Wednesday, May 28, 2008

You may not be surprised, you may disagree, but here's why I'm voting for Obama

I haven't read any of their campaign literature, and I don't get anything out of this. It's born from hearing pablum on a daily basis about electability, voter profiles, and foreign policy. If you agree or disagree, awesome. Just be engaged.

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Dear Obabma campaign,
Here's why I'm voting for your guy:

1) Foreign Policy - this country has such a ridiculous wealth of natural and political resources that we've been able to squander it for over 7 years and still are only at war with just a few countries. Obama is the only candidate who will be viewed by our long-standing allies and our adversaries as someone who will seek paths other than warfare. Many foreign leaders have already said that he is the only candidate who can restore their faith in American power and ideals. Talking to your adversaries is not immoral - invading and bombing them is. Nearly every major religion - and numerous minor ones - seem to agree on this point.

2) Broad Support - Obama does not polarize the population like Clinton does - he has support from people from many backgrounds and political stripes. He is the electable candidate.

3) Constitution - Clinton voted to improperly turn over war making powers to the executive branch when she voted for the President's Iraq resolution. This is no more or less than a violation of the Constitution's explicit separation of powers, and so I can't see any reason she should be trusted with one whole branch of government. I spent two years teaching citizenship classes, hammering home the idea that only Congress can declare war. Yet, Clinton supported sloughing off this key responsibility to the President. Many would agree with the assessment that it didn't end well.

4) Change - Obama is the only candidate who represents real change. Clinton (and her off-the-leash husband) and McCain are about as establishment as you get. This world is increasingly multifacted and dynamic, and we need a person who is engaged with it on those terms. McCain and Clinton have been too isolated in the world of party politics for too long to have a real sense of the real world the rest of us are living in.

5) That Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi - Obama is smart, well reasoned, impassioned about his work, and surrounds himself with other bright people. Some would say that he's not that politically different from Clinton, since he has many former B. Clinton advisors, but flip that on its head: These former B. Clinton advisors looked at the horses running and chose the one they thought was the best. Clearly, they saw a real difference.

6) Experience - Some would say Obama lacks experience. First, NO President has ever done the job before, we're always hiring rookies. Second, he has sufficient experience with government to know the difference between good governance and bad. Third, he is not tainted with all the negatives in the foreign policy arena that his rivals are, so he will have greater access (read:leverage) with foreign governments than they will upon reaching office. Finally, Hillary wants us to grant her credit for her time married to the President, but how dialed in to key Presidential issues could she have been when she wasn't even aware enough to make sure Bill kept his pants on? And then he got impeached. So, exactly what relevant experience does she get credit for?

7) Energized - This guy and his campaign have got a lot of people energized. Just imagine what can get done when so many people are working for the same goal with such enthusiasm. And I don't mean just lefty goals, but solid conservative objectives like balancing the budget, ensuring government is accountable and transparent, and reducing our overseas entanglements so we can channel resources at home.

3 comments:

MintyJ said...

Also, he is a not-terrible dancer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsWpvkLCvu4

Z_gal said...

Damn, Minty, thanks for passing that one on. I laughed at first, and then thought how amazing it is that we can have a candidate who is so at ease AND doesn't look like a dork-a-cola.

Anonymous said...

I like his moves. Subtle. Smooth. The kind of president that would seduce the German Chancellor, not molest her from behind.