I have a terrible confession to make.
I helped elect George W. Bush.
And it's because I insisted on my purity, my idealism, my squeaky-clean-ness.
A lot of people here are very pure too. Some of them won't vote for Obama because they're so extremely pure. They may not vote in the next election because that they don't find Obama “pure” enough, like they are. This diary is intended for them. And for the rest of us, myself included, because I will not compromise my country and its people in a quest for purity. Please follow me below the fold to find out why.
In the 1st Bush election, I voted for Nader.
There, I said it. I have confessed my sin, my shame, the blot on my voting record.
I voted that way because I really wanted to vote my feelings. I wanted to vote with my heart. I should've voted with my mind.
So yes, I am one of those people who helped elect George W. Bush. Now maybe this was the healing crisis that our nation needed. I think of it as a pimple that had to be popped. I realize now that all the people who died because of W's election were a lot more than just a pimple that had to be popped. In fact, I really reproach myself for that burst of idealism.
Now there's a lot of people here on this site who are complaining about Obama. I've actually seen one of them write that they intend to sit this next election out. They remind me of a spoiled child who won't eat any of the meal put in front of him because he doesn't like the spinach. In fact, they remind me of myself 12 years ago, when I insisted on voting for Nader. To them I say: “don't let the ideal be the enemy of the real.”
The fact is, if you have eggs, you better make an omelette, because you ain't going to get a steak no matter how hard you try to transmute those 2 white ovoids into a piece of red meat.
Yes, I agree, we do not have an absolutely ideal president. Some of the things that he's done I absolutely do not agree with. To quote an example, his cracking down on marijuana when over 50% of the population wants it legalized absolutely disgusts me. But I can understand that action, especially in light of the coming election. Yes, it offends my purity, but I understand that he absolutely HAS to take a conservative stance on this issue or risk losing part of the electorate.
This next election is extremely serious and important for our country and for the world. Yes, Obama is not perfect; nevertheless, I am going to vote for him, and urge everyone to do so as well, and if people who insist on “purity” ask me why, I'll tell them only one thing:
Consider the alternative.