How To Choose A Candidate

The year that we have all been waiting for has finally come -- the year for a new president, a new white house, a regime change. Many of the candidates gave me hope for a new America that would reinstate a sense of pride, an America that I could learn to love again.

While everyone knew that Dennis Kucinich had no chance of winning the ticket, his "radical" ideas of true democracy -- where all Americans would reap the benefits of the country's wealth -- gave a voice to issues that would have otherwise been ignored.

My candidate for the long run was John Edwards. Edwards who? Yes, the former running mate of John Kerry who the media has been sweeping under the rug. The same man who fought for labor and spoke openly against bad American foreign policy like NAFTA.

This leaves us with two candidates: Hilary and Barack. Will our next president be the first woman or first African American to hold the office? While that is all the media seems to talk about, I personally could care less about the gender or skin color of my president. On the other hand, I do think that life experience would be reflected in policy. After reading Obama's first book, Dreams From My Father, I was convinced that he was my candidate. His level of honesty and his work to help empower the disempowered left me feeling so inspired that I spent an afternoon volunteering for his campaign.

And then there is Clinton. The wife of the man who brought us NAFTA and who says that George H.W. Bush is like a father to him. The presidential candidate who has more support from lobbyists than any other, Democrat or Republican.

So it is disappointing for me to feel that not much in D.C. will be different after all is said and done. What I mean by this is that while I do live in a free, democratic society, I have a hunch that the outcome of the elections has already been decided. And Hilary is the Chosen One.

Who has decided? Not the people, but the media (i.e. reporting Clinton won Nevada, even though Obama earned more delegates), untouchable elites behind closed doors, and the paid hackers recalculating Diebold machine votes (i.e. the New Hampshire primary scam).

America, get ready for over two decades of the Bush-Clinton machine/dynasty/regime.