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That’s the status of the presidential election, fresh off the Republican National Conven-tion in St. Paul, Minn., last week.
With great fanfare and much celebration, the Republicans formally nominated Arizona Sen. John McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to lead their ticket.
A week earlier in Denver, the Democratic Party rallied with great enthusiasm on behalf of Illinois Sen. Barrack Obama and Delaware Sen. Joe Biden.
So the match-ups are finally officially in place: a young, vibrant, telegenic Democrat who preaches change facing an older, well-worn political (and military) veteran who preaches leadership.
And that’s just at the top of the ticket.
The VP match-up is equally compelling, maybe even more so.
Palin’s surprising emergence onto the national scene from Alaskan obscurity contrasted against Biden’s familiar face and virtual lifetime of Senate experience.
Could the presidential race be any more interesting?
Could the match-ups be any more compelling and dynamic?
We think not.
It’s been a long time (and never is a very long time) since we’ve seen a presidential campaign such as this.
The compelling and appealing elements with both tickets go on and on:
nObama represents our first real chance at electing a black president, and he is something of an irrepressible force as an orator.
nMcCain can’t match Obama on the personality meter, but he fashions himself as a political maverick. And his well-documented POW history provides instant and real respect and admiration from both sides.
nBiden has a unique experience of being elected to the U.S. Senate at age 29 and then immediately losing his wife and a child in a fatal car crash. He’s hailed as one of the nation’s experts on matters of foreign policy.
nPalin is the GOP’s first female candidate in the VP position, and thus represents history in the making. She has limited experience, serving just two years as governor in a small-population state. But still Palin has quickly energized the Republican faithful. She’s young, conservative and has brought new energy to McCain’s campaign.
The conventions are behind us now, leaving only the “let’s really get to know the candidates” phase between now and the Nov. 4 election.
Take the time to get involved in this presidential race, and even enjoy it. We’ll all be making history, one way or the other.
