Over the weekend, I finally, after months of writing and rewriting, posted on Facebook why I voted for Obama. My vote was delivered to the Fairfax County Board of Elections in Virginia, having voted Absentee from Overseas, where I now live.
I wrote a rather long note, covering my thoughts on the Economy, the Debt, Social Issues, Women's issues, Medicare, and putting my case as to why I am voting for Obama.
There was one section however, that was rather personal: Character. I hesitated on this, mostly because I wanted to keep things as fact-based as possible. I have a wide swath of friends from most political backgrounds, and I didn't want to end up in a flame war. However, I felt ultimately, my meeting Mitt back in 2007 is a major reason why I will never vote for him, and I wanted to share that.
More under the Squiggle
It was the Fall of 2007. The Primaries in New Hampshire were gearing up in a real way, and I happened to be in Portsmouth for work. Being someone who loves History, and who loves Politics. I looked around to see which Candidates would be nearby. There ended up being two candidates, Sen. John Edwards and Gov. Mitt Romney in the area. Seeing a chance to go to both events, and comparing the two, I jumped at the chance.
On a Saturday, I got up very early, and decided to go to the "Ask Mitt Anything" event that was about 35 minutes out of Portsmouth. It was at a local VFW, and I took my seat in a small hall with about 50 chairs. Soon, the seats were filled, and Mr. Romney, with his wife came in.
The session lasted about an hour, and he spoke on a wide range of issues: From Iraq, the Economy, Businesses in America, Gay Marriage, and a few other hot button topics. I knew as a Liberal leaning fella, who is also a Gay Man, what to expect. Romney was very conservative on Gay Marriage, and in that moment, I felt very alone, and very much an outsider. The fear the audience had for the GLBT community was palpable, as was Mitt Romney's.
However, there was a refrain that he kept coming back to. He kept saying "We need to take care of our own" or just "We take care of our own." He said it in reference to the Iraq war, he said it in regards to the economy, and when he spoke about Gay Marriage, he said it again. "We take care of our own." and it was implicitly implied that "The Gays" are not one of us.
That stuck with me, those words. "We take care of our own"
To Romney, those words means that he will take care of the Rich, the privileged, the well off. To Romney, it is the the gated community, who hoards and dines while others starve. "We take care of our own" is a supremely selfish and arrogant phrase. It dove tails perfectly into his 47% quote. He won't stand for this entire country, because he doesn't find them to be "one of us"
It's wretched.
America is not like that. As we have seen time and time again, when our country needs to band together to help ourselves, and to help others, we deliver in spades. We as a nation helped those in SE Asia in 2004 and the Tsunami. We as a nation constantly resettle the highest number of Refugees in the world every year. We give money to the poor, to strangers, to each other, our friends, our family. We put in time building houses, give our time to worthy causes both at home and abroad.
We need to help our country, our big wonderful, complicated country. We need to help those in Appalachian Tennessee as much as we need to help those in New York City. We help that Refugee Family in Minneapolis, as well as that college student in Chelsea. We help that family in Joplin after the Tornado and we help that family in Florida after the Hurricane. That is what we do. We don't "Take care of our own" we take care of each other. That is what makes America so awesome.
Romney can only think of himself, and his friends, and his money. That is not America. We take care of each other, and we reach out to the world, because in the end, we are in this together.
That is why I voted for Obama.