Let's Get Political

I had someone ask me if I'd be comfortable voting for a black President, and my thought was, "What difference does it make?" I mean, really? Are we still so stuck in the past that color still needs to be addressed? To answer your question, yes, I would be perfectly comfortable voting for a black President. Just not this one. Do I think he has the terrorist ties some people would lead you to believe he has? No. Do I think this nation will be taken over by "the infidels" if Obama takes the Presidency? Nope. Do I think this nation will see a recovery of the economy and the "change" he has promised? Well, maybe not the exact change he has promised, but yes, I think we will see improvements. I'm putting my vote in McCain because, first off, I morally believe in his platform, and secondly, if we have another terrorist attack, I truly believe he would be the right man to carry us through it. In case you aren't aware, we live in a democracy with a system of checks and balances. The President is just one of many many people who put taxes, bills, laws, and amendments into place. And every decision the president makes has been scrutinized by a whole mess of assistants, political analyists, and advisers. Not to mention any law he signs off on has already been passed by the (Democratically controlled) Congress. This is why I'm registered Independent. The only time our President makes "executive decisions" with the least amount of influence from the legislatures, cabinet members, and advisors is when we are in a state of emergency (such as a terrorist attack). I am not the biggest fan of Bush, however I will continue to respect him as our President. And say what you will about him, but he's carried us through one of the most trying times we've ever been faced with, and I am thankful he was in place when that happened. He's a President who has seen some of both the highest and lowest approval ratings in his time in office. Would I like to see this war end? Of course. Nobody likes war. But its not just one man keeping them there, so I have to believe with our system, that there is more to it than that. I absolutely do not think our troops will immediately be pulled if Obama takes office. We will not suddenly be in an economic boom, and we will not suddenly be loved by the rest of the world (nor will this happen with McCain by the way). Ok, so I ran off on a tangent. I had a point in posting this.

When Obama first started campaigning I got a chance to see him in Des Moines, and I gotta admit, he's a smooth talker, and I liked him. I continued to support him for a while, but even at the beginning, I feared one thing. He was going to get voted in to office because he's black, not because he's the right man for the job. I don't think he'll do a horrible job in office, and I believe that if he's elected, we'll still continue to be a political giant. So, it won't be the end of the world if he gets elected like some would have you to believe. We as Americans put our vote on the candidate who we relate to most. If we are doing our job as citizens, we're going to study up on platforms and relate to the candidate who best represents our line of thinking, our morals, and would vote on things the same way we would. But here's the unfortunate scenario; most Americans don't hold up their responsibilities, and their vote becomes based on other things: Which candidate is a war hero, which candidate is a Catholic, Methodist, or Evangelical (and lets not forget Muslim). Which candidate has kids, how did they grow up, and this year, race and gender; and a lot of other things that, although they have helped to shape their character over the years, really don't matter when it comes down to it. I'm pro-life and we've had a President who is strongly pro-life for the past 8 years. Has it mattered? No. And why? Because we live in a democracy where the opinions of one man don't matter. And thank God for that!

So once again, after a tangent, my point is this; examine your candidates. Find out why you are voting for them. If someone asks you why you're voting for a particular candidate and you can't have an honest answer for them, either do some reading by November 4th or don't vote. Don't ever expect to hear me say this again, but Howard Stern pretty much summed it up.