Generations

If the man recalled correctly what he'd heard, presumptive Republican nominee John McCain was a few years younger than his father. (The man was himself five or six years shy of presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama's age. An interesting coincidence, certainly, but nothing more.)

The man imagined the reason his dad likely would vote for McCain in November was not so much due to an age connection, or even a disdain of the younger generation. His dad was a conservative, and thus had to cast his ballot for the Republican candidate; McCain would be the only one of those two who approximated representing his father's political beliefs. (His father would not be voting for a third party; his dad's political beliefs didn't go that way.)

And although McCain was a hollow shell of his former political self, it occurred to the man that if he did get inaugurated the next January, McCain might not represent either the man or his father all that well. However, by the mere fact that McCain could speak in coherent sentences (not necessarily exciting, well-orated sentences, but coherent ones), and because the man and his father both spoke in generally coherent sentences, the Republican nominee would come closer than the bumbling nitwit who took over the desk in the Oval Office seven years previously.

McCain did have that going for him.

And if McCain did end up winning the election in November, the man was pretty sure it would be due to the fears of people, not because McCain energized conservatives.

The man didn't like thinking that. It suggested the worst in people, suggested that the lofty rhetoric of McCain's opponent would inspire only dread in significant percentage of voters; not dread because of the rhetoric but dread because of the way he looked and the spin on facts those who work for McCain (directly or indirectly) would almost certainly spread to inspire dread as the election neared.

However, his father would vote for McCain because that was what a conservative would do. It was not despicable. It had nothing to do with what Obama looked like, nor with any spin by pundits, merely with the side with which Obama had aligned himself.

But the man did not consider his father to be representative.

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Obama had a better chance of getting his father's vote than Hillary Clinton would have had. That much was certain.