I dont like talking politics either, and not sure of this.  McCain seems to be an extension of the Bush administration.  By his own admittance during interviews, he does not seem to have a handle on the economy or the real estate market.  Obama on the other hand, has zero experience and I feel if he is elected, we are going to be in worse shape than we are now.  I am amazed that he has gotten as far as he has, don't people recognize a politician when they hear them?  He is a smooth talker, that is all.  Hillary on the other hand, at least has 8 years in the White House.  There are alot of people who dislike the Clintons, but in all fairness, the economy was great when Bill was in office.  I am not sure this country is ready for a woman however.  I am not fond of any of the candidates, but in my opinion, I think Hillary will do more for our housing and mortage issues.  I am watching all their interviews, the only thing I can say for sure, is that Obama is arrogant and is making empty promises!  To me, its either Clinton or McCain.    

Well, I guess I'm not too pleased with any of the candidates.  I think that anybody who isn't pro-life doesn't have my values and won't stand for what I think is important.  Protecting the unborn is a basic core value - one that I look for in a President.

Ok... I was asked to weigh in and honestly I don't know if I can bring muchto this conversation. I have not really heard much from any of these canidates as to what they actually PLAN to do. They all stand for a better economy, a finality to the war in Iraq, lowering energy costs and fixing the real estate market. But none of them seem to really have a plan.

Added is the drama of the Democrats, with Hillary and Obama dogging each other and McCain just sitting around. It is exciting to watch, but for the most part it is nothing more than watching one of these teen actress train wrecks.. it's just entertainment right now with no substance.

The problem isn't the politicians... its us everyday people. We have somehow bought into the notion that the President has this ultimate power to either fix it all or break it all. That's not the case. The President is the public face to our Nation. He (or she) will be the one that has veto power, power to appoint other people in pretty big places, and the ability to begin (or end) a war. But in all reality, a President doesn't fix the economy. They don't raise taxes. They don't fight the war.

The real power comes with the Senate and the House, and as much as we all hate it, the Lobbyists. But as Americans we have continued to permit those in the House and Senate to do as they damn well please, take the Lobbyist money and not hold them accountable. We have bought into a "2 Party System" too much and now we don't care if the official we are electing is full of crap or not, we care which party wins the House.

With all that said, here is my take on the Presidential canidates we have before us...

McCain right now is coming off as dumb. Not because I think he is unintelligent... I think he is very smart. But he already has the nomination for the Republicans and while they are still trying to figure out which way is up, he could being gaining tremendous momentum and get a solid head start. He can actually begin talking about real issues and real solutions. With the Dems so busy slinging mud at each other, he can make them both come off looking silly... but yet he sits and waits. And while he waits, the entire spotlight is on the Dems.

Hillary makes me nervous. I have been in an airplane and flown from the East Coast to the West Coast... but that does not make me a pilot. Yes, Hillary lived in the White House... but that don't make her a President. If she was really all that into what was going on, don't you think she'd had known who was under the President's desk in that Oval Office? Hillary comes off as the worst option for me as I really think she is so ANTI-REPUBLICAN that no matter what the idea is, the source of the idea will get it shot down. She also plays real politics. She has been around long enough to know how dirty politics can get and I doubt she has any problem getting dirty when it suits her agenda.

Obama is an anomoly. He is charasmatic, speaks very intelligently and is inspiring. Of course he has also sat at the foot of a very prejudiced pastor, has little real experience and just like Hillary has yet to really address any issues. Sure, he names issues... we all do. But he doesn't address any solutions either.

My hope is that whomever takes the White House messes up so badly that we actually have a real politcal revolution and change politics as we know it. I am still waiting for someone to step up and answer the call to a very famous line once spoken before... "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your Country." I don't think we've seen a canidate recently that even comes close to this.

And that's my 2 cents. Refunds not accepted.

For my comments on what the issues are for the candidates as it relate to the housing industry, see my blog at

http://activerain.com/blogsview/446261/Summary-of-Presidential-Candidates

I won't bother to comment on what the other people responding to your request said. I disagree strongly with too much of it.

However, people need to stop saying that there have not been specific solutions proposed by the candidates, unless they have gone out and looked, checked all of their websites and press, and gotten beyond the media, and the personal attacks they have on each other claiming that Obama, or Clinton don't have specifics.

My blog above has some specific ideas that the candidates have.

Oh, and I love politics.

I'm not sure I'm all that interested in the political opinions of people in the real estate and mortgage industry.

