances differ and agree with Obama's on some key points. Primarily, Obama wishes to immediately begin withdrawing troops from Iraq, but McCain is vocal about keeping troops in Iraq for as long as it takes. Such enthusiasm is equally seen in McCain's desire to reform the lobbyist system in Congress. Just as Obama wishes to publicize all associations between politicians and special interest groups, McCain too proposes to bring such relations out in the open. Coinciding with this, McCain has been a major supporter of the institution of an independent ethics office. Noting the current lack of trust in politics, McCain feels these new measures would change the image of Congress as being "for sale."

Overall, John McCain, known as the "maverick", represents the same type of "change" that Barack Obama speaks of so fervently in his campaign. Both men may come from different parties, but they share the same ideals. Obama is a man who hopes to alter the status quo and act based on his beliefs, and not those of his party. McCain is a man who has long acted according to his beliefs, and even has ruffled the feathers of his conservative base quite a few times. The "change" these two men believe in is something that thus should not be attributed to naiveté, but rather a will to do what is right no matter the circumstance. Washington could benefit from the leadership of such men. The similar character of McCain and Obama transcend their differences and signify a positive turn in American politics.

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