On Optimism....and Hope

Okay. So we've ended up being more against Obama/Biden than for McCain/Palin in the majority of our posts. We're just trying to rally the undecideds in our teeny sphere of influence and I guess it sometimes seems easier to draw attention to Obama and Biden's negatives (because some of them are quite repulsive in my humble...and biased...opinion) than McCain and Palin's positives. Here's a positive post for the McCain/Palin team. This is a 2 minute clip of an interview with Chris Wallace. They talk about Palin and about the prospect of not winning the election.



McCain's perspective on losing the election - "Don't feel sorry for me....I'm the most fortunate person on earth." Perhaps an exaggeration, but throughout the clip, I was struck by the look in his eyes. His eyes had a hint of a smile throughout the interview. If not a smile, there was something optimistic...perhaps hopeful. I've seen that look before - in some of the best pediatric dentists I know (parents want to entrust their children to somebody optimistic when it comes to dental care).

I recognize that same gleam in Sarah Palin's eyes. It was a topic of conversation between Ian and myself early in Palin's selection as veep candidate. We noticed far more optimism in her than we ever saw in Hillary Clinton or Michelle Obama. And just think of how she's been responding to some of the pretty vicious attacks being made on her and her family. You gotta have some degree of optimism and positivity to stay mostly positive. I can't recall anything ungracious that she has said about the media in its coverage of her.

Overall, I see more optimism and hope in McCain's and Palin's eyes than I see in Obama's or Biden's eyes. And for me to draw any hope from a political leader, I have to believe that they are hopeful people, looking toward the future with the perspective of gratitude rather than pessimistic about the past or present. So on the idea of change and hope, my gut goes with McCain and Palin.

Clarice