This year I voted for the first time in my life in an election. That was in the Massachusetts primaries, where I voted for a Democratic candidate, namely Hillary Clinton. I won't elaborate on the reasons for that vote, except to say that, at the time, I was more convinced by her experience and dedication, and especially her commitment to extending health insurance to all Americans, which she supported by a very solid and clear plan.
Back then, Barack Obama was still new in my eyes, so I hadn't yet been convinced by him. At the same time, I also followed John McCain's support among Republicans and how it soared after winning New Hampshire. I'll be honest and admit that I liked John McCain... or, to be more exact, I didn't dislike him. Unlike most in the Republican party, and especially those in powerful positions, he had a clearer vision of America and acted on it more objectively than staunch conservatives did. That is why I respected him.
In the past few months, however, I have seen how the curve of my respect for him has experienced a downward slope and that of his opponent an upward one. I have also seen how the learning curves of the two of them have followed almost equivalent slopes; and how my opinion on whom to elect as President of the United States has meristematically favoured Barack Obama. It is in concert with this disposition and the opinion I have formed of the content of his character that I unreservedly give Barack Obama my first vote for President of the United States on November 4th.
A few months back, I merely recognised that Obama was a good public speaker—not superlative, but keep in mind that Churchill and MLK, Jr. keep my standards very high. Back then, though, I saw little substance to whatever beautiful things he had to say. Nevertheless, it was not hard to see that he was no demagogue. I see this more clearly today and, what's more, I find that the void I used to perceive behind his words has by now been filled and augmented manifold with example after example of right choices, integrity, clarity of vision, judgment, sang-froid, and common sense, all of which have experienced a shortage on McCain's side and I would even dare to claim that they have been absent from the moment he picked the deeply ignorant, highly unqualified Sarah Palin to be his running mate.
What scares me the most about this neocon harridan—besides the fact that she is unqualified to serve even as the governor of a state like Alaska—is the fact that she is literally one 72-year-old's (skipped) heartbeat from being president of the United States. That being said, I cannot help but revel and bask in the radiation that the decomposing GOP has been emitting every day for a few months now. For hilarity's purposes, I urge you to reconstruct the above acronym to your liking. I personally prefer 'Groggy Old Party,' or even 'Grumpy Old Party.'
I see no point continuing this haphazard entry by reiterating examples of situations that the political, economic, and social climates have thrust upon these two presidential candidates and how each of them has weathered them. I am convinced that if you're voting in these elections next week, you have been following the two campaigns long enough to have formed an intelligent and well-informed opinion on your choice of candidate. All I want to do at this point is urge you to go and vote on November 4th or, where early voting is allowed, sometime from now until then.
A side note for those who are voting in California: Please check the NO box on Propositions 4 and 8. I will not weigh in on the other propositions and respectfully allow my libertarian friends and readers to vote as they see fit on state expenditures and budget allocations. Propositions 4 and 8, however, concern two social issues about which I feel strongly. They are questions of Constitutional and of Civil rights and they aim to take control of the person's body or to define what's acceptable as lifelong commitment in the State's eyes. Those who have an issue with my calling these rights 'civil' need only remember that the word 'civil' is interchangeable with the word 'civic' and both concern the duties, rights, and privileges of citizens, which we all are if we find ourselves in the voting booths next week. So let us get there, and vote to elect Barack Obama President of the United States and shoot down the socially challenged, backwards, unconstitutional, and unreasonable propositions I just enumerated.
Dixi.
