Of course, if you read my blog (even with its late dearth of postings) you know that I am a social liberal, and there is absolutely no chance of my voting for the “McCain-?” ticket; but I belong to a demographic that is, by and large, supposedly solidly in McCain’s court: namely, white American males between the ages of 35-65. So I want to state exactly why I will be voting for the Obama-Biden ticket this November, and I want to try to sway your vote that way in the process.
First, and foremost, I say that there is actually substance to the argument that Barack Obama is inexperienced at executive leadership. He’s primarily been involved in interactive policy design, and has been a public servant pretty much his whole life (when he hasn’t been a student). When the Clintons, and, in the upcoming months, to a greater extent the McCains (and their followers) say “Obama lacks experience,” this is what they are talking about. Experience in executive function.
Like Barack, John McCain has served this country in the military, and in public service, to such an extent that he should automatically be granted the status “American Hero,” because he is. He spent a lot of time in a Viet Namese prison camp, gave up a chance to come home early as a POW (because he was a person of privilege due to his father’s rank), and came home to a life of politics to try to make absolutely sure we wouldn’t have to go through another war like he fought in.
The job of President of the United States is, without a doubt, perhaps the most unique job in the land. One does not apply to it – one is mostly swept in that direction by political drive. When one aspires to the job, and is pushed toward it, one is not interviewed by one, or two, or three people, but by the media who claim they have the “best interest” of legions of voters in mind. Voters who feel, and who voice those feelings at the polling place, that the person has the qualities it takes to lead this land of ours to greatness.
There is no doubt in my mind that Barack Obama and John McCain both could do a much better job than the incumbent in the position. No doubt whatsoever.
What sells me on Barack Obama, and what you might want to listen to, is, in fact, Barack Obama’s rhetoric, because the next President of these United States has, perhaps, the toughest time ahead in store for them.
We’re at war on two fronts, we have an economy that is tanking, the disparity between the richest half of the country and the poorest half is growing by leaps and bounds. We have a mortgage banking industry that has put itself in the unenviable position of potentially having to be bailed out by we taxpayers to the tune of billions, if not trillions, of dollars. Our health care system, while it takes generally good care of me, does not work for many of this country’s most vulnerable people – people we all depend on, day in and day out, who provide us with the inexpensive services that lubricate the wheels of commerce: hourly, waged workers who can only get 20-30 hours of work per week.
Put simply, we are headed in the wrong direction. The person in the White House needs to be able to rally us to make positive changes, because only with we, the middle class, on board to make those changes, will we be able to restore America to greatness.
John McCain has a very perfunctory way of dealing with those who don’t share his opinions. I’ve yet to see him get a crowd of people excited about the potential that exists here in America, and excitement about future possibilities is what we need.
In this great land of ours, we need to be lead to greatness. Not lead by fear and warmongering, but lead by the potential of positive outcomes.
