I believe Santa Claus is Barack Obama.

I welcomed a comment today from a reader on a blog I wrote a while back about the political process in this election season.  I specifically noted my daughter who is studying AP Government with a wonderful teacher who will not reveal his political leanings so that all students will feel free to express their opinions.  As a result, she has developed a very good method for evaluating and questioning political facts put before her.  She will happily (gleefully) tell us when we miss the point or if we are wrong.

My daughter and I watched all of the debates together.  I read the news in print and online, she went to class and read the news online (print is so old-fashioned), and we both kept each other informed.

Following is the comment from a reader, and my response.  The commenter's name has been eliminated to protect her identity. 

***Your candidate is untested and we really know very little about him except for the details of his personal life.  A vote for him is a vote in the dark.

And my response:

***I appreciate your point of view (-protected identity-) but after weighing all the options of each candidate (and their running mates) I have no fear in voting for Obama.  For years I said that if I were to leave my Democratic base I would strongly consider John McCain since until recent years he has been so solid and sensible but I don't believe he has what our country needs now.  Choosing Sarah Palin was the last straw.  As someone recently commented in a political discussion about her, she is dumb and arrogant, a very dangerous combination.  We DON'T know if she would ever be called upon to assume the presidency but I DO know that if Joe Biden were called upon, we could rest easy.  With Sarah Palin....no comment.  I say give the "new guy" Barack Obama, with education, Washington experience, and a straight-laced family a chance.  The negative ads?  Read the fine print.  If you want to, you will see the truth. 

P.S.  My husband was laid off from his job yesterday after 20 years of exemplary service with the same automotive firm.  We have moved several times for his company, including internationally.  He has held positions in multiple departments and was doing the work of 3 employees, about to take on the work of a 4th employee when he was hit yesterday.  Three months ago he received an excellent performance review and a raise.  His department was growing, profitable, well-funded.   He is 53 years old, 1.5 years from eligibility for 1/2 pension.  I am quite sure that the CEOs of both Ford and Visteon made handsome salaries and welcomed many additional perks during the time of his employment and during these last few years of downsizing.  We are not in the $5,000,000 middle class that John McCain talks about.  (We know how many homes we own - one, sort of, via mortgage - and cars, total: one 2007 Mercury Mariner - minimally equipped and bought as a demo, one 1999 Ford Taurus, one 1987 Ford Tempo.)  We are not even the $250,000 "Joe the plumber" that John McCain talks about.  Just like Christmas morning, I prefer to be surprised and delighted with the unknown.  The unknown/untested is Barack Obama.  I believe it beats the known of John McCain - you cannot teach an old dog new tricks.  We know all of his tricks.

John McCain pulled out of Michigan because he has no solution for the problems that plague us.  Michigan embodies the problems that plague the USA, magnified.  Seriously degraded manufacturing facilities due to outsourcing.  Leader in unemployment since 2006.  Foreclosures, bankruptcies, no health care for unemployed workers.  As one comic said in his routine recently (it was not funny really), the guy with 18 houses versus the guy with one house - who do YOU relate more to?  Who is more likely to understand YOUR position and the positon of most people in the USA?  Remember THAT in the voting booth.

*****Now that my husband is unemployed and our financial future is threatened, can I get a bailout?  Hmmmm, I thought not.  I recently took a part-time job to keep me alive in real estate.  If I take a third job I'd be "uniquely American" by President Bush's standards.  No thank you, despite your kind words.