Adam, I'm with you, I love the political process.   I love explaining to my sons the way it works, the checks and balances, the reason that our founding fathers made it hard for any one person to get anything done. 

This year has been a blast, and I am thoroughly enjoying watching the games and the spin.  Sorry, for those of you that just want the facts, but you really should read some history.  This is nothing new, go back to 1800 and see what Thomas Jefferson and John Adams did to each other.  This is democracy folks.

Real Estate Professionals for John McCain

Now, of course I have opinions on who should be President.  John McCain in my humble opinion, and for those that think that's an easy call since the other two bone-heads are making such fools of themselves.  I chose John McCain back in October before he was the heir apparant and actually looked like he wouldn't even get out of the blocks.

I want a hero as President.  I want someone I can look up to as President.  He may not be able to accomplish a lot more, see above for why that's a 230 year old phenomenon, but he will look and act in a way that I can be proud of. 

I want a President that doesn't make remarks about the economy and the housing crisis and say, "The problem with the economy is....we built too many houses."  And if you want an honest opinion, I think the only reason that the bank owned properties/short sales are being addressed by congress with a proposed tax break is help the banks move the inventory.  God forbid a bank, or a corporate investor not be bailed out.  Meanwhile, there are still people in New Orleans who are homeless or living in a FEMA trailer.

I am not impressed with our choices with regard to where we are as a Country right now.  I admire John McCain as an American hero as well, but he has completely started pandering to Conservative crowd.  He almost seems uncomfortable in his own skin nowadays.  I admire Hillary and Obama too....but don't hear many solutions from anyone.

Maybe we need to move to a nationwide, one day primary.  Instead of the candidates that can slug it out the best, or raise more money to hang in there...we may just get a candidate that has the best ideas to help the citizens of this country.  And corporate contributions wouldn't mean nearly as much as they do now.

Chris,

I agree, a nationwide one day primary would be great!  None of this drag it out, bash bash bash others, and compete with corporation money.  Unfortunately I think most can agree that neither of the candidates are great or neither stand out far superior to others, but one will eventually win.  I guess what me may need to do is fight this through on our own and hope that in FOUR YEARS...someone better will come along.  Though, who knows maybe something good will come from the change in office?

Ryan - I'm not thrilled with any of them.  I will say that the country was in relatively good shape under the Clinton administration.  I also don't want four more years of the status quo.  I liked McCain 4 years ago, but he seems to have sold out to the party line to get the nomination. As far as Obama goes, I'm not sure who he really is.  I can't believe that he didn't have some inkling of his pastor's views and yet he stayed with him for 20 years.  I would love to feel really excited about one of the choices.

I must say, Obama may never DO a single thing to improve the economy or in particular the real estate market BUT having his personality in office will improve consumer confidence, improved consumer confidence improves spending (on things like houses!), improved consumer spending improves the economy, creating new jobs...

It seems fairly simplistic but look back to Clinton coming into office: enconomy bad, clinton talks about improving the economy, promises nationwide healthcare. Clinton does: not all that much. Result: one of the best economic times in US history. Why? People loved him and he sold them on the idea he was going to improve the economy, and the bought it

I am only confident of one thing when it comes to the presidential race. There are no good candidates, and whoever is finally elected will rpbably do no more than the present administration. If somehow we get a democratic president, then things will probably slow even more for the next year, while they do battle with the existing status quo.

I agree with Mike Slager.  The most effective power a president has is the power to persuade --persuade Congress, persuade the American people.  One of my least favorite people, Bill Clinton, did, as Mike said, instill confidence in the American people.  Of the remaining two candidates, McCain may deserve our undying gratitude and respect, but he puts me to sleep.  His military record is inspiring, but his poltical demeaner is just plain weird.  He seems to vote his conscience, but I'm not sure how many of his colleagues he has persuaded to come along with him on his votes.

Obama may be able to persuade and inspire Americans in  a way that will energize our economy, and, to some extent, the housing industry.  Overall, the housing problem is the result of Bill, Hillary, George W, and me, along with millions of other baby boomers.  We were an abnormally large group of homebuyers 25-30 years ago.  Now we are an abnormally large group of homesellers.  The only thing that can be done about the demographics is to make a lot more thirty year olds with kids.  Problem is that it takes about thirty years for that solution.  To do it faster, we need to import them, and the political climate should change a little in that direction with either candidate.  They both have reasonable ideas about the undocumented immigrant situation.

How could things be any slower in the coming year than they are now?