Priorities. What's really important?
- Life. This is why global warming is the defining issue of our time and the one which I would be willing to give up liberty for. It has the potential to kill billions of people, not to mention other species (many of whom would go extinct.)
This is probably also why healthcare is so important to so many of us.
This is certainly also why the Iraq war is a crucial issue to most people here.
- Liberty. This is why Constitutional issues are so important to people here. This is why FISA is a make-or-break issue for some of us: the right to not be spied on by the government unless there's a really good reason is an important part of liberty.
This is also when endless detention without trial, Guantanamo, etc. are the key things which have caused the world to detest the US.
- The pursuit of happiness. For most of us, gas prices, mass transit, etc. fall in this category. This is also related to healthcare.
What does all this have to do with Obama? Good question. To me, he seems very solid on the "pursuit of happiness" issues. Pretty decent, with gaps, on the "life" issues. And merely tolerable on the "liberty" issues....
I think politically, those priorities are wrong. Currently people are back to thinking about life and liberty. Desperate times.
Obviously, McCain is wrong on all three counts, being largely in favor of death and imprisonment, and having a very cramped view of the pursuit of happiness (cash).