Today is completed my mail-in ballot out here in Washington State. Sometimes I need more justification than to just vote for the Democrat (as why I did not vote for a handful of other Dems on my ballot), and here is why I voted for Obama...
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government...
In a way, an election is a revolution—the people’s say in the course of their government and the direction of their collective future. Whereas, the past eight years under the Bush Doctrine have been devastating in so many ways, there has been few times in American history without a clearer mandate for implementing a new direction.
The government has not met the needs of the people, whether that has been the past eight weeks, eight years or even the past eight generations since a gathering of white, male property owners declared an independence from another form of tyranny.
America is in need to revolt from the eight years of the Bush Doctrine which has weakened our standing in the world, nearly bankrupt both the government and too many citizens, cost the lives of thousands of troops and placed into law, rules that have restricted our personal liberties, environmental health and ability for the next generation to expect the same level of prosperity the previous generation enjoyed.
Among the lowlights:
•Financial mess. Either those on watch were either corrupt or incompetent. Deregulation of the financial and banking industries have resulted in a mess that has cost millions a significant chunk of their retirement. Thank God that Social Security was not privatized as Bush has pushed for.
•Health Care. There are 46 million Americans without health care insurance. John McCain may say that education is the civil right issue of our times, he will be right when health care is solved first.
•Iraq. We had no business invading this sovereign nation in the manner in which we did. Bush’s misadventures could haunt the diplomatic policies of our country for a generation and had absolutely nothing to do with the war on terror. McCain’s embracing of this war and his hawkish nature are not the departure from the Bush Doctrine that we need now.
•Incompetence and a culture of cronyism. Two words: new Orleans. Need more evidence then look no further than the Keating Five and Troopergate. How can I possibly have any confidence in a McCain presidency that could not even properly vet their nominee for Vice President? The tragedy of Katrina can be contributed to incompetent government agencies ran by individuals who were not competent to lead. People died in an American city because we allowed a culture that rewarded cronies and political contacts. America is better than this.
•The Patriot Act. In the wake of 9/11 we sacrificed our civil liberties. No longer should we allow Congress and the President to pass clandestine laws that fringe on our protections against the government.
During the final debate, Senator McCain looked at Senator Obama and said "If you wanted to run against George W. Bush, you should have ran four years ago."
But despite the "Maverick" claiming to stand up to Bush, Republicans, lobbyists and everything that I outlined above, the truth is that he is not a departure from the Bush Doctrine. He voted with Bush 90% of the time. He clearly has no grasp of how to take us out of this economic nosedive. His stance on Iraq and especially Iran, is troubling.
Furthermore, his past acceptance of cronyism and even corruption show a clear evidence that he will not depart from a destructive culture.
I did not support Barack Obama initially. While I was certain that our country desperately needed a new direction and a Democrat to lead, he was not my first choice. I thought Senator Biden or Governor Richardson certainly would lead us better abroad and restore our status in the world, mending the many wounds the Bush Administration has caused. John Edwards or Dennis Kucinich certainly were more likely to embrace a domestic agenda we so desperately need.
Yet Barack Obama’s rhetoric, fluff as I even said so many times, inspired. When my wife and I attended our caucus in February there were 105 people crammed into a classroom. And our precinct is far from a liberal haven. Over 75% of those attendees favored Obama, many of them young, some old, all white, likely all having jobs and enjoying a middle to upper class lifestyle.
For the past half dozen years I have been rather involved in politics, and the problem is that so few are. Obama changed that. Even in Washington State where I live, far from a battleground state, Obama is driving people to get involved.
I was proud to vote for Barack Obama today in my mail-in ballot. His story is inspiring and has inspired several generations. I pray that he will help change the direction our country is going in.