Barack Obama is "fired up and ready" according to all of his stump speeches.   But what is the electorate so fired up about?  The media absolutely love Obama, Chris Matthews admits to being down right giddy. Clearly half of the Democrats love him, and apparently a good deal of independents at least like him. 
But why?  Obama is a smart guy, and he gives a very passionate speech.  But he has exhibited no substance whatsoever.  He simply will not articulate a position.  As I have mentioned before this is one of the most crucial elections in the nations history. Eighty million baby-boomers are about to retire and have been promised social security and medicare.  In all his wisdom President Bush decided to add to this thirty trillion dollar shortfall, by passing a prescription drug plan.  There are at least twelve million illegal immigrants in this country, many not paying social security, businesses are increasingly burdened under crushing health care costs, and about one quarter of the Muslim world appears bent on our destruction. 
So what say you Mr. Obama?
Let us take a look at this potential train wreck of a presidency.
On immigration he has taken every position and no  position.  Just like John McCain, Obama has shown that he has  no idea at all what the underlying problem is.  If we give amnesty to twelve million illegal immigrants, they will quickly be twelve million citizens without jobs.  Let me make this clear so that all of the politicians can finally understand why we have illegal immigration. Businesses hire illegal immigrants not because of lower wages, it is because they can skirt regulations. Illegal immigrants don't need get health insurance or unemployment insurance.  They usually don't pay social security or other federal taxes matched by employers.  Immigrants have a hard time filing suit for being mistreated on the job site.  They are cheaper to employ (much cheaper) not because of the dollar wages, but because expensive regulatory and tax burdens are skipped.  Obama in his website says the the burden of illegal immigration raids fell on immigrants families.  I have no idea what this means, and neither does he.
On Health Care.
Obama and Hillary both would like a national health care plan of some fashion.  National health care is an issue of access, not cost savings.  The only way a national health care plan can cut costs, (and thus help stimulate the economy) is if it is coupled with tort reform, and rationing. This is exactly what happens in every nation with national health care, and it is still always more expensive. With eighty million people coming in to the medicare system over the next twenty five years, we can't have national health care, that ship has sailed.  The candidates should be soley focused on saving medicare. 
On the terror threat.
Obama has said we need to talk to Iran.  This is bullshit. Talking is a great idea, but it isn't a policy.  What does he intend to talk about? Does Obama not understand the issue?  Iran wants to exert influence in the Middle East, and they would like the United States to get out of the way.  They would also apparently like to nuke Israel.   And what is Mr. Obama's position on Russia?  North Korea? Turkey and the Kurds, The missile defense shield?  Barack Obama has no foreign policy. He hopes to cover over the issue with flowery speeches about how rough he had it growing up, get your vote, and then make up the policy as he goes.  In today's world, I can't think of a more dangerous approach.  McCain and Hillary Clinton at least tell you what they want to do, and to some extent how they will go about it.  In Iraq Obama simply wants to go home. What that means he doesn't tell us.  Hillary Clinton does, she would use rapid response with a small contingent to hot spots. This is a perfectly valid and logical approach.  John McCain wants to stay the course and stabilize Iraq and the Middle East.  This is again, perfectly valid and logical. Obama, again, has no plan at all.
On the economy
Obama wants to spend more money, much more.  This much is clear.  But if I may digress a bit, we have about a thirty trillion dollar shortfall ahead of us, and the first bill arrived January 1.  My friends we are simply not going to tax the rich and have them pay their fair share to paper over this problem.  There isn't enough money available.  But even here Obama is not clear on exactly what he will do.

You need not take my word for anything.  Visit barackobama.com and look at his website, and listen to his speeches.  But you must listen with your brain, not with your heart.  I think it would do wonders for this country to have an African-American president.  Barack Obama cannot be that president. He is a slick politician, a smart man, and a great speech giver. He also has absolutely no idea what he wants to do when he becomes president. The only thing we can glean from his speeches and website is that he wants everyone to feel good.  That may be hard to do with chronic unemployment, no health care for our senior citizens, and social security cuts of fifty to sixty percent.  This is what we face, the math doesn't work any other way.  I don't think John McCain is much better, and Hillary Clinton is probably still to divisive to lead the nation, but let's give credit where it is due.  At least these two offer a position and take their hits.  Barack Obama just wants us to feel good.

I think the saddest part of this entire election is that the solutions are well documented. We have seen it done by Adenauer in post World War II Germany, and De Gaulle in France.  We have seen it done by Thatcher in England, and Roosevelt in The United States.

Here is what history tells us will work.
Liquidate the bad debt.
 That means some people will lose their homes. But it will stop the bubble and strengthen the economy.
Drastically lower business regulations, and I mean drastically.
This will stimulate the economy and we will see GDP growth approaching double digits.  This will help pay for social security and medicare for the next twenty-five to thirty years. 
Cut government spending by twenty percent. 
Coupled with a growth in revenues from an expanding economy this will allow us to pay down a large portion of the debt over the next ten years.
Strengthen the rule of law by protecting private property rights and enforcing contract law.
Free market capitalism cannot function without the rule of law.
Strengthen the social safety net to truly protect the middle class.
We need to give the poor what they need to survive, we are not obligated to make them comfortable.  If you want to see this nation ripped apart at the seems, violently, then cut the safety net from under the feet of the very people who have paid for it for the last fifty years.  Benefits must be cut for the non-working poor.  If the economy slips in to a deep recession, we must offer the same protection to the middle class that we have offered to the poor for decades.  They have earned it and deserve it.
Stop complaining about social issues.
Gays are not ruining this country.  They are just like you and I. A group of idiots in San Francisco doesn't reflect the entire gay population any more than the KKK reflects the white population.  Affirmative action is not ruining this country. Technology has made gun control an issue of the 1960's not the twenty first century. It is time to focus on the truly important issues facing this country.   They are serious, potentially devastating, and relatively easy to fix, if we follow learn from the past.

And most importantly!
Don't vote for people who will not tell you what they are going to do.  If Chris Matthews just wants a good looking president he can vote for Britanny Spears, I think substance is more important.