Who would have thought that when the 2008 Presidential Elections rolled around, we’d have such a clear choice: the past or the future.

Really, there’s no other way to think about it.

On one hand, you have the youngest candidate to ever run for the office of President of the United States. Barack Obama. Plus he’s the first black candidate nominated by a major American party. Plus he’s a liberal. Plus he’s only been as a senator for a few short years. Plus he’s one of the most amazingly powerful orators this country has ever seen. He’s exciting. He’s fresh. And every single one of his policies is a complete and distinct break from the present administration. You have a candidate whose decision to forego PAC and lobbyist money has in one day already changed the way the Democratic National Committee operates.

On the other hand you’ve got good ol’ John McCain. A man I supported back in 2000 when the Republican primaries were happening, when we were all looking for the person to take control after Bill Clinton. If elected he would be the oldest first-term President in US history. His viewpoints continue to push the status quo on Iraq, on taxes, on the treatment of Americans in comparison to corporations. He’s sided with Bush’s policies 95% of the time during the last year and his speeches are rarely rousing and typically full of gaffes.

Obama draws 30,000+ people to his speeches. McCain is lucky to get 300.

Generation Confidence Lost

This generation is full of vaoters who have grown up during the Bush administration, full of mistakes, full of lies, with its continued lack of information and repeated attempts to fool the American public.

George W. Bush may very well go down as the worst President in U.S. history. I never thought this would be the case. I never thought he was *that* bad, but as time progresses, it becomes more and more apparent that this man is reviled. No one trusts him. No one likes him. If people believe he’s truthful, it’s only because he’s not smart enough to know better. His lies don’t appear to come from a Richard Nixon-esque desire to withhold the truth, but rather a completely naive inability to discern fact from fiction and admit when he’s been wrong.

John McCain, for some odd reason, is trying to follow in this man’s footsteps. He’s taken Bush’s endorsement with verve. He’s stood by Bush’s decisions with the War in Iraq. For someone who was a POW, who you might assume would abhor war, McCain is the hawkiest of hawks.

He’s a man that’s admitted to having no economic plan and will rely on others for those decisions. People who are smarter than him. In speeches and public appearances, he continues to spout off soundbytes rather than say anything of substance. Almost like a broken record or an AIM chat-bot that’s only programmed to make certain replies to certain stimuli, John McCain doesn’t seem able to think on his feet any longer.

In his defense, he’s had a hard few months campaign…wait, no he hasn’t! McCain has been the presumptive nominee for nearly 4 months now! While Ron Paul has been taking a chunk out of McCains numbers recently, McCain has been able to just coast by with no concerns. Which means that he should be on his game. He should be the best he can be. He should be able to argue with the best of them, to clearly state his ideas and policies and to most of all, not resort to Bush-style pat sound bytes that mean little to nothing.

Maybe he should have figured out his stance on things during his down-period? Young voters are ready for a change. There’s no confidence in our current leaders. Only disdain.

Si Se Puede!

Spanish for “Yes We Can!” and while it may be co-opted from labor rights leader Ceasar Chavez, Obama’s used it to great effect. Because this new generation, who has dealt with the hardships of a President Bush and the oddness of a conservative party that continues to grow government larger than it’s ever been, the thought of “we” sounds amazing.

Remember “we?” I do. As in “We the people…” As in “we” run the government, not vice versa.

Americans are realizing once again that America is ran by a government by the people and for the people. Not a government hellbent on controlling our morality, our decisions, our phone conversations, what we do with our bodies, or what we can buy. There was a time when conservatives were the party of small government and individual rights. This is gone.

The Democratic Party, as hard as it is to believe, has taken over many of these mantles. Barack Obama has continually gone out of his way to push corporate money aside, by cutting ties with lobbyists and PACs. By emphatically stating he will remove tax benefits for corporations that take jobs out of America.

Can you even imagine? Does it stifle the free market? Not if you consider smaller, American grown companies actually having a chance in hell to succeed the choking capitalism.

Side by Side, There’s No Contest

So when you tell me Yes We can! I WANT to believe it. I want to believe in the “we” of the American people. I want to believe that corporations can be socially conscious and still profitable.

I want to believe that our government understands the need to help out the companies who don’t want to kill all competition and have a desire to keep Americans employed.

I want to believe we can come together and make a better country. So, Yes We Can as a slogan works absolutely for me and lots of other Americans.

In the coming weeks and months, we’re going to see John McCain and Barack Obama stand side by side. We’re going to hear their opinions on government and how to run the country, side by side. We’re going to see their ability to state a message that resonates with an audience side by side.

And we’re going to see the old guard versus the new guard side by side.

The oldest candidate ever, who wants more of the same. The youngest candidate, who represents a total and complete change from the way things have been working in our country. Barack Obama is a rockstar and he’s one that instills hope and promises change.

Can he accomplish all of the changes he wants? No. Of course not. A guy who wants changes will make changes happen. Even if it’s only half of what he’s trying to achieve. Compare that to someone who’s more interested in keeping things the same. What sort of change and movement into the future do we get with a John McCain?

The excitement Obama creates will permeate our society, it will change our social consciousness. We will be an America moving forward, whether we want to or not.

Barack Obama is the future. And I for one am damn ready for my flying car!