I have four reasons that I am planning to vote for Obama:
1. I’m voting for Obama because I’m a Republican
This is something of a “Well, you see if you can do better, then!” philosophy. Simply put, I’m tired of listening to people gripe about the Republicans and am ready for the Democrats to take the heat for a while. Essentially the two parties are identical.
Another thing is that the Republican party is so deeply unpopular at this stage that a victory in November would only result in four years of muddling. A recent article at Time magazine summarized this position for me quite nicely: Falling Upward.
2. I’m voting for Obama because I’m an American
We have the opportunity to elect an African-American for the first time in history. Or the alternative is to a white fatcat from Washington. If nothing else, a black President will keep civil rights in the public discussion.
3. I’m voting for Obama because I’m a Christian
Obama has confessed a faith in Jesus Christ. I believe that he is guided by a Christian worldview much more than the other guy.
4. I’m voting for Obama because I’m a world citizen
If we elect McCain our relations with the world governments will worsen. Obama is universally preferred by people outside the borders of our country. On one hand this makes me optimistic. On the other hand a nagging voice in my conscience is saying, “Why are all those tyrants out there hoping to God that McCain isn’t elected?”
Concluding remarks
The Republicans did a pathetic job of putting forth a strong candidate for this election. Is an aging veteran and an untested mom the best the Republican party has to offer? I believe they can do better. But it’s going to take four years and a major housecleaning before the young stars of the party can kick out the geezers and reenergize a confused and lumbering party.
I have never voted for a Democrat in my life. And I can only imagine the reaction of people in my church when they read this…
I am having a tough time taking this in and processing it. The only thing I can say is that you still have 35 days to change your mind! Even if Senator Obama is elected, which is doubtful, we will then have 4 or 8 years where the Republicans are blamed for screwing things up so bad that the Democrats can’t fix it. Is there a non-party out there that we could join?
The fourth reason is actually primary for me, especially with regard to Africa. The good will we would create by having a President with African roots is priceless.
Is there something about the water in Clackamas and Multnomah counties that cause people to think like Lingamish? At least it hasn’t corrupted your thinking on homosexuality yet.
Ps. You are still welcome to spend the night at our home tonight.
Your last sentence in No. 4 is the one that concerns me the most.
Yeah, me too.
Finally, a leader who knows how to follow apophatically: David Ker for prez, 2016. (Joe Biden will be older then than John McCain is now).
Those are some excellent reasons, and I’m surprised you only had four of them. The last one is probably the most important on that list, as we really need better foreign policy (and relations) than what we’ve got right now.
you’re a strange little man my friend.
You want to know why the tyrants in the Commonwealth countries hope to God that McCain doesn’t get elected? Because we want less Whitehouse interference (imperialism) in foreign countries and less wars. McCain and especially Palin are just too nutty to have the reins.
Well said! Anyone outside your borders, tyrant or democrat (with a small “d”), is scared s**tless by the thought of McCain and Palin, as we have no idea how they will decide which country to invade next.
Peter, is s**tless, spitless? I hope so.
More seriously, I didn’t realize that non-Americans feel that way about us. We get that drift from our “liberal media” but thought it was just slanted to make the current administration look bad. Is our policeing of the world really viewed as aggression, and not as help to protect them from other aggressors?
Do you believe that Iraq, Afganastan, Granada, and the others would rather have had us stay home? I’ve always been very right wing, conservative, but do wonder if our supposed help in other counties is more to protect our interests and not to help them.
What do you think?
Steve, I know that here in England, and in Australia, and in the Middle Eastern country I used to visit, the common popular understanding is that Americans are aggressors, who exaggerate the threat from other aggressors in order to justify their own aggression. Probably in all of these a single issue poll would have been consistently opposed to US intervention in Iraq. And these are three countries which are officially politically allied to the USA. As for the countries that have been invaded, I would be quite sure that now the majority in Iraq would much rather you had stayed at home, although at the time of the original invasion there might have been support for a brief intervention. In Afghanistan I think the situation would have been more mixed but the majority probably consistently wanted all outsiders, Soviets, Pakistani Taliban and Americans, to get off their territory.
If you think that the USA is interested in helping other countries for their own sake, can you name any country you have intervened in where you have not had major interests to protect? Possibly Grenada, but that was an essentially trivial invasion. But you have left African countries to their own devices because you have not had major interests to protect there.
Thanks Peter for your insight. I still wonder if we let terrorists , Islamic radicals, and waring ethnic groups have their own way if we would be worse off. Don’t you think that Zimbabwe was better off when you Brits were in control and keeping order there? Every time an imperialist nation pulls out of the country it appears to me that they are worse off. The only positive example I can remember is when the British pulled out of America. It has been better for 200 years, but now the fueding between the Democrats and the Republicans threatens to bring us down. At least they are not strapping bombs to their bodies and blowing up innocent people.
Peter: Count New Zealand in this – the common popular understanding is that Americans are aggressors, pretty much since WWII, who exaggerate the threat from other aggressors in order to justify their own aggression. The common popular understanding is also that this aggression provokes “terrorism”.
Steve, I’m not sure I agree about your exception! How much better would things have been for you, and us, if we had remained united? We can never know.
Steve… “Every time an imperialist nation pulls out of the country it appears to me that they are worse off” Therefore England should never have left the Americans fend for themselves. Look at them now! “Feuding” amongst themselves and throwing their weight around.
Although I’m not voting the same way (there are at least two 3rd party candidates that are vastly superior to either major party candidate), I do agree that US intervention in foreign countries usually is aggression.
I opposed the Iraq invasion because even if the weapons had been there, Iraq was no real threat to us. Hence, there was no reason for it.
As an American, I really wish our leaders would focus on improving things here in this land, rather than capturing more lands.
[...] voting for McCain because I’m a Christian.” Well guess what, folks, I voted for Obama because I’m a Republican and a Christian. The most hilarious caller was a rabbi from New York who really let loose with one of the funniest [...]