Welcome to the new Politics blog here at Families.com. Last week, the New Hampshire primaries demonstrated an upset in the presidential nominees. What’s great about the upcoming election is that it’s not about who is the front runner – because New Hampshire demonstrated that the front runner is not easily picked on either side of the aisle whether you’re looking at the Democratic party with Senator Barack Obama (our first potential black nominee), Senator Hilary Rodham Clinton (former First Lady and first potential female nominee) and Senator John Edwards (former nominee for Vice President). On Republican half of the ticket we have former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Senator John McCain. After the New Hampshire primaries, we have McCain leading the Republican side with Senator Clinton taking a minor lead on the Democratic side.
What We Are Going To Do
What we are going to do here in the Politics blog is look at the candidates, look at the issues and report on what is happening. It is our goal to remain as neutral as possible. We’re not looking to slant the vote; we want to inform the vote. Voting is one of the rights granted to us by the Constitution and it’s not only one of our greatest rights, but also our greatest responsibilities.
Why Vote?
Since the election of our 42nd President, our entire world seems to have changed. President Bush was elected in 2000 and in 2001, we experienced 911 and our world changed. We have fought wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Our troops are still stationed overseas. On the domestic front, we have confronted fears, recession and change. Our 43rd President will not only have to shoulder those burdens, but they will have to provide both an international and domestic presence to guide us for the next 4 years.
Voting doesn’t mean just punching out a chad on a card, it means understanding the issues, the candidates’ positions and letting you cast the vote for the candidate that closely adheres to your views and what you hope for the future. Voter turnout in our country is appallingly low with less than 50% of our population turning out to vote.
Shaping the Future
The person we elect as our next President will be pivotal in the lives of our children. For my daughter, it will likely be the president she remembers. I know that when I was growing up Jimmy Carter was President, but it was Ronald Reagan that I remembered as the first President I was really aware of. The person we elect in 2008 will be that for my daughter.
So welcome to the new Politics blog where we want your voice to be heard.