Recently at a bookstore in San Mateo, while wearing a t-shirt indicating my support of Barack Obama for President, a woman approached me and proudly stated that she had been supporting Hillary. I was pleased to meet someone that shared my values for American society -healthcare for all, a cohesive and thoughtful foreign policy, domestic policies that would enhance education, promote environmental protection, encourage resource conservation and return America on a path toward a positive and secure future.
While quickly thinking all of this, her next announcement was stunning, she indicated that she was now on the McCain Palin bandwagon. The contradiction in logic caused a cessation of my ability to form any coherent sentence or stream of thought. I was at a loss of words and opinion a condition which my wife can attest occurs in only the rarest of circumstances.
Since the encounter I've continued to attempt to understand the flow of reasoning that would lead someone to suddenly support a political agenda that is antithetical to the objectives of an Executive Branch led by Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. McCain has surrounded his campaign with lobbyists such as Phil Gramm and "Karl Rovian" strategists casting them aside only when they are exposed by the all too infrequent light cast by the media such as when Gramm stated "The recession is mental and America is a nation of whiners". In case anyone has forgotten, due to the present fear and anxiety of President Bush talking about severe economic crisis and the need for a $700 billion taxpayer (that's you and me) bail out --two months ago Gramm was McCains' top economic adviser and a former lobbyist for for the international banking and subprime mortgage giant UBS. The introduction of Sarah Palin as his running mate in a ploy to win the support of ex-Hillary supporters is such an obvious, embarrassing and empty tactic, I'm still shocked and mildly depressed that anyone would fall for such a ruse.
My primary choice in the last few elections has been Rep. Dennis Kucinich, and not because of any gender or race bias (I am a white male). He has been the candidate running that most closely approximates the political platform I'd like to see implemented. I'd be just as proud to support Rep. Barbara Lee if she were running for President.
I implore all Democrats, Progressives and Liberals to set aside any personal bias for a favorite candidate and place support squarely behind Senator Obama. The endemic corruption inspired and encouraged by the Bush/Cheney Administration and the lobbyists that have largely assumed control of American Government will continue to plunder our resources, distract us with endless war, erode our civil rights and liberties, control our information (under the guise of media consolidation), and run our economy into record deficits and near-collapse. Even true conservatives (some of whom I count as friends and tolerate me as a token liberal) must be seriously concerned about the abandonment of free market principles (in the form of a $700 billion dollar windfall for investment banks), our over-extended military which results in a weakened America and nearly contracting shipping port operations to Dubai.