Obama '08!

At the risk of losing friends, I write in defense and in advocacy of who I hope to be the next President of the United States: Barack Obama. My desire to see him in the Oval Office continues to increase, to the point that I am not content to simply vote for him myself. I want everyone to vote for him. Someone recently accused me of drinking the "Obama Kool-aid." Sure, he’s a pretty hip guy who plays basketball early in the morning with staffers and gets Grammy Awards for the readings of his books, but there is much more to him than that. Without sounding trite, I submit to you that he offers change we can believe in. In this post I will address what I feel to be the most critical issues due to our current situation. I will also address the character of the two candidates, something I feel is an important contributing element to the race. I will not be addressing trivial matters, such as the Ayers issue. For other false smears, click here. Voters should evaluate issues such as foreign policy, the economy, healthcare, and the environment before voting November 4.

This race isn't about conservatives and liberals. It's about putting long-time loyalties aside and looking for the person who will make the difference on the issues that matter most right here and right now. A good friend and colleague of mine, Andrew Gleaves, said yesterday: “I realized that I don't hold anything against him personally, and I really like much of what he represents. I think it comes down to this- I don't like McCain because of the person, and I don't like Obama because of the party . . . Fortunately our system tends to 'center' candidates regardless of party” I'm not saying become a registered democrat, or shift left in all of your views. I think if we looked at all of the issues, most of us would find ourselves as moderates. I'm conservatively swayed on the issues of abortion and gay marriage; but those are not the critical issues of this race. The Obama/Biden ticket is not substantively different on the gay marriage issue than McCain/Palin based on statements in the VP debate. Were I a California resident, I would vote yes for Proposition 8. And with respect to abortion, I, along with the Church, take a more moderate approach to it. Like prohibition, people will still find a way to have abortions if it's banned, and there are very rare times when it's a choice we need available. Let's teach abstinence and contraception, keeping everyone happy. That said, the trend seems to show state governments legislating on these issues, and I am much more likely to vote conservative locally. I'm not going to vote for McCain because of those two issues and let the environment, the economy, and our worldwide reputation suffer. You can be a Mormon family man and lean left.

I see foreign policy as a critical issue in the current campaign. One of the major divides between Obama and McCain is what to do with the Iraq war. I think I share the general American sentiment in saying that I am opposed to it, and have been for some time. We're wasting money, we're wasting time, and most importantly, we're wasting lives and have followed torture policies that have tarnished the moral authority this country once commanded as a world human rights leader. Bush’s pre-emptive war doctrine also has violated well established principles of international war. To McCain’s credit, he has opposed Bush’s torture policies, but not the Bush doctrine. There are clearly ulterior motives behind the movement to provide Iraq with a democracy, or why wouldn't we act so altruistically in other countries that have far worse governments than Iraq (Darfur)? History has shown that forcing governments onto the shoulders of others, especially with the accompanying Western ideologies, rarely succeeds (see "The Future of Governing" by Guy Peters, Chapter 6). Isn't forcing democracy on a country a little counterintuitive? There are other places we should focus our money and military might . . . like Afghanistan, where a real threat lies. That's what Obama wants to do. He wants to talk about things with leaders around the world, diplomatically, not fight them and force them to accept and implement American ideals. Maybe talking with leaders won't always work, but isn't it the best place to start? He wants to collaborate more with established allies in the U.N. He would better our international reputation, which, as anyone who paid attention to the U.N. Conference two weeks ago knows, is in critical condition. This leads me to my next issue: the economy.

Obama's economic plan is feasible and more equitable. I'm alright to pay more taxes, if it means bettering society as a whole. It seems that "spreading the wealth" is a Christian way of living. That said, I, and most I know, will not have tax increases. We'll have tax cuts, along with anyone else making less than $250,000 a year. I trust Obama to put balance into our chaotic economy. McCain's economic plan appears based on the same old “trickle down” theory in which giving the wealthiest 5% of the population is suppose to benefit the middle and lower class. Yet the disparity between the rich and working poor in this country has only grown during the last eight years at the same time that CEOs (including from the now defunct Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers) walked away with hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation. Of course, McCain himself, having had Cindy's father bail him out when he was broke at 41 years old, has had little recent experience with the financial challenges many Americans suffer.

I think Obama's healthcare plan defines the man himself: visionary. Obama's healthcare plan would save lives and dollars. The mandate is for children, which, having a son, makes so much sense. It would mean my friend Danton Barrios wouldn't have to return to his home country of Uruguay to die because he couldn't afford healthcare here for a heart surgery. Even when provided by an employer, it costs thousands of dollars to pay for, as I'm sure you know. And the Obama plan lets you keep your provider if you so desire. Universal Healthcare works in many other parts of the world, increasing quality of life and life expectancy.

