My Fellow Americans

Here on election day, I want to encourage all to vote and to sum up my views on voting with respect to and for our own and others feelings and beliefs. I do think it is undeniable that some groups, especially the more fundamentalist right AND left, engage in politics to promote non-political agendas, societal reforms or legislate morality.

This is something I fundamentally disagree with and feel polarizes debate, pointlessly prohibiting progress.
Abortion, education, stem-cell research, healthcare, same-sex marriage, Irag and taxes. All clearly issues where many have strong categorical beliefs. I would only caution that national politics is not an effective place to champion single causes.
I have cast my vote for Barack Obama and find that Obama's strength and what I hope he brings to the nation and the debate is devaluation of the oversimplified, sound bite politics of the binary argument and promotion of the pursuit of alternatives, a third path. World, national and political issues are never black and white and we need leaders and discourse that weigh the costs and benefits of varied alternatives.

Due to gross deficiencies in the legislative process, bills that become law are often lengthy, complex and filled with unrelated clauses and amendments. Our politicians must weigh all the alternatives and aspects of an entire bill and vote for the greatest good in an often very flawed context.

This is very similar to what we must do in an election.
There is no black and white and the entire spectrum of issues matter more than any single one. We must choose a candidate, a party and a packaged platform of issues based upon the greatest good of the whole for the nation. In the end, any current platform of issues is no more than a yardstick.

Optimally, we choose one to lead based on their intellect, capacity and perceived ability to make sound choices and lead us into the future.

G'Obama!

The Shade of Palin

Re-blogged from barackobama.com:

I agree with those who find the vice-presidential nominee an interesting move by McCain, one which may give insight to the way he would govern with a little out-of-the-box approach.

It is rather difficult though to see it as much more than electioneering, an explicit appeal to the disappointed supporters of Hillary Clinton and a pandering to McCain's wobbly religious conservative base, which rejoiced over the selection of an anti-abortion evangelical Christian.

In the final analysis, I don't see Sarah Palin as an outstanding choice, as Focus on the Family Action founder and chairman James C. Dobson proclaims. In fact, I think the choice appears more a cynical and self-serving maneuver by McCain, which serves only to improve his own chances for election. It does not, in any way I see, strengthen the ticket or ensure the future leadership of the country, should something happen to McCain. An aspect, which I believe Barack Obama's choice in fact fulfills well.

Personally, this closed the deal for me. Such squandering of myriad possible strengthening choices, focussing only on his own election strategy at the expense of the strength and integrity of the office itself is so contemptuous as to disqualify him for consideration to the office of President.

One may not agree and one need not agree with every single point of Obama's platform, but it is more and more apparent that he is a more intelligent choice and that McCain is ultimately controlled by the party that has led the country to the state it is in today.

My hope is that all, the Christian right-wing conservative included, will find it in both heart and mind to cast a vote that considers all the broad interests and concerns of the political race for government of America, and not focus on casting a vote to promote the positions of one of America's many religions.