http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122687265152531765.html
Monday, November 17, 2008
Ex-Rivals Stand to Gain From Meeting
My article discusses the details of Senator McCain and President Elect Obama meeting again and having to deal with each other on today's important issues. I found this article very interesting because it dealt with topics of interest and conflict that could only be thought about after the election; neither candidate was planning how they would have to deal with each other once the election was over. Although it was obviously not outlined in the presidential race, Obama and McCain do support each other on many issues, as do many member of Obama's cabinet, and with McCain's political influence stronger than ever they will need him to win important Republican votes in the Senate. I think at this point the unfriendly relationship between McCain and Obama puts Obama in a much worse situation. The article points out that it could be extremely damaging to Obama to have McCain as a critic during the first few months of his presidency. Although Obama won the election, it is as if McCain has more influence over him than ever. This creates a completely different dynamic between the two and it will be interesting to see how Obama deals with it (becuase it is, after all, up to him to deal with it).
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122687265152531765.html
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122687265152531765.html
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3 comments:
I agree that Obama and McCain are probably not on the best of terms with each other right now, but how can you blaim them? I do not think it is very practical for candidates to have to worry about first and foremost defeating their opponent, but also doing it in a way so that afterwards the candidates can still be friends. I think that every time one opponenet wins an election he will not be on good terms with his opponent based on things that were said in negative campaign ads, attacks made in the debates, and in this case the constant linking of McCain to George Bush. Even though Obama was not too worried about what McCain thought of him during the election, McCain was not exactly nice to Obama either. I think that as politicians they should understand that this is how things work, and both candidates should try to put it behind them in order to work together in the future. If McCain wants to continue to be a force on the national political scene he will have no choice but to deal with Obama, seeing as he is the president. Also, I do not even think it is that crucial for Obama to "win important Republican votes in the Senate" because the Democrats have such a majority in both houses of Congress right now. I think that as long as Obama does not do anything that disagrees with every single Republican then he really does not need to worry about swaying McCain all that much.
It is plain to see that President-elect Obama and Sen. McCain are not on the best of terms. Yes, they both endured a very long and hard-fought campaign and yes, they both made negative remarks about each other, but I believe that McCain will work with Obama on many issues. I don't think McCain will ever warm up to Obama, but they will collaborate on professional terms to solve many pressing issues. Since the republicans lost so many seats in Congress this election, McCain will need to support Obama if he intends to have any influence whatsoever. The public is not very fond of the republican administration right now, and as a result the republicans will need to work with democrats in order to salvage their popularity.
My feelings on this article are that both will overcome the differences and unite when the new administration takes office. Both Senator McCain and President Elect Obama have the best interest of the country at the front of both agendas. I do think both candidates really wanted to turn the country around, and I think that McCain will not be a critic unless Obama goes against some of the core policies he beleives in, but it will take time before McCain feels comfortable publicly calling out President Obama. He might even fear being called bitter by his opponents, fellow republicans, and of course the media.
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