The 2008 United States presidential election, scheduled to be held on November 4, 2008, will be the 55th consecutive quadrennial election for presient and vice preisdent of the U.S. There will also be elections helf for all 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and elections for 34 members of the Senate.

Whats the big deal? Well--basically it means that we have the chance to make some big changes in the political arena, restructure the system of checks and balances, mitigate the damage done in Iraq, or reform social security to a degree of sustainability. It also means that we have the chance to uphold our self-fulfilling prophesy toward a downward spiral of coverup and corruption.

Ok--optimism is inherent in my blood, however, when it comes to U.S. politics I begin to exhibit extremely skeptical and cynical tendencies. When the search for our nation's commander in cheif succumbs to an all out guerilla warfare PR campaign, people need to care enough to look at the big picture.

A little about my poitical leanings:

Basically, i'm a Libertarian who values voluntary collectivism and freedom of information. I believe strongly in individual rights as long as they don't infringe on anybody else. Both an economic dimension and a social dimension are important factors for a proper political analysis. By adding the social dimension you can show that Stalin was an authoritarian leftist (ie the state is more important than the individual) and that Gandhi, believing in the supreme value of each individual, is a liberal leftist. While the former involves state-imposed arbitary collectivism in the extreme top left, on the extreme bottom left is voluntary collectivism at regional level, with no state involved.

The chart also makes clear that, despite popular perceptions, the opposite of fascism is not communism but anarchism (ie liberal socialism), and that the opposite of communism ( i.e. an entirely state-planned economy) is neo-liberalism (i.e. extreme deregulated economy) I really encourage everyone to get to know themselves a little better and sort through their political beliefs. A good online quiz: http://www.politicalcompass.org/test -- it won't necessarily tell you your political affiliation, but it helps you to think about major issues in a less direct sense.

There are several reasons why this election is very different from any other:
1) This is the first election without incumbents in the primaries since 1928
2) There are literally over 20 people running
3) There are so many seats up for election in the House and Senate as well
4) There is less than a 30% approval rating for our current president
5) Democrats are finally beginning to define their issues
6) The two top runners of the Democratic party is a woman and an african american

My view regarding the commander in chief: The role of a commander in chief/president/leader in society is to collectively organize, empower, manage, and motivate your team. No one can expect the presidential-elect to be the all knowing, all seeing rightness in the world. No one is divine, no one is immortal; a politically diverse political body is essential, in these times checks and balances is the only way to ensure integrity--our forefathers knew this. Our president should realize his strengths and his weaknesses and have a network of capable specialized individuals in which, to build his cabinet. He should be, if nothing else, an effective communicator--efficient in receiving input objectively and presenting actions openly.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever does." - M. Mead

--Jess