I wrote these few paragraphs last and stuck them in the front when I realized that this is what I wanted the post to be about and it was getting wordy. Any typos will be corected when my hand stops cramping.
I am voting for Obama for many reasons. Partly because I am embarrased by how my party has campaigned this election but mostly because I believe that an Obama presidency is the only way to achieve the true change we need in this country. We need universal health coverage for all Americans because we all are part of this country, society and government and have a right to equality in coverage no matter what race or income bracket we are. We need to address global warming in a way that be urgent and will stimulate our economy. We need to end the war in Iraq and bring some sanity to Afghanistan. We need to restore the civil liberties that have been taken away over the past 8 years. We need a moderate Supreme Court. We need to get back our governments credibility with the world and more importantnly, with its own people.
John McCain has destroyed the Republican party for the next decade. He has run a rascist campaign and has not hidden the fact. He has picked a joke for a Vice Presidential candidate. A right wing wack job that has no experience. The saddest part the campaign is the attempt to justify the pick. Ayers is a non issue as is Rev. Wright. Both sides have demons. George Keating????? I can't support a candidate that can't run an organized campaign. This is the most disorganized, disjointed campaign I have seen in a long time. I don't hate McCain but I hate what he has become.
John McCain has destroyed the Republican party for the next decade. He has run a rascist campaign and has not hidden the fact. He has picked a joke for a Vice Presidential candidate. A right wing wack job that has no experience. The saddest part the campaign is the attempt to justify the pick. Ayers is a non issue as is Rev. Wright. Both sides have demons. George Keating????? I can't support a candidate that can't run an organized campaign. This is the most disorganized, disjointed campaign I have seen in a long time. I don't hate McCain but I hate what he has become.
I sat in awe in 1988 when I first saw John McCain speak. He told his story of being a POW in North Vietnam and displaying patriotism in the face of overwhelming opposition. It was a very moving speech. I watched as he led the moderate wing of the Republican party through the 90's. He was a sensible Republican that was a budget conservative that believed that social issue were better left out of the political arena. He was a Goldwater protege. A true conservative and what seemed like a pretty likable guy. When the leadership threatened the nuclear option, he bucked his party to ensure that the rules of the Congress stayed intact. I was jazzed when he decided to run for President in 1999. He was the stopper that was going to stop the flood of religious fundamentalism that was infesting the party. That is why i decided to volunteer for him.
Something happened on the way to this years nomination that has troubled me. I don't know if John McCain has left me or I have left him but I don't see the same John McCain anymore. I see a old man that jumps from catch phrase to stupid catch phrase. I see a politician that will say anything to get an applause. I see an elected official that will rush to judgment when a deliberate decision needs to be made. I see horribly negative ads that do no good and I see overt race baiting. I see a campaign that is injecting fear into this election. Fear of terrorists and socialism. Fear of blacks and welfare moms. Fear of Muslims and Democrats. It is quite sad really to see someone you have admired for years become someone completely different. It is not much different than what has happened to my party as a whole.
I had the same kind of experience in 2004. I was watching a speech at a convention (though it was much more exciting watching it in person in 88) when I saw a man talk about patriotism and how it is not a catch phrase. I was just as moved. But I was a bit older now and my politics are a bit more sophisticated. Obama took patriotism out of the political realm. So when 2006 came around and both candidates announced for each party, I was pretty happy.
The Republican primary was embarrassing. A ton of candidates that didn't belong in the debates. Guilliani and Romney were pandering idiots. Huckabee was a little religious darling but couldn't muster too much credibility. Ron Paul put up a hell of a fight and raised some good coin but the party isn't ready for a true liberatarian they still want to play around with the rhetoric for a while. It all fell on McCain's lap. the Democratic side was interesting and in typical Democratic fashion, they beat the shit out of each other.
This race should be a referendum on the last 8 years. There is no doubt in my mind that it will be.
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