Byron's Blog

Anonymous has a prediction about the Presidential race and says John McCain will win the election after he emerges unscathed from the Republican primary process, while the Democrats scratch, claw, fracture their party then self-destruct.

President John McCain

by Anonymous

Whew! That was almost too close for comfort, but luckily for America, the Democrats have done it to themselves again. They've managed to alienate reasonable thinking people who are not enthusiastic about tax increases and a bloated, big spending government. No matter what happens on super Tuesday and no matter which of the two leading Democrats emerges, the fact is that the party has ravaged itself and will chose a candidate who is politically battered. That person will be scuffed up, worn down and too far left of center to win the general election.

The person who raises a right hand to take the Presidential Oath of Office January 2009 will be John McCain. Thank goodness for that. He has demonstrated leadership, he has experience, he has the authority to be the Commander in Chief. He is the only person in the field who's actually seen combat and he will become President at a time when America must have a leader who operates on strategic imperatives, not catchy campaign slogans.

Now a reminder about Barack Obama. He's a junior Senator who has probably spent more time asking for money than actually helping to run the government. His experience dealing with tough, gritty and messy international matters: zero. The job of U.S. President is not an on-the-job-training type of position. It takes someone who has gone head-to-head with global thugs and won those battles. Senator Obama promises to bring home the troops and every American wants that, but his message misses some critically important realities.

Speak with actual military personnel about the nature of the conflict and they will tell you that America is fighting a movement. It would be lovely to believe there's going to be a neat, simple solution that brings home the troops in this-or-that many days. That's not what's going to happen. The head of the military counterinsurgency center says the fight against Al-Qaeda may take a decade. Do you believe him, or Barack Obama? I'm going with the Colonel.

Hillary's not too far from where Senator Obama stands on this -- one more reason to be thankful that John McCain will defeat her in a general election. She's declared that the war will end under her watch, but the truth is, it will not. Yes, it's unfortunate that President Bush decided to invade Iraq. Anonymous believes the justification for the attack was unfounded, but there is no way to undo what has already been done and now the best way to address the conflict is to accept the reality that the fight will not be easy.

Then there's that economic thing -- you know, how it's contracting and how both Senators Obama and Clinton say, now's the time for a tax increase. If you want to expand an economy you cut taxes. Oh, but theirs targets only those handful of rich people who really do not need the money. Number one, do you believe that the tax increase will stop there? Hardly, but even if it does, it still will have a dampening effect on an already sluggish economy. Not wise, but that's their answer.

Oh, but the increase will pay for universal health care. Sure it will, because their estimates on cost are rock solid and accurate, the same as all other government predictions on spending. Any person who has spent even a semester in business school will inform you that, a tax increase will cause the people who are affected by it to adjust their holdings, portfolios and investments to mitigate the increase, so inevitably the best guess about how much money the government expects to generate from a tax increase will fall short.

President McCain will not increase taxes. He's apparently had a conversation or two with an economist who's explained the relationship between investment, productivity and the correlation between the two. President McCain is for reduced taxes because he knows that productivity and economic growth cannot happen without investment. Wealthy Americans invest lots of money, which improves productivity and leads to more jobs. Middle Americans invest too and will also benefit tremendously from low tax rates. The key is to limit spending, a trick too many politicians have not learned.

Perhaps it's possible to pay for universal health care, by spending less on the panoply of other programs and projects that devour billions upon billions of your dollars every year. Not if you're a Democrat.

Mitt Romney is a worthy candidate, with the business acumen to understand how to improve the economy. He also has run a government so scores reasonably well on the experience front, but his credentials are not as impressive an Senator McCain's and sadly too many Americans are apprehensive about him based on religious prejudice. That's wrong. Judge the man on his own merits. Anonymous has and believes John McCain would make a better President.

John McCain will also fare better in the general election. The person who wins the race must win the political middle ground. While the Democrats have been busy carving up each other and positions left of center, the Republicans have been demonstrating their willingness to select a man who will easily appeal to the voting block that will determine the ultimate outcome, so breathe a sigh of relief. John McCain will reside in the White House and America will be better for it.