One characteristic of this election that describes the whole situation is that no leader has surfaced in either the Republican or Democratic parties. On the Republican side, when you have different factions with conflicting goals, a leader looks for a way to bring everyone together. Ronald Reagan did this so effectively that he ended up bringing some Democrats on board. I see no evidence that McCain is trying to do this.
On the Democrat side, does anyone seriously think that Hillary has leadership qualities? Obama charms, obviously, but does he have leadership skills? I suspect not, because he does not exude gravitas, which I interpret as the seriousness needed for those situations where I have to leave my life in the President’s hands. That test he definitely fails.
I will vote for McCain, not because I want to, but because he is a much better alternative to the Democrat. I would much prefer a dark horse candidate nominated in the convention.
Finally, the end result of this election is that I identify much less with the Republican Party than before. I am looking for a new political home, and the Republicans and the Democrats are not it.
