What If Obama was a Republican?

I am a thirty something mother who has a love hate relationship with the election process. There have been some years that I was very excited about and other that I could care less.

1992 was the first year I had a voice, well I felt like I had a voice. I didn't really have a voice because I was still too young to vote, but many of my friends were able to register in time for the election. Our discussions went from being more about what our parents thought about candidates to what we thought. There was this new guy on the scene who just seemed much more laid back that the stuffy shirts who had come before him. This guy played the sax on national television. He had to be cool. Looking back I wonder if 18 is old enough to make decisions about our country.

So fast forward to 1996...presidential elections roll around again. I was away at college living in my own little world. If felt strange to vote in my first presidential election by absentee ballot but I was proud to be casting my ballot. But when it came down to the actual decision process it was a simple one. Clinton had done a good job for four years, why not give him four more. It sounded like a good plan to me.

So then the year 2000 came along. The idea of another Bush being in office scared the crap out of me, but I really didn't feel like there was much I could do about it. In 2004 neither candidate ran ads in my state. That showed me what either candidate thought of me

But this year, this year is different. This year there is a buzz in the air. I've seen people get excited about the political process that have never paid attention to it before. I even watched the Vice Presidential debate this year. Prior to this year i didn't even know there was such a thing, But it's not only in the last month that I have been excited, I've been excited for a while. I remember during the primary season when McCain made his comments about the United States being in Iraq as long as it took, I knew he was not the candidate for me. I told a friend months ago that I wanted anyone BUT McCain. But this year in particular I wanted to be sure that I was voting for all the right reasons. Which leads me to this question: What if Obama was a republican?

There are many reasons to love Obama. He is charismatic, he can motivate people, he looks presidential, and when it comes down to it, he kind of looks like my dad, tall and thin with big ears. But none of these have anything to do with the issues at hand. A few years ago I used to worry about if I was going to be able to pay for my kids to go to college, now I wonder if my house will be worth any where near what I paid for it.

I'm paying attention to the debates and the pundits. Trying to translate the political language. Trying to get to the route of who these two men really are. What I have decided is that when it comes down to it, the issues matter more to me than what the candidate sounds or looks like. So could I vote for him if he were a republican who followed the trends of that party? I'm just glad it isn't something i have to worry about.