Why I’m A Conservative…. And Why I’m Voting for Obama
To understand where I am coming from, perhaps it is best to tell you where I came from.
I was born in one of the “rustbelt” Midwest industrial cities near the end of the Steel Age. My entire family was Democrats. (Reminds me of the old Will Rogers comment, that he was a Democrat because his father and grandfather were. When asked what he would be if they were horse thieves (or something equally vile at the time), he responded that he would then obviously be a Republican). I was only 13 when Reagan came to power, and still not old enough to vote for him for his second term. At the time, my family refused to become Reagan Democrats, but their stance softened over time, as they watched their precious Democratic institutions (including the labour unions) fail them time and again.
I was living overseas for the 1988 election, and was not very politically motivated. In college, we all leaned to the right, but I still felt that the old adage that “a young Republican has no heart, and an old Democrat has no brains” applied. Little did I realise that, amongst my friends, even those identifying themselves as Democrats still were rather Conservative.
After college, when I went into business for myself, I because even more conservative. I was fortunate to find a Centrist president in President Clinton, the first presidential election I voted in. Even then, I was not voting for Clinton, as much as I was voting against Senator Dole (whose abilities I failed to realise at the time). My ex-in-laws were Republicans, but they were the “scary” kind, the ones that voted against their interests, because their church told them to.
Even after my conversion, living in a city that was 80% Democratic, I remained a Democrat, because that was the only way to have a voice. The local elections were decided in the primaries (which I am sure happened here in the Pacific Northwest, before the implementation of the glorious open primary), so it was necessary to be a Conservative Democrat, and have ones voice heard that way. (Kansas has a similar problem, where it is so heavily Republican, that the liberal Republicans are often more liberal than the Democrats).
However, something has happened in the 12 years since Clinton was last elected to the White House. The Republican party was hi-jacked by the Christian Coalition at the very time I was coming to terms with my deep Conservativeness. I said, back during the primary series, that I had a lot of respect for Sen. McCain, and if it came down to him and Sen. Clinton, I would have to vote McCain. And, honestly, with the way the campaign has shaped up, I just might have voted for THAT McCain over THIS Obama.
However, the Republican party has lost its way. First and foremost, I am from a time where the Republicans stood for fiscal responsibility. Yes, even as President Reagan ran up huge deficits, we still allowed that his low tax, low spending ideals were the way to go. However, President Bush has shown Republican Fiscal Responsibility to be a huge myth. When President Clinton is considered to be the fiscally responsible one, it says a lot about how far the Republicans have fallen.
I have spoken in the past about having friends that are “one-issue” voters, and they vote Republican for that reason, even though their opinion on EVERY OTHER issue favours the Democrats. Recently, I came across something online that called itself “10 Reasons to Vote for McCain”. The funny thing was, the vast majority of the reasons given are the very reasons that I support Sen. Obama so strongly. One of the reasons given for pro-choice people to vote for McCain is, in power for 20 of the last 28 years, the Republicans have done nothing to infringe on a woman’s right to choose. To me, that sounds like a good reason for the pro-life amongst us to vote Democrat, don’t you agree?
I once considered Sen. McCain a good and honourable man. No longer. First of all, Sen. Obama may have ended up being a bit more to the left than I would like, but he is far from being a “Socialist”. And by the current Republican definition of Socialism, the Alaskan scheme to tax the oil going to the Lower 48, and use that money to buy off their own citizens is as Socialist as they come. The entire fiasco surrounding the choice of Gov. Palin chills me to the bone. Not only does her experience pale in comparison to the supposedly “untested” Sen. Obama, but her views are as dangerous to our basic freedoms as any outside threat. How can William Ayres be considered a terrorist, but Eric Rudolph a hero in her eyes? How can her husband support secession from the Union (didn’t we once fight a war amongst ourselves over that very idea?), and yet she question the patriotism of ANYONE? How can she be so unaware of basic facts (the role of the Vice President, the day’s news, scientific theory, Constitutional Law, and so many others), but feel she is qualified to be “a heartbeat from the Presidency”?
I have looked at all of the facts. I have weighed all of the options. I have watched both nominees be dragged down by this political game. And, still, for the first time in my life, I will not hold my nose when I cast my vote for my candidate. And, I am very very proud to say that my candidate is Sen Barack Obama.
They say that a democracy gets the government it deserves. I hope and pray that is not true. As a country, we have shown recently that we do not deserve a leader as great as Sen. Obama. But he is the leader we need, now more than ever. My ballot is marked, and I can only hope you agree with me that Sen. Obama can, should, and must be the next President of these United States of America.
Thank you. And, please, make sure you vote (even if you happen to disagree with me). If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. And, in that case, you will get exactly the government you deserve.
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