A G K Y R A

I have now heard it from several people: Barack Obama is the candidate who can bring both Republicans and Democrats together and unite our nation. Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, a Democrat who endorsed Obama, emphasized our unity in her response to the President’s State of the Union address to Congress in January. But is it true that Obama can bring us all together?

Obviously not. The idea is contradicted by one fact that is staring us all in the face: Barack Obama can’t even unite the Democrats! The Dems are numerically divided right down the middle between him and Hillary Clinton — and that’s only the surface division. If you look more closely, you see that Clinton has staunch support among the blue-collar wing of the Democratic Party, while Obama is popular among college students and the more affluent members of the party. Black voters have by-and-large come together to support him, but that’s about it. Obama has not succeeded in uniting his own party, either in whole or parts.

What about the Republicans? John McCain has, in fact, succeeded in uniting his own party behind him. The only concern was that conservatives — such as me! — might not rally to his candidacy, but most of us have, and more are every day. Now let me ask you: if the final obstacle to a united Republican Party was the conservative base, how could Barack Obama unite Republicans and Democrats? You think conservative Republicans would back Obama over McCain? Gimme a break.

The idea that Obama can unite the nation is absurd. On the other hand, it is a real possibility that John McCain could bring the unity that Obama’s supporters are pining for. Why is that? In the first place, he is known for being independent minded. He doesn’t vote party line, he votes according to his principles — which, by the way, I don’t always agree with. Nevertheless, I still support him because of his reputation for integrity, a reputation he has held for years. See: proof that McCain can unite. Even if we disagree on some issues, McCain is a real leader with real substance and real character. Real character tested over time. Obama is selling you a feeling. He wants you to put your faith in him: “Change we can believe in.” We need more character in our leaders, not an inspirational high that will last a few months until the going gets rough and the honeymoon ends.

Not only is John McCain known for integrity, he is supported by other politicians who are well known for their integrity, Joe Lieberman and Fred Thompson, for example. McCain has the respect of both Democrats and Republicans. He is a moderate Republican who has proven that he can unite moderates, independents, and conservatives

Let’s dispel the ridiculous idea that Obama can unite both parties around some vague notion of hope and change, issues be damned. The only candidate who has demonstrated his ability to unite all kinds of people from both parties around important issues is John McCain.

Have you visited the website for Facing Up to the Nation’s Finances yet? That’s where I got the national debt clock for this blog. Facing Up is “a nonpartisan initiative that is working to enable more Americans to confront and work through realistic choices for addressing the nation’s long-term financial condition.” Did you realize that the United States Government Accounting Office estimates our liabilities for debt service and entitlement payments in the coming years is more than four times the size of our total economy?

Check out their short multimedia presentation on The Deficit, the Debt and Disaster Ahead and let your eyes be opened.

Also take a look at their blog carnival on Social Security. One of my posts is featured, but you already read that one, so read some of the other posts in the carnival. They’re thought provoking and often insightful.