I plan to vote for Obama in November. It comes as a surprise to me that I will do so almost reluctantly, rather than whole-heartedly and with deep political conviction. I have been a Democrat all my life, and yes, a protester and picketer for social justice causes, and would ordinarily be thrilled to cast my vote for the first African American with a legitimate chance to win.
McCain has never been an option for me--not ever, but especially not now, when his desperation has caused him to throw over his "maverick" status except in name only, and has brought about his craven selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate. I mean, I honestly believe that I could do a better job than she could, and believe me, I'm not qualified.
Nothing Obama has said or done in the campaign has helped to ameliorate my strong doubts about his readiness--he is untried and untested on this large a stage, and there is much to be done--and undone--to restore some semblance of the country we once revered. I still believe that Hillary was the best choice among all those who ran. If you care to see my reasons why, see my post "Why I am for Hillary" on the blog, "The Macavity Dialogues." (http://macavity dialogues.blogspot.com)
But my vote for Obama is my way of saying "Enough!" to Bush, Cheney, and the neo-cons who have spent the past eight years hacking away at the social compact comprised of all those programs that come under the umbrella of the New Deal. My vote will say "Enough!" to those who dismantled the Justice Department and turned it into a political patronage palace; "Enough!" to those who selfishly and stupidly prosecuted the first full-scale pre-emptive war in our nation's history and sent thousands to their needless deaths in a false cause; and "Enough!" to the religious bigots who have somehow convinced themselves that God is as small-minded and bitter as they are.
My vote for Obama will be one of hope--that he will demonstrate the extraordinary judgment that will be needed, and make sound choices in his appointments, and will use the office to unite rather than to divide. It's clear his election would be welcome around the world and would restore some hope that America can reclaim its status as a symbol of equality and opportunity.
I hope Obama will win, and I hope he will astonish me.
Librarian, You're a grand old
11 years ago
1 comment:
Have you read Obama's memoir Dreams from My Father? I recommend it. It gives you a good idea how this man was made. He's analytical, he listens and he doesn't make snap judgments. You can have all the experience in the world and still make poor judgments. McCain has demonstrated this six ways to Sunday.
As for hoping that Obama astonishes you, maybe that's unrealistic. I hope he can lead our country out of the very deep hole we've dug. I hope he can bring people together to work for the common good. All we've been taught in the last 8 years is how to be fearful, how to distrust our fellow citizens. We've been divided and conquered. It's time to rebuild the collective psyche, and I believe Obama has the capacity to do that.
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