Our Responsibilities in This Presidential Election

Isn't it time we swallow our narrow political ideologies and recognize the commitment, the idealism and the will to make the USA a better country that drives every one of these presidential candidates? Think of the time, the energy, the crap they have to put up with to be in this race. And for the one who wins, try to imagine the colossal task of trying to manage the affairs of the world's greatest superpower at this moment in time.

Yet we join a spiteful, divisive media, and hacks on the right and left like Hannerty, Chris Matthews, Tucker and many others, in seizing on every word of our least favored candidate that can be misconstrued, and pouncing gleefully on every gaffe, mistake or change of mind.

We talk about uniting the country; than we join every day the crowd of media miscreants who feed on sharpening divisions and aggravating the natural tensions among competing parties and candidates. Shouldn't we at least set a new standard for ourselves, who should represent at our age some wisdom and maturity. Shouldn't we start to focus on the issues rather than the personalities, foibles or human mistakes which makes every active person vulnerable.

If we could stand in their shoes for even one day, we might appreciate the overwhelming burden these candidates have assumed in trying to represent and lead our country.

Trends in the American Elections of 2008

A surprising shift ocurred over the last few months in the issues that Americans believe are most important in this election. Despite the opinion of 2/3 of all Americans that the war in Iraq is a mistake and should be ended, this is no longer the dominant concern of US voters. Illegal immigration and creating a safe border with Mexico has now emerged as the primary focus of voter concern.

Thanks to the dogged criticism and revelations of Lou Dobbs and Glenn Beck on CNN, a majority of Americans of all political stripes are now convinced that the US must finally close and secure the border with Mexico and prevent the movement of drugs, people and perhaps terrorists over what has been a wide open frontier. In fact, they were so incensed by the recent attempt of President Bush, Teddy Kennedy and John McCain to pass what came to be called "Amnesty" legislation for illegals already in the country, that public opinion forced an early and decisive defeat of the bill.

It has seemed clear to me for some time that the winner of this presidential election will have to take a very strong stand on securing the border with Mexico and preventing the drug traffic and the wholesale violence it breeds. Border towns on both sides are awash in drug-related violence, and the Laredo area has witnessed over 70 kidnappings of American citizens over the past 2 years, none of them solved or found. (See the film "No Country for Old Men," a great movie touching this issue)

The issue is more problematic for Democrats than for Republicans, in spite of the President's toleration of the status quo. Both Obamba and Hillary stumbled badly in November in supporting the NY State governor's proposal to grant drivers' licenses to illegal immigrants. Attacked by his own Democratic party members, the governor withdrew the legislation. Many democrats, independents and republicans are incensed over the costs taxpayers bear for the education, medical care, tax-free incomes and other financial benefits many states afford illegals. The high crime rate among this group, and the fact that in California alone over 50% of the prison population are illegal immigrants compounds the anger.

Among the leading candidates, Mitt Romney has taken the strongest stand on stopping illegal immigration and securing the border. Once the primaries are over, you will see this issue mushroom into one of the defining issues of the 2008 elections. And if the recession that looks increasingly likely comes into play, the war in Iraq may slip further down the list of issues that will dominate this election.