Endorsements

I've already decided who I'm voting for, and why, in the 2008 Election. I honestly think we need lots and LOTS of change. In fact, I sincerely doubt that ANYONE running for office is really tackling the issues that need to be addressed. However, I do support one candidate over another for many reasons. I used to be a Republican, and supported many Republican candidates over the years. I voted for George W. Bush for TX Governor in 1998 and for President in 2000. In 2004 I was living in North Carolina and voted for Michael Badnarik (Libertarian) for President. I felt at the time that Bush had squandered his political capital and was turning into a disaster. Kerry was not a viable option, although at this point I think he would have done a decent job. This year the choice between McCain and Obama represent such contrasts. Obama is a liberal, and I am by nature a small-c conservative. McCain is no conservative, but a "National Greatness" Republican that believes in American exceptionalism and a constant state of war. But Obama is a first-rate intellect with a first-rate temperment who's first reaction is to THINK rather than ACT. After eight years of Bush doing a lot of ACTING, I think Obama is the change we need. Obama also represents a New America. In my parent's America, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation were all things that divided us. In my New America, those things are secondary to character and merit. McCain isn't just a generation older, he's TWO generations older, belonging to my Grandparent's generation. This older generation was a Great Generation, who did great things...but their mistakes and the mistakes of the Boomer generation plague us today. When the McCain campaign is still prosecuting the 1960s, most of the under-40 crowd don't even REMEMBER the 60s. The culture wars are over...and trying to renew them only turns off my generation. Oddly, conservatives won several of the culture wars. My generation is by nature less likely to have an abortion, favoring realistic sex-education. This generation believes in marriage, they just want every adult who is in a loving relationship to have access to this right. This generation believes ultimately in privacy and personal responsibility. Score one for conservatives! Yet this generation rejects the boomer politics that McCain represents. Also troubling is the rise of the Christianists in power in the GOP. I write this knowing full well what Christianists are and what they represent. I believe my father, my sisters are all Christianists who believe that our Consitution (a secular legal document) should adhere to The Bible, and should change it if necessary to reflect this. Christianists are not Christians in the sense of the word "Christian" meaning "Follower of Christ." Fundamentally Christ supported a distinct separation from "The World" for his followers. He told his followers to "render to Caeser the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." If that's not a resounding endorsement of the Separation of Church and State, I don't know what is! McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as his V.P. nominee is a cynical attempt at pandering to the Christianists that control his Party. McCain is no favorite for the Christianists, and Palin was the remedy. She's highly unqualified and represents the height of irrational judgement on the part of McCain.