Is there an option for None of the Above?

Over the last six months, I have watched and read almost everything I can find about both of the final nominees for the Presidency. I am dissatisfied with both choices and am uninclined to vote for any of the minor party candidates.

Here are the considerations that have kept me in this position.


John McCain - I admire his service in Vietnam and mostly his service in the Congress. While there have been notable times when I have disagreed with his positions on issues, I believe he has attempted to be a creative member of both houses. Early in his career he exercised some bad judgment in relation to the Savings and Loan debacle, but I believe he learned from his mistakes. His positions on health care and immigration are creative and IMHO much better than his opponents.

I am concerned about his seeming ability to go off on his own. One of the errors of the current president was his inability to consider alternative points of view. In this era, as Fareed Zakaria has suggested the President needs to work with allies and build them. While I think he would be better than the current incumbent at that task, I wonder how much better. But based on his experience in the Senate, where he has shown some capabilities to work across the aisles, he could be good at his job.

I am impressed with his key economic advisor, whose academic writings are impressive. Some of the proposals espoused by McCain are truly creative. However, I am concerned that for those, McCain has been unable to explain them clearly - I sense a lack of commitment to some very good ideas. Unfortunately, I thought the outlines of his housing proposal were poorly thought out. There is a developing body of literature on the housing crisis that suggests some possible changes in mortgage structures, which in the most charitable sense could have been the basis for his proposal in the second debate - but from my perspective he either threw the grand proposal out in desperation or was unable to explain the details of his proposal in the debate.

I have not been impressed that McCain has the ability to motivate the American people. His debate performances were adequate and no more. While I think he is a decent guy, I am not sure his ability to talk to us, is up to the standard required.

Barrack Obama - I am bothered by a non-existent legislative record. When one votes present on a major issue it is a sure sign of political maneuver and Senator Obama has voted present a lot. Were he not a candidate for president he would be considered an empty suit. In neither his service in the Illinois legislature nor the US Senate has he proposed or advanced a single legislative proposal of substance. Indeed, one cannot see any efforts at real leadership beyond the standard nostrums of his party.
His proposals for Social Security are absurd on their face. Whoever thought of the notch (taxing wages above $250k but exempting those between the current limit and $250K demonstrates little knowledge of the ability of higher income wage earners to time their income). I am also bothered by his other tax proposals, which I think would put the US tax system, which has one of the highest rate systems for corporate taxes and one of the most complicated systems for individual taxpayers, further away from the rest of the world. His health proposal was an improvement over Hillary care. Obama, in my knowledge has a couple of characteristics about his legislative record. First, like some politicians on the move, he has shown a disturbing propensity to duck tough votes (by voting present). Second, I cannot think of a single instance where he has taken a leadership role on a major legislative issue.

I am very concerned that Senator Obama has some very negative ties to people and ideas. His links to the Reverend Wright, Tony Rezko and Bill Ayers, while individually could be explained, in sum total represent some ominous clouds on his horizon. Indeed, to be friends with a racist preacher, convicted felon and radical, by themselves should not be dispositive - but their cumulative effect is troubling.

Senator Obama exhibits an almost naive understanding of the complex relationships in the world. His response to the Georgian crisis showed an inability to react to negative events in a realistic manner.

I am impressed with his key economic advisor. While I disagree with some of his scholarly work, I think he would help to guide the economy in some substantive and positive ways.

Senator Obama has at least the outlines of an inspirational figure. His rhetoric seems to move many people. But I look at the great speechmakers of the past and wonder whether he would be more like Kennedy (who gave great speeches but accomplished little) or Reagan (who gave great speeches and seemed to accomplish a lot). I also believe that electing the first Black president could help to continue toward racial reconciliation.

I probably would move more closely with the vision of the future that McCain offers in terms of policies I care about but I am not convinced that he could be successful in what looks like an increasing democrat majority in both houses of congress. At the same time I am ever cautious about having a unified government. The perils of that were well proven in the first two years of Clinton or the first several of W. In the end I keep coming back to two comparisons. Is Senator McCain a new figure or is he W3? Is Senator Obama a new figure with great new ideas or is he Carter2. Neither of those choices is appealing.