Two months ago I was so embittered by Obama's lack of support for our constitutional rights that I withdrew my $450 donation to his campaign, removed myself from all of the campaign mailing lists, and vowed to myself that I was not going to vote this November.
Last week the DNC, and in particular Obama's speech, touched me so greatly that my vote for him was restored.
Two nights ago, Joe Lieberman touched me so greatly that I decided to start calling every state I can on every weekend from now until the election passes.
Last night, Sarah Palin reopened my wallet and restored my full-throated support to Obama.
Last night, I listened as Sarah Palin, without establishing who she is and what she stands for, insulted community organizing as a trivial activity. Rather than say what she was for, she let us know that she was against anything Obama.
Instead of going after the specifics of Obama's proposals, Palin attacked Obama's patriotism. Instead of answering the critics charges of graft and corruption in Alaska during her watch as Mayor of Wasilla and Governor, she attacked the media's right to do its job. Instead of trying to win over the vast swath of independents and women who have already been put off by the scandals and the lack of vetting by the McCain campaign, she appealed directly to the base in a speech that can be best described to these ears as bitter, partisan, angry, and unbelievably sarcastic.
That speech right there is why I can no longer sit, half-in and half-out, on the sidelines of this election. We as a nation cannot afford another 4-8 years, and with Palin potentially another 12-16 years, of this kind of divisive, petty, us-against-them politics.
I am still quite upset with Obama over FISA as well as with those supporters who were so willing to go republican-lite in their drive to prop up anything he does as gospel, inviolate to criticism.
But I can put that aside just enough to work for him and donate to his campaign, full bore, while offering that criticism and continued dissent on this website. I will never stop believing that politicians should be held accountable, no matter what their political affiliation. But what I saw last night reminded me in full why the McCain-Palin ticket must be defeated come November 4th.
It's not just a defeat for them politically or the republican party. It's a defeat of the smallness of politics that George W. Bush, Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, and the rest of the republicans have driven us to over the past 8 years. It is a defeat of a politics that would rather see this country continue forward divided, not for the sake of the country, but for the sake of power.
Last week, Obama said that John McCain loves this country and wants to do the best thing for it even if they disagree on how to do it. After last night's speech, I cannot believe that they have any desire to truly help this country in anything but to encourage the growth of our deepest divisions, hatreds, suspicions, and wedges.
That cannot happen. And I'll be damned if I let that happen while having the power to make even a small dent.
So today, I not only returned the $450 I retrieved from the Obama campaign, I added another $200 on top of that. In another few weeks I will make another donation of $350 to bring my campaign contributions to $1,000 for the cycle.
I have created a fundraising page with a goal of $5,000 that I will be spreading to friends and family. I ask that you help me reach that goal.
http://my.barackobama.com/...