Turning Point for America: The Importance of the 2008 Election

The 2008 Presidential election is one that will determine whether or not America has learned from past voting mistakes. Those voting errors are the result of treating Presidential candidates more like products than potential leaders of the United States of America. Since the advent of television, political campaigns have become the ugliest kind of marketing wars (far worse than Subway v. Quiznos). Choosing a President in recent years has been the same as choosing what brand of cheap beer to buy-really doesn't matter they all suck, but they get you drunk. Right, and most Presidents have a tendency to instill a similar feeling as a result of observing their strange and irrational behavior.

The 2008 election has managed to open the field up a bit, with many names being thrown into the ring for a Campaign Battle Royal. Not surprisingly, a large portion of the Presidential contenders will be battling out of the Democratic corner. Some of the current Democratic front runners are Illinois Senator, Barack Obama, New York Senator and former first lady, Hilary Clinton, and John Edwards, the 2004 Vice Presidentiak candidate and former North Carolina Senator. Slinging mud out of the Republican corner there is Arizona Senator John McCain who should've won the GOP nomination in 2000 over Bush, but thanks to a rumor about an illegitimate child with a black woman, his chances were squashed and the rest is history. While McCain is currently the favorite, Rudy Giuliani (former New York City Mayor) is riding his success during 9/11 as far as it will take him. Whether that final destination will be the White House, no one can say as of now. Both parties have a slew of other hopefuls, but unless they cure cancer, save Iraq, sabotage their opponents horribly or bring about world peace before 2008 their chance of winning their party's nomination is minimal.

The 2008 election is already one for the history books. While Hilary Clinton is not the first woman to run for President, she is certainly the first woman to be seen as a contender for the Democratic nomination. Not only does a woman have a shot at the Presidency, but an African American is highly favored to become President (let's just hope he isn't assassinated before then). Even a cross dresser has a solid shot at White House fame! If anyone remembers Guiliani's appearance on Saturday Night Live a few years back you might be asking yourself if he will make a better president than a woman-man was he one ugly chick. Nevertheless, America is a far ways off from electing a new President.

The primaries are to Presidential elections as qualifying is to NASCAR. By the time the primaries are over the field of candidates will be dwindled down to a Democratic candidate, a Republican candidate and an Independent who nobody takes seriously, but votes for as a result of a to-hell-with-it attitude. If history is any kind of indicator, the Independent has no chance of winning, but is guaranteed to steal key votes. Since 2000 every major election has shown an America that is split down the middle. Given the recent shift in Congressional majority, it is certain that the 2008 election will be another too-close-to-call event. This is sure to drive political analysts mad as this election year will be one of the most important elections since the 1977 election.

Strangely enough, the next President will face similar problems to the ones inherited by Jimmy Carter during 1977. Unfortunately, economic, foreign, and energy problems are not the only concerns on the minds of the candidates for 2008. Finding a resolution to the Iraq war and the War on Terror is another issue facing the next President. With a difficult workload that continues to get heavier, it is up to the American people to vote wisely. Instead of putting another business man or lawyer in office, it is important that we put someone who will approach every situation in an unbiased manner. With the campaigns already in full swing it is hard to wean out the impostors, the fakes, those who are full of excrement and all that jazz. While some may be pandering to their party's base as a means to get the party nomination it is imperative to look into the past of each candidate and see who has been active in their respective community. Being a POW or mayor of a city in crisis or even the wife of a cheating husband is not enough to elect someone President.

Over the next few months I will break down each of the leading candidates as a means to help point people in the right direction. In no way should my words encourage people to pick one over another, but instead, should encourage people to do their own research. That is the key to selecting the proper person for the job: a country of people actively engaged in the event that will determine who will be at the reigns of this red, white, and blue sled, seemingly careening out of control.

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