How I arrived at who I will vote for on November 4th, 2008

It’s two days until the election and there’s been too much written and blogged about it already, but I’ve started this multiple times in my head, so I guess I feel that I need to put this down before it’s all over. I rarely blog, but I figure that if you don’t blog about your politics in such a crucial election, then you don’t really deserve to have a blog! So, partially out of guilt, a sense of duty to blogging itself, and my general anxiety about the whole thing… I write!
I’m not seeking to change anyone’s opinion at this late stage as I figure most folks are “decided” no matter what. So, I offer this to my blog and a few readers (countable on one hand) because it feels important to me for some reason to get this “on the record”.

The office of president of the USA is arguably the highest and most challenging job most people can imagine. I think the Smithsonian exhibit says it well, "The American presidency has the brutal power to line a face with age, and to do so more swiftly than ever in an age of instant communication and nuclear arsenals. It is a position for which no training can be adequate, no preparation complete, and no counsel sufficient -- an office that outstrips anyone's capacity to negotiate the ever-widening circle of its responsibilities."

Yep, it’s a pretty big deal, yet, it was important for me to step back and really think about what the job of commander in chief entails: (thanks to the Wikipedia, it’s easy to look up the salient details)

• The President is at the head of the executive branch of the federal government; his or her role is to enforce national law as given in the Constitution and written by Congress.
• Article Two of the Constitution establishes the President as commander-in-chief of the armed forces and enumerates powers specifically granted to the President, including:
o The power to sign into law or veto bills passed by both houses of Congress.
o The power to create a cabinet of advisers and to grant pardons or reprieves.
o The President is empowered to make treaties and appoint federal officers, ambassadors, and federal judges, including Justices of the Supreme Court. (with the "advice and consent" of the Senate)
“…he shall commission all the Officers of the United States. Ie ambassadors, ministers, consuls and receive Ambassadors and other public ministers"

This is not nearly as impressive as you might imagine. You would think the president was king based on some of the discussions the candidates and pundits engage in. Yet, the responsibility is truly great when you consider the appointment of so many key positions in the government. So, the president’s decisions on appointing justices, secretaries, and other officers can and does significantly shape the policies and laws that America will follow.

So, in a nutshell, the president:
• Commands the military – protects the country
• Signs bills into law or vetoes bills
• Makes sure the laws are enforced
• Appoints jurists to the federal bench and supreme court
• Is our Chief diplomat in foreign affairs
• Is an overall manager of the economy (promoting the general welfare through his appointments and treaties with trade partners)

Looking at the candidates qualifications based on that job description:

1) Commands the military.

John McCain with his military service record is the obvious winner here when it comes to experience. Obviously I have great respect for the man in this regard. However, digging deeper, his actual experience is not “executive” and the navy squadron he commanded was not a wartime squadron. Then there’s his shabby performance at the Naval academy being ranked 894 of 899. That’s the bottom of the barrel, whatever the reason. The war in Iraq and McCain’s insistence that we must “win” and be “victorious” supports Bush’s bad decision and is based on a war (it’s not really a war by my definition) that is undefined and can potentially go on indefinitely. Still, McCain has Military experience, it’s just not necessarily the strategic type of experience that would be ideal for commander in chief. He is not cool under pressure, has a reputation for a bad temper, we’ve witnessed erratic behavior recently, and he picked probably the worst running mate in history. (Books will be written about this mistake) The ideal candidate for a military commander has sound judgment first and foremost, and McCain fails in this regard.
Barack Obama has no military experience, but he has demonstrated that he is quick on his feet, has a great affinity for world affairs and he did vote against the Iraq war, so he get’s big points for me as I was against it from day one also. Ask yourself, what has America received in return for the blood and money we have spent there? If you frame it in strict business terms, it would be seen as a very bad investment. So, Barack has good judgment (look at the people he’s surrounding himself with already) Colin Powell switched sides and no it’s not a BLACK thing.. he’s bigger than that! Obama is not afraid to speak out, has a very even temperament, is a skilled negotiator and diplomat possibly thanks to his legal training and just the man I would want making sound judgments on my behalf. It’s going to take real intelligence and negotiating skills to know how to combat modern threats from terrorists and rogue states in the future.

