For an astrologer, it may seem odd that I am mostly against predictions. I think astrology has enormous contributions to make to our understanding of mankind. But predictions, whether good or bad, put us too much in our heads. They create "presence deficits." In doing that, they tend to remove us from making contribution to our own (or even another's) future. That is never good. It can even end up being downright harmful.
Further, the predictor, no matter how good, can be wrong. Astrological symbols have differing layers of meaning. The astrologer may be stuck on the incorrect layer. Life can be rich, but it is never rich enough to compensate for the error of a presumed future.
Those are some of the negatives influences that come from predictions. Below are some of the problems involved in predicting a presidential winner.
Unless it is a stunning victory, the winning presidential candidate, like the winning boxer in a highly publicized prize fight, is hard to identify. All four of the individuals in these contests are engaged in a major social event with mixed "reviews." Just by having arrived at the position to compete, they are already honored as "winners." That means they will have strong "positive" (pleasant, easy) astrology showing it. Too, each of the four is involved in a grueling, knock-down, drag-out battle for supremacy. That should and does produce some "negative" (painful, difficult) astrology. Battles, whether physical or psychological, show up as mars and saturn, planets sponsoring difficult experiences. But, so do losses. And finally, each has millions of people for him as well as against him. With numbers like that, it would be incorrect to say even the loser was "unpopular." Being simultaneously loved and hated publicly produces both kinds of astrology--positive and negative.
So, winning the presidency (or a boxing bout) is not the same as winning the lottery, especially if the fight is close. In the lottery, the winner has strong positive conditions in his 2nd chart (money,) 7th chart (main chart of this method), and 8th chart (shared assets). He will not have very strong negative conditions. If he did, he would not win the lottery. Unlike the presidential candidate, the lottery winners personality and social image are not inherent parts of his contest. Therefore he won't have astrology regarding them. Whether he is liked or disliked is not an issue.
Of course, the chart of the astrologer also comes into play. An astrologer (or psychic or businessman, for all that) with a strongly positive chart (to begin with and for the time of the event) is going to be correct even if he suspended his astrological principles while arriving at his conclusion. It is just like Shakespeare wrote, "all the world's a stage and..." If it is a stage, then each individual has a role. And if each individual has a role, then anybody cannot be anything he wants or there would be no play.
So much for predictions. To compensate the reader, below I make a few comments, based on their astrology, of the personalities of Barack Obama and John McCain using their 7th and 10th charts. Mostly we know each other through our 7th charts, the chart of important others. It is the chart that best describes our personality. Our 10th chart is the one that most reflects our public and social image as well as our career. Both charts are active for individuals running for president.
The astrological source of Obama's very successful use of the word "change" comes from the following: in his 10th chart he has conception uranus at 1 Leo 01, birth uranus at 1 Leo 05, birth harmonic venus at 1 Leo 11, and birth North Node at 3 Leo 06. These are in an out-of-sign square to conception mercury at 29 Libra 40. Mercury/venus is the signature of poets, great speakers (like Martin Luther King, Jr.), and smooth talkers--the latter being the slant on it through which the opposition tried to hoist Obama on his own petard. Mercury/uranus shows intellectual brilliance. North Node/uranus highly favors (NN) his success (NN) with change (uranus), not just in talking about it.
John McCain also has NN/uranus, but his is only in his 7th chart. In 7th or 10th, it means he has been able to successfully challenge Obama's sole ownership of the word "change." That is, McCain is also a man successfully (NN) involved in promoting change (uranus). McCain's NN/uranus is combined with mars, all in Sagittarius. His "change" is more combative (mars), but also based on moral/ethical principles (Sagittarius). Node/mars/uranus is also the signature of courage. It often exists in the charts of adventurers and explorers. On its lower end it suggests foolhardiness. On its upper end, great daring.
In fact, McCain's 10th chart shows an individual with potent astrological resources for transformations. He has conception sun at 2 Scorpio 10, conception harmonic venus at 5 Scorpio 56, birth harmonic uranus at 7 Scorpio 40, conception jupiter at 8 Scorpio 24, and conception harmonic moon at 11 Scorpio 04. This is a loose golden benefic in the sign of Scorpio, the sign of transformations. It is very wide, therefore less effective (or, less automatic). Still, this set promises unusual success getting people to agree, for instance, on both sides of the Senate floor. Sun, moon, venus, and jupiter in Scorpio, even loosely connected, suggest a man gifted at being able to work people from the inside, where they live.
Obama has an interesting set in his 7th chart only. He has both harmonic suns in Aries conjunct harmonic mars in Aries. On its lower end it represents an individual subject to rash or ill-considered behavior--acting without thinking. On its higher end it represents an individual who can keep going even in the most dreadful circumstances. Aries is about being. So long as some part of him can be--especially involved in an aim--the rest of his life can be in shambles and he will have the wherewithal to continue. It's a strength based on being able to continually re-focus around blocked avenues.
McCain has birth sun and conception moon in Leo. Being fire signs, there is a lot of energy in both Aries and Leo. Leo is the kingly sign which looks with great disfavor on small, petty, or mean behavior. It would be a mistake to treat McCain shabbily. He might not hit back, but he would eliminate the individual from his circle.
One of McCain's negatives appears already handled, that is, by aging he has smoothed off its rough edges. He has conception South Node in Gemini conjunct his birth Midheaven. It's the astrological source of the reputation he had (or occasionally, sometimes has) for being immature, for instance, reports from fellow POW's that McCain was too much of a maverick, too combative. South node conjunct an Ascendant or Midheaven takes a long time to live down. For the most part, it functions throughout life. For that reason, some of his behavior would more easily be labeled "immature" (Gemini). Errors in that area would "stick" (South Node) to him.