Keith Watanabe * NET 2.0

One of my few wishes this year came true in that Obama had snatched up the nomination for the democrats and Hillary will fade into the background as a pure supporter for Obama.  This election will prove to be probably one of the most critical in American history; at least within the 21st century.  It's critical because it's dead evident that George W. Bush has screwed the entire country up and there needs to be new leadership to fix that mess.

McCain's platform on the outset seems acceptable, but if you read between the lines on some of his issues, you'll begin to realize that in all honesty, he does not give a shit.  On some of the issues regarding the financial crisis, his basic stance is that the market needs to be fixed but wants the market drive the situation. 

In other words, he doesn't give a shit and doesn't want to take any responsibility for the fuck ups that will continue to occur without direct government intervention.

America is a horrible wasteland economically and the government needs to step in to do something to correct it.  I blame a lot of the fuck ups in the economy on Wallstreet and those greedy asshole white collar criminals that have time and time again fucked over the American people.  While millions of Americans are suffering in foreclosing homes, bad credit, over priced gas pumps, inflated merchandise, increased cost of food and on and on and on, these son of a bitch fucks continue to make a buck.  And McCain says let the market handle things?  If McCain gets his eye, he and the government will continue to turn a blind eye against Wallstreet, not punishing those crooks, especially those CEO bastards making millions of severances, which they don't deserve, and continue moving the market in their favor, shorting any real investment opportunities and creating more chaos.  That is going to be McCain's reply as a president with his hands off, I don't give a fuck and I don't want the bloodshed on my hands attitude towards Wallstreet.

Obama has said a lot of the correct things in the campaign and he's going to be massively appealing to the middle class, the youth and the deprived.  People this fall will be voting heavily from emotion once gas prices dig deeply into the pocket books, when food prices reach an exorbitant level, when they have to leave their cities for cheaper areas and when they lose their jobs because of the conditions Bush and his cronies have impelled upon the US.

However, there's a huge catch.

Let's say Obama does get November.  He'll have a responsibility and expectation of the world on his hands.  Can he do it?  Can anyone do it?

The expectations are as enumerated (in my opinion):

• Immediate action to lower the gas prices
• A stimulus bill to improve the economy
• Something to curb rising food prices
• Expansion in the job market

Oh, and it doesn't end there.  Those are just the expectations that must be completed within the first year.  From that we need to address:

• Improving education
• Making America competitive again in as a technological leader
• Ecological friendly policies
• Spending in science and the environment
• Repairing the massive black eye Bush has painted across the US in the face of the world
• Getting the troops to come back from Iraq
• Re-diverting the misguided war funds back into the infrastructure of the US
• Getting the perpetually promised and never delivered universal health care for Americans
• Addressing the H1-B visa issues
• Enforcing policies against automakers to quickly improve standards in the face of the gas crisis
• Going after the Republican fucks (namely Cheney) who have been helping and hiding all the funds with their oil and Wallstreet butt buddies
• Making Americans feel safe again internally
• Doing something about the horrible airport crisis (hopefully by dismantling the TSA and Homeland Security)
• Making food safe again

And of course, this is probably just scratching the surface of what needs to be immediately addressed.

What I meant by the catch was that if the president cannot fulfill these expectations soon, the world and the American people will shun American politics.  American politics and politicians will become a bigger joke.  You will no longer be able to depend on the government for anything and soon the government will lose almost all power in terms of faith as people will turn to mega corporations to support them or hide on isolated farms in fear of a domestic/civil war that was partly alluded during the Katrina Hurricane disaster.

This is how critical the 2008 election is.

It's not just about personalities.  It's about the world and the US government in one of the most meaningful stakes because people just are sick of what's going on.  I hope both candidates realize that.  I certainly hope Obama not only realizes the stakes in this, but will do everything in his power to help the American people.  I don't want to see hidden agendas emerge two or three years down the line where false promises were delivered and nothing would be done.  And I think most people feel the same way.