Let’s face it. I don’t trust McCain with big red button. I think Obama is a better negotiator when dealing with foreign powers (he certainly garners more respect in my own polling of contacts outside the USA), and has displayed much better judgment, foreign policy knowledge, and strength of character over the course of this campaign.

2) Appoints jurists to the federal bench and supreme court
It’s hard to guess exactly what the candidates will do when appointing justices to the Supreme Court, but as this is one of the most influential appointments they will likely make, it’s a good topic.
McCain: The thing that frightens me most about McCain is his artificial alignment with the religious right, remembering that they really didn’t like him initially, which is a good thing in my book. Unfortunately, he has continued to pander to them to the point where he’s taken firm stands on things like Roe v Wade which I think true republicans have NO BUSINESS even mentioning and of course there’s Palin. This is classic “reverse republicanism” which has pushed me away from the party I voted for much of my voting life. So, appointing justices that swing the balance far to the right is a real possibility for McCain as he seeks to “pay back” those that potentially put him in office.
Obama: Some folks I have spoken with assume Obama is far left, but I have a hard time finding evidence to support this. I think he is much closer to center than many can imagine. For those of you that think he is a “socialist” please do some research on your own to support that. I realize it’s a popular republican name to call him, but there’s really no truth in it. Please find some evidence before you call names. It really only undermines your credibility after all. Try this: http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/10/31/socialism/ if you need some “straight talk”.
I feel much more confident that Obama will make “non-pandering” decisions here and appoint the best people for the jobs. Balanced people…. People closer to the center representing the majority of folks in the USA’s interests.

3) Chief diplomat in foreign affairs
Obama wins this hands down.. no discussion. I’ve got a handy little tool on my iPhone that shows a world wide poll of people for Obama and McCain and it currently shows Obama favored by 70% of the world to win. Sure, you can say, “what do these people know about what’s best for America?” (Texas accent works best) Better question though is why do they have an opinion, and why did they make the choice that they have?
Obama has obviously impressed them as someone who has the “right stuff” to lead and that alone proves how effective he is as a diplomat. Obama is the only candidate that has a chance of redeeming America in the eyes of so many around the world. BTW, I have validated this sentiment countless times with my many contacts around the world. Obama has a level of respect inf the world far beyond that of John McCain.

So, when it comes to “major” qualifications for the job, it appears to me that Obama has it sewn up.

Let’s look at the case “against” Obama in a little more detail:

Party History (he’s a democrat!):
o Republicans love to quote historical facts re: democrats. tax and spend, foreign policy, etc.
 They’ll blame Carter for lost opportunities in the middle east, or Clinton for what have you, but that’s all they’re thinking about, history… and curiously not looking at the most recent history of all that is directly affecting us now! History is of course valuable, but we are always writing history and change is the only constant. We have new challenges that require new solutions.
 What are our leaders going to do about today’s problems? That will always be a more important consideration than the past.
 If you want to vote for your Party based on history, that’s fine, but please do the rest of us a favor and don’t join in the discussion if you aren’t actually listening to what the current candidates are saying. You’re not paying attention… and that’s your prerogative..

Socialism?
Obama is a socialist! He’s gonna take my money and give it to immigrants! Wealth spreader!
This almost doesn’t deserve discussion. What shocks me the most is that people are willing to
 What is government? By the people for the people.. government is supposed to be working for the people. By its very definition, the government is a social endeavor.
• Do you believe in social security? “social” security?
o What about Medicare?
• Do you really think the republicans want to abolish these social government ideas? Sure they need to be fixed, but be careful how you use the word “Socialist”
• People are paying taxes and that’s not probably going to be ending anytime soon. So, given that you are paying taxes… you are paying “the government” to take care of us “collectively” whether it’s the military…etc. So, where do you draw the line on socialism?
Health Care
On health care, that would seem to be an area that folks on the right would say government should stay out of, still, we are already paying the government for Social Security and Medicare, but it can be argued that we are getting a poor return on that investment, it’s maybe broken, but few republicans are arguing that we toss it!
• Most people agree that you can get a much better rate on services if you do it with a group plan. Is the USA not one big group?
• The biggest question to me is this:
o Do you really need to have our health care industry be based on profit and shareholders?
o Will good decisions be made for individuals when the number one priority of a company is shareholders and profit?

