America Would Be in Better Shape if John McCain Won the 2008 Election

First, I have to apologize for the blatant click-bait title.

Second, I have to admit that I don't know if what I am proposing would have played out, but I see it as a very plausible outcome.

On the first anniversary of the inauguration of Donald J Trump as President of the United States of America, I am taking some time to think about an alternate possibility.

If John McCain would have beat Barack Obama in 2008, I think he would have been a pretty good President of the United States of America. He is well liked, and you can see that he genuinely cares about advancing the national interest. He has a vision of how he believes his nation should operate. In that vein, it is reasonable that he would have run again in 2012. 

In 2012, if Obama had lost to McCain in 2008, I think Hillary Clinton would have secured the nomination. I also think that McCain would have done a good enough job that would have been re-elected.

Moving forward to 2016. John McCain would have served his two terms and would not be eligible for re-election. Secondly, a Republican will have been President for sixteen years, it would have been time for change, no matter how good a job McCain had done. So, after taking a cycle off, and after a loss by Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama would have won the nomination for a second attempt and would be President of the United States today, likely to be re-elected in 2020 and serve until January 2025.

I also have a second course of action which I believe is possible and is much better than the current situation in The White House.

After four years, being an older gentleman, John McCain doesn't run for a second term, and the Democratic Party gives Barack Obama a second chance against, what most likely would be, Mitt Romney. Barack Obama wins in 2012 and wins re-election in 2016, and would be President today.

I'm not saying America made a mistake in 2008. Nine years ago, nobody could have predicted the pickle America has put itself in. This is simply an alternate scenario that I think would have been a much better reality that what we are enduring today.

The Petty Fight for the Biggest Office

Last night I couldn't resist and I watched the first debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.


I'll put this out there right now, Trump is nuts. Most of what he said was garbage. He lied. He went off topic. He really didn't respect the moderator. He didn't respect the time limits. He was rude at times. He didn't like it when his brand was attacked. All that being said, he controlled the room all night, for all the reasons I just stated.


Clinton had her moments. She counterpunched. She let Donald set her up and she hit him, sometimes scoring. However, she never carried the narrative. She never controlled the room. If you wanted to, you could defeat her by saying nothing and waiting for her to attack. She never had a tendency to attack and often her voice sounded unsure.


To me, even though she said the right words most of the night, it lacked confidence and conviction. Saying the right thing is important but making it believable and confident is also important, especially if you want to lead.


Now, being Canadian, I don't get to pick in this election, even though there will be spillover effects felt north of the border. Unfortunately, I can't see either of them being President of the United States of America.


I know, Hillary Clinton should be a shoo-in, but she's not. She's in a dog-fight with a buffoon. Trump clearly lost last night but it's because of his pompous arrogant slick talking ways with no regard for the truth and not because Clinton kicked his metaphorical feet out from under him, stepped on his chest, and drove a wooden stake through his bigoted heart. And, unless she does that in one of the two remaining debates, she risks losing. Donald Trump talks about winning and how he is a winner. It has been part of his narrative since he started down this path to the oval office. For me it feels like Clinton will only become President if she comes in second last in a two horse race. It feels like her only hope is Trump becomes even more horrible and people see how bad he is instead of how good she is.


I saw a meme a while back that said, "A software interface is like a joke, if you have to explain it, it isn't very good." If you are running for President and your strategy is to show how bad your opponent is, are you really very good?

America, You Have a Problem

I'll save you the effort of reading my bio, I'm Canadian. I like America. I like to visit. I like your movies. I like your food. I like a lot of your people.

However, America, you have a problem.

I was originally going to title this post "Dump on Trump." The Trump phenomenon scares me. As I was building this in my head I realized that it's not Donald Trump that is the problem. Don't get me wrong, Donald Trump as President of the United States is a huge problem but it's only one of the symptoms. He's the disease that kills you when your immune system is weakened by something much more powerful.

