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The Choice Between Obama and Clinton |
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Written by Michael Hamel
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Friday, 08 February 2008 |
Those who are looking for a major policy shift in the US have been given two choices, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Interestingly there is no clear winner just yet, and even more interesting, we’re hearing more and more about people who can’t seem to make a choice between the two candidates.
The question is, is there really any difference between Hillary and Barack? I think the answer is, very little. Of those small differences, there is an even larger question surrounding whether any of their differences matter, given that their grand plans must pass through the legislature. There are two key distinctions that I see, Hillary wants to make health insurance mandatory, while Barack prefers choice, the plans are otherwise very similar. The other difference is their stance on the war, while both candidates have very similar plans; Hillary hopes to have troops out in 12 months, while Barack is committed to having troops out in 18 months.
Truthfully, I believe their policy differences are so minimal that it comes down to style, in the political sense of the word. While they have nearly identical policy platforms, Barack is certainly seen as the candidate for change, he seems to have an ability to inspire that other candidates lack. At the same time, Hillary seems to have a knack for Washington politics, she understands the system and how to make things happen. It could come down to whether you hope or expect things to happen based on an inspired public, or you hope or expect things to happen based on a president who understands the system.
I must admit that I cannot determine for myself which is the better approach, I wish you luck in navigating the primary waters, and I welcome your comments in the publictruth.org forums.
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