Nothing is certain in politics, but it does appear rather clear at this time that Senator Barack Obama is going to be running against McCain for president in the general election.

It also appears that the democratic party has been strongly favored as was Senator Hillary Clinton. So the wind is at the backs of the democrats but this does not mean that Barack Obama is guaranteed to win.

We, the voters know very little about who Obama is. I think that we know that he was raised by a white grandmother, mother of his mother. And although race was not to be a consideration, most people think Obama could be our first black president.

He preferred to run as a candidate not identified by race but this characteristic is one that has made him a unique candidate. America now has the opportunity to atone for the sins of our fathers. At first, it became a choice to be based on gender against race. It seems that we cannot have both. The youth sided on the side of youth and against the establishment.

Of course, Obama finds it difficult to separate himself from the core cultural sentiments of the black community that have developed in this country since slavery. Therefore some believe that this is political baggage that he's carrying. On the other hand many believe that we would be relieved from some of the guilt that we are carrying if he were elected.

At this point the election process within the democratic party has become one of accommodating itself to running a black candidate against a white man with strong family military credentials. Not running Obama would split the democratic party. The question now becomes one of whether Obama could win against American tradition and against McCain who represents that tradition?

It seems that Obama's popularity saves the party from making that decision. Now with the wind at the back of the democrats and Obama's popularity, Americans may be able to break away from old traditions. If they can, Obama is very likely to become our next president.

It is difficult to determine the type of president he will be once he's in the White House. We have never been able to predict how an elected president will function once in the Oval office. Getting elected is one thing, how events will influence the president and his reaction to these event is another.

We know that at the present time that Obama is for ending the war soon and McCain is for something else. We know that Obama is for a nationalized approach to health care while McCain is against that. Obama is for government involvement in many domestic problems while McCain, it seems is more for leaving most things, if not everything to the free market.  The policy difference are quite clear.   

The voters of this country have been rather evenly divided when it comes to parties. It is going to be as difficult to predict how it is going to tilt this time as it has been in the past. Today, many still think that Hillary is going to pull it off. But we don't know how that can be. So for the time being it still remains a 3-way race. I think that soon it will become a two man race.

As we are going to have a virtual election in Shorewood this year, it occurred to me that we might in essence create some challenging candidates.

At first I thought it would be appropriate to have two virtual candidates, but I believe one is more than I can handle at one time. Others might want to create their own challengers.

So here it goes. My virtual candidate's name is Joe Adams.  Joe is running on a three year plan, with an explanation of the first's years program of his three element plan. Now that you've been introduced to Mr. Adams, I'm going to ask him some questions to get him started.

Joe, what is your three year plan?

“One, I'm immediately going to try to get the Board started with a real plan for our rivier settings. And during the first year, get a plan and program started for a proper redevelopment of the restaurant and apartment site on the river.”

How are you going to get this underway?

“I'm going to push for public acquisition of these sites on my first day.”

“Another element of the plan is to establish a real two-element housing program, one for attracting young families with children and the other to develop affordable housing for people of lower income. We have to find how to do this practically and as soon as possible. Right now it's just talk.”

Isn't this difficult to do in a high income community like Shorewood?

“Yes, that is why I want to start with the existing housing stock, as I see this as the most practical approach, and that we can take immediately, then we'll look toward boradening the program. We should also look at how we can provide condos for young people as well as for the well-to-do.”

What about the third element of your three-year plan?

“There are a number of things that need to be done, but I'm going to work for a “closed-loop sewer system” that will reduce most of the sewer content into methane gas and reduce the amount of sewage.  

This will show how to produce energy out of a common waste and protect our lake water.  

I'm going to get scientists at UWM to work with us in Shorewood as to how to accomplish this by the year 2010. I believe very strongly that UWM is in a sense, a form of economic or industrial base for Shorewood, which I'd like to explain at another time.”

Mr. Adams, how do you expect that your programs and plans will get you elected?

“First of all, I think that the fact that I've proposed them makes them viable programs, and secondly, I want the incumbents to respond to these proposals and ask if they have any programs of their own and what they are?”

Thanks very much, Mr. Joe Adams, we shall be interviewing you further as time goes by, especially as you won't be able to attend the forums. Let's see if the incumbents will be answering your questions in the meantime.