Donald Trump is a very good carnival barker. He really is. He doesn't need cue cards. He interacts with the crowd and feeds off them while they feed off him. Next thing you know, you are inside the tent. Step right up America, I'm going to build a wall. Admit it, you are curious if he can build the wall and get Mexico to pay for it. I know I am. I also know that deep down I don't want him to run America.

America is a big country with big country problems. They do a lot of things well but when they mess up, it is a disaster.

America has not and is not doing such a good job of promoting diversity. This is a problem. If you don't see how a different point of view can make you stronger, you are losing an opportunity to get smarter. Trump is tapping into this and doing a good job at it too. He is making people angry that their version of America is being limited. He is giving them an outlet. He is giving a disenfranchised group hope. That build momentum.

America has an unhealthy attitude about guns. I have no problem with guns. I have shot guns and may do so again in the future. If private citizens are using guns for sport shooting or for hunting, these are good reasons to use guns. If you feel you need a gun to protect your self or your family, you are hanging around the wrong people. I know that guns don't kill people, but people kill people. I agree. However, if you think carrying a gun will protect you when a convenience store is being robbed, you woefully misunderstand what guns do. Guns shoot bullets. Guns do not stop bullets. If you think that someone so desperate that they are willing to hold up a gas bar is not going to pull the trigger first because you have a gun, you are sadly mistaken. I suppose if you sneak up behind him and shoot him in the back, you won't get shot but if he is pointing a gun at you there is a good chance you will be shot before you are pointing your gun at him. Guns are not designed to protect you, they are designed to project force. They are designed to harm others which is why they are so popular with militaries, who's whole existence is to fight and win wars for their country. Using a gun for protection is the using the wrong tool but so is building a wall to stop immigration. Donald Trump taps into that. It's not the right tool for the job, but it rings well with the people.

I know what you are thinking, it's and election, they won't pick him. Well, herein lies the problem. At the time of writing this post, seventy percent of Americans don't trust Hillary Clinton. I find that she comes off as phoney. She is the ultimate insider. Her husband cheated on her and she stayed with him for the opportunity for power. She flip-flops. She's a politician to the core and Americans are fed up with that as well. If Trump is the really bad candidate, she is the bad candidate. One candidate can whip the crowd into a frenzy about everything you don't want the president talking about the other can barely get anyone excited about anything at all.

This is a prime situation for an independent to come right up the middle and take it all. Someone moderate to appeal to the big clump in the middle. I'm not sure who this would be. The problem is these days Americans don't do anything half way. If it's going to be big, it has to be the biggest. If it's going to be loud, it has to be the loudest. If it's going to be hot, it has to be the hottest. 

America, you have a problem but the good news is you have time to fix it. You are a big country, I'm sure one of you has the courage to do the right thing, after all you say you are the land of the brave.

'Merica

About 24 hours ago, Barrack Obama was declared the winner in the US Presidential Election. I have been thinking a lot about the spectacle and the future. Both have me a bit worried.

Americans like a show and they turn their election into the biggest show on earth. They spend a lot of money to spew rhetoric and attack each other. They seem to be getting a bit short on substance in a lot of what they say. For the most part, I have no idea going to move forward.

The bigger thing is the future.

I don't think America had much of a choice. They could choose the incumbent who, four years ago, was big on talk of hope and change but really I see a lot of Americans who have very little hope and not a lot has changed in four years. The could also choose the challenger who kept saying the wrong thing and doesn't come across as understanding what the average American is living through. I'm still not sure how I would have voted if I were allowed to do so.

I tend to vote based on economic issues. A strong economy fixes a lot of problems. If people have all the employment they want, they don't need a lot of social programs and there is plenty of revenue to pay for the programs that everyone wants. If you are pretty sure that your next several paycheques are coming, everything else seems possible.

As a non-American the best thing for me is for America to fix its economy. I understand why people think it's important that the US updates its social programs but if you don't live there it won't change your life.

So America has chosen four more years of the teleprompter president. I just hope for their sake he is a bit more than adequate in his next term.