We need to Restructure the way medicine is funded in this country!

o We need to remove “business” from medicine. Sure people need to be able to make a fair living that are in the medical profession, but do we really need to pay the insurance companies the profits that they make? Do we need the infrastructure and administration? Do we need to fight for preventative care? Preexisting conditions? The right drug as opposed to the cheapest drug?
• Look it up… we have a terrible track record in regards to health care. My brother has no health insurance right now! If he were to get really sick.. THEN WHAT?
•
Evolution of a Party (what the republicans have become)
I was a faithful republican in years gone by… but what has the republican party become? It’s exactly the opposite of what it stood for; minimal government. Bush and his croanies (McCain) have grown the government bigger than it ever has been. They’ve done the exact opposite of what they claim to want to do. Just look at the deficit. China owns us and John McCain has been a willing participant.
o Pay attention to what these people say they’re going to do next. How is McCain going to cut taxes for everyone when we are drowning in debt? His pork barrel spending cuts don’t amount to more than 2%. How is he going to solve our problems? I’m not really hearing the answer.
o Then there is the type of person who says he doesn’t believe anything Obama says…he doesn’t trust him
 You can say this for either candidate, but at the end of the day, you can only make a decision about a person based on what they say. If you want to insist that you don’t believe anything either party says, that’s fine, but that means you are basically going to cast a vote (assuming you do vote) based on your historical party allegiance. That is your prerogative of course, but as I said above, there’s no use joining in on the current discussions if you aren’t listening!

Experience and education
 The campaign that’s been going on for the last “18?” months is a rite of passage on its own and if you can stand at the end of that process, calm cool and collected with more knowledge and understanding of the American people than you’ve ever had and be able to internalize it, that is the best “on the job training” you can possibly get. Obama has passed this test with flying colors.
• He’s been able to handle the barrage of questions and field them very successfully. His response to negative attacks, radicals on both sides really says a lot about how he will conduct himself in office.
 Look at the choice of running mates..
• A lot of folks really tread cautiously there, but the cavalier method by which McCain picked Palin for VP is frightening.. It demonstrates a PROFOUND LACK OF JUDGMENT.
• Attacking the Dems for Obama’s lack of experience was one thing, but the hypocrisy in choosing Sarah Palin is tragic.
o The REAL question here? Is Palin the BEST the GOP could come up with? How embarrassing for a heartbeat away from the president’s office!
 She’s never been out of the country before 2007..
• My 3 year old kids have had passports longer!
• Why in the world would someone want a typical soccer mom a heartbeat away from the presidency?
• Palin is the number one in pork barrel requests… previously chastised by McCain… and she’s running on the platform of being an expert? A Maverick reformer?
• The “Bridge To Nowhere” was already rejected before Palin got into office. She’s actually lying about this fact.
 McCain attacked Obama’s "eloquence" in a the last debate.
• Fortunately, for Obama, the power of language is a necessary requirement for the job.. it is how one persuades and inspires.
• Eloquence is synonymous with intellect, public speaking skills are key to the job!, Clear communication, being able to impart exactly your opinions and thoughts to others is to be admired!
o Better understood in your native tongue and better translated too!
• Yet again, the right wing has attacked Obama for being “too smart” branding him as elitist, and eloquent, as though these were bad things?!?

In the end, it’s a “no brainer” that Obama is the right choice. What scares me most about this process is the folks that feel equally astounded that I can make this statement. Let’s face it, we can’t both be right! There can only be one “best” choice for the country. We have all witnessed a profound polarization of the country that previously I could not have imagined. I’m talking “CIVIL WAR” type of polarization. That, above all else frightens me. This country needs to be united, it’s not just a cliché, it’s real, and Barack Obama has inspired me and millions of others to believe that it’s possible. He’s a transformational figure. If it can be done, he’s the one that can do it.