And I don't want to neglect the environment. McCain says, "drill, baby, drill." Where is that going to get us? Just deeper into the environmental and financial hole! Obama focuses more on energy conservation and renewable energy sources, that will provide jobs to millions and save the earth. Two birds with one stone.

I also want to address the character and background of the two men, forgive me for slinging a little mud here. People may think I'm being nitpicky in addressing the character of these men, but I feel that as potential Presidents of the United States, we need to scrutinize them, and see them inside and out. Obama represents the family. He has two children and has been married only once. He clearly loves his family and spends time with them. He works hard, which is how he came from a difficult, single parent background, and is now the nominee for the President of the United States. He's smart, with degrees from Ivy League schools and experience as an educator, an attorney, and a politician. He's Christian and practices his faith. He doesn't hide from the media, as opposed to President Bush, who has had fewer press conferences than any president in recent history. We need someone who's not afraid to talk to us through the media, since that's how we know what's going on. His oratorical skills are extraordinary. He delivers when speaking (he writes his own speeches) and when writing (he writes his own books). He writes and speaks with leadership, something we desparately need right now. I first heard him speak about a year ago and it marked the first time in my young life that I heard a president or presidential candidate sound, for lack of a better word, presidential. He's authentic, he's genuine, he's real. He's black and knows that there is still an intolerable amount of social injustice in our society. He would bridge gaps between minorities and majorities everywhere. He symbolizes a major shift in the infrastructure of American life: the turning of the tide from an era of white, male domination and elitism to a heterogeneous future featuring an increased tolerance of diversity and equality and a decreased tolerance of bigotry, and white oppression.

McCain, conversely, doesn't have the best record. He was unfaithful to his first wife, and married Cindy just weeks after his first divorce. Nothing mars a man's character more than infidelity to his spouse, and I don't feel kindly toward Bill Clinton for the same reason. There are few things that disgust me more. If Obama had dated strippers, he would be bashed by the religious right with faithful Christian republicans leading the charge. Yet, in McCain’s introduction during the Republican Convention, Fred Thompson bragged about McCain’s bravado having driven around in a flamboyant corvette and dated a stripper named “Marie the Flame of Florida.” Where is the moral outrage from the party of “family values”?

Then there is the question of whether McCain carries himself with the dignity of somebody we want as president. McCain is condescending and mean-spirited, and his temper is legendary. An Arizona Legislator, Dennis DeConcini said, “In my eight years with him, I learned that John just hates it when you disagree with him. If you press it, he just falls back on his patriotism. And then he blows up.” Do we want someone in the presidency who “blows up?” Don’t disagreements deepen the pool of meaning and create productive dialogue, leading to productive decisions? Calling Obama "that one," and treating him like a child through every debate has been too much for me, (while I feel Biden was very respectful of his less-experienced opponent). McCain is reckless and compulsive; asking Palin to be his running mate, suspending his campaign, and wanting to delay the debate because of the financial crisis, to name a couple examples. He shifts his positions according to the people, keeping their vote in mind rather than their welfare. Oh, and he doesn't use email.

Finally, there is McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin as running mate. Don’t take my word for how under qualified she is to be VP or successor to the presidency. Take it from conservative republican columnists like George Will and David Brooks, and Secretary of State Collin Powell. An Alaska Legislature Investigation recently found her guilty of breaking the executive code of ethics. And some of her ideas are not just ignorant, they're downright dangerous.

Palin was highlighting college basketball games for a local news station at the same time Obama was teaching constitutional law at Chicago University. She attended five universities to receive her undergraduate degree, and stopped there. McCain finished 894th out of 899 students at the United States Naval Academy. Obama is a Columbia/Harvard Grad, Magna Cum Laude, and served as editor of the Harvard Law Review. Biden received his law degree from Syracuse University. I know, education isn’t everything, but, from an LDS perspective, it certainly is something.

Sarah Palin couldn't name one newspaper or magazine, and couldn't cite a single supreme court decision when Katie Couric put it to her. How will she be able to interact with world leaders? I have no real problem with her personally, but she is spectacularly unqualified to be President of the United States and to have nuclear codes, which is the VP's job on day 1.

The difference between Obama's agenda and McCain's is that Obama's will help the disenfranchised and the poor; he will improve America's low standing in an increasingly global community. Obama is the future.

So there's my pitch for Barack Obama. He can heal our country—economically, physically, environmentally, racially, and internationally. He has the determination, the understanding, the intelligence, and the moral values to make the U.S. of A. the greatest country in the world again.

Let me add that whether you vote for Obama or not, go vote! Apathy erodes democracy. I much prefer an educated McCain supporter to an uneducated Obama supporter.