With Pluto making its final swing through Sagittarius where it has transformed (Pluto) all aspects of the way we construct our theology of the meaning of life (Sagittarius), Obama and McCain joined televangelist Rick Warren for what may be the first of its kind forum for US Presidential candidates.  The fact that candidates feel it is important to share their faith with the country is an unusual development in itself, as this has not in the past been a highlight of Presidential campaigns.  John F Kennedy, famously the first Catholic candidate, minimized the importance of faith in his campaign.  Even Ronald Reagan, darling of the Religious Right, rarely attended church before he was in the White House, during or afterwards, though privately he was said to be devout in his adherence to the Bible.

Reading the candidate’s answers to the questions posed about issues like abortion and faith and the responses in the news from left-wing and right-wing media, I draw this conclusion:  Those on the right side of the aisle prefer a black and white approach to life, while those on the left prefer shades of gray and nuance.  Left-wing bloggers criticized McCain’s pat and rehearsed responses to pastor Rick Warren’s questions, while those on the right admired his clear and concise answers.  Conservative writers found Obama’s answers confusing and evasive, while more liberal writers extolled the virtues of his thoughtful and considered approach to the issues.

I’ll step out on a limb here and suggest that those with more conservative views are more security-minded and dislike change, so the lack of a strong stance that’s rooted in established tradition might be frightening.  On the other hand, more liberal thinkers would have a greater tolerance for the unknown, and in fact a greater enthusiasm for change and something new that requires consideration and deliberation in order to come to an intelligent conclusion.  Some viewers even said Obama was “too thoughtful.” 

As astrologers, we often see the more extreme ideologies when there are inner conflicts between astrological signatures of conservatism (predominance of earth signs, Saturn) and signatures of liberal mindedness (air signs, Uranus).  That inner struggle between safety and security and more innovative thinking often results in an individual who becomes dogmatic on the right wing, or angrily rebellious on the left.

This is particularly true with those of us who have strong squares between Saturn and Uranus in our chart such as my own compatriots from the early 1950s.  Rush Limbaugh is one of those, with a nearly exact square between Saturn and Uranus, Aquarius, the innovator, is rising in his chart so in some ways you might expect Rush to tilt more to the left.  But with the Sun in Capricorn and Saturn opposite the Moon, that conservative bent won the battle between the two ideologies.  But more important, the opposition between Mars in Aquarius and Pluto shows an obsession with power that makes the conservative mind view much more comfortable than a more liberal perspective which Rush deems “weak.”  

After eight years of a president who famously “doesn’t do nuance,” I personally think a president who actually thinks through issues and considers them carefully would be a welcome change. But that has nothing to do with astrology and is just my opinion.