I was taught growing up, to never discuss 2 things. Religion and politics. Even with people you may know. I am going to come scathingly close to doing that, but rest assured at the end you will not know which candidate I place my “x” next to.

 

         It seems that the looming election is going to be very divergent in nature. On the one hand you have possibly the first African-American President in history. On the other, a former prisoner of war and experienced candidate. Our country seems to be almost evenly divided in the polls with neither candidate running away with more than 7-8 points. Of course, the only poll that matters is the one on November 4th.

 

         I want to point out some things I have taken notice of in the 16 years I have been participating in my democratic right of voting: While it is possible that the president be replaced by the vice-president due to death, resignation, or impeachment, it is not probable. The last time that happened was the year I was born-1974. Gerald Ford took office and proceeded to fall down more flights of stairs than any other human in history. If nothing else, he provided an invaluable comic relief for the country. I don’t feel that the choice of running mate is as monumental as people think it is. No matter which party is elected, Palin or Biden will provide the writers of Saturday Night Live with more material than they’ll know what to do with.

 

         George W. Bush and all other presidents will be more well liked after his term is over. Why is that? There have been many presidents that have made mistakes of all calibers and regardless, once they are out of office, everyone likes them! Many write books which are published and bought by the same American public that bad-mouthed them in office. If they were looked upon as criminals, idiots, etc. in office, why does that wash right off after they’re out? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         Clinton is a great example of this. He boldly lied on national television to millions of Americans about his fornication with an intern! While he was ultimately only the 2nd president in history to be impeached, he was not hurt in the long-term by it. He continued to make a country-wide tour and gave speeches for tens of thousands of dollars a piece. Figure that one out.

 

         It appears that the vote will be fairly close. That means that while majority rules, there will still be almost half of the country that does not want that person in office. In order to stay popular with his supporters and win over the other half of the country, he will have to do a damn good job.

 

         My final observation is this: No matter who gets elected, we will still live in the greatest country in the world. Our culture, art, style, language, economy, and freedom has affected the entire world. A very important thing to remember is that the citizens of this country have the real power. If you are truly concerned about the constant state of affairs in your country/state/county, then take action when the situation warrants it. Not only in election years and hope that the “right” candidate will solve all your problems for the next 4 years.

 

 

 

 

 

Benjamin S. Brechtel, Editor

Hawaii Wine Lover

 

Good ol’ “W”

Cigar aficionado’s man of the century.