Vote Democratic

For the last couple of days, I've been telling myself that I needed to sit down and make a post about the impending election, to sum it all up, as it were. Get it down in print. I was going to tick off all the bad things about McCain and the good things about Obama. Piece of cake.

But DC Nef beat me to it. I'm very proud of my nephew who is currently living in the D of C. And I'm very proud of my San FranNef too. They're good people. They're both good Democrats, so I figure that my sister had to do something right.

DC Nef sums up the election better than I could. I hope he doesn't mind me borrowing some of his words here:

It's now the night before the election.

It's not just that Senator John McCain is the wrong choice. Certainly, he is. Why? His selection of Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. His erratic response to the crisis in the financial markets. His desire to form a "League of Democracies" that will alienate many countries we need to improve relations with. His apparent mission to attempt to isolate Russia - something we could likely not do with the cooperation of many others, let alone by flying solo. His inability to reconcile his position on our two wars with the comments of the commanders on the ground, despite his consistent pledge to listen to them. His abandonment of support for comprehensive immigration reform, broad energy policy, and campaign finance reform - I've said before that the McCain of 2000 - the Maverick - wouldn't vote for the McCain of 2008. The list goes on.

What turns me off most is his campaign. It's not just the unfounded smears and insinuations about Barack Obama's past. It's the Orwellian nature of his arguments. The McCain campaign seems to believe that it can make something true just by saying it. For example: It is true that Sarah Palin has no functional foreign policy experience. That is a fact. Instead of making a legitimate argument, the campaign says that, since Alaska is close to Russia, she's tested. That's not only nonsensical - it's embarrassing. It's grasping at straws. Why not argue that neither Reagan nor Clinton had foreign policy experience, either? Why not argue that the Vice President can learn that on the job? Those are legitimate arguments. They're not misleading, and they're not empty. Yet, this is the route that campaign has taken time and time again.

So, it's not all of that. It's that, despite my general cynicism, I truly believe a President Obama can make a real and meaningful difference in the direction of our country.

Do I agree with all of his policies? No. I'm not a protectionist, though I do believe that our trade agreements need meaningful and enforced labor, environmental and intellectual property standards. Generally, I would be opposed to raising taxes during an economic downturn, but I'm not opposed to restoring some sanity to the tax bracket for the upper crust to shrink the deficit and pay for infrastructure projects that are badly needed and create jobs. I was opposed to the financial rescue package as structured, but both candidates supported it, so that's a wash.

However, I herald the prospect of a meaningful energy policy, the end of a failed war in Iraq, real change to the way health care is delivered, respect for the GLBT community, an end to the "war on science" conducted in executive agencies, proper treatment for our military veterans (including psychological injuries and TBI) and the likely appointment of Supreme Court Justices who see the right to privacy I believe is implied in the Constitution. I could spend a few hours fleshing each of these out, but they're really pretty self-evident if you've been paying any attention.

I early voted for Barack Obama because he is a great choice, even in a vacuum. When you examine the alternative, the choice becomes even more clear. (end)

Well said, DC Nef. Well said. You make me proud.

I'm confident that Obama is going to win Tuesday, and we will begin the long task of rebuilding our image abroad and our nation at home.

If McCain "wins" it, it will only be because the Republicans figured out how to steal it, and that will absolutely be a horrible thing for this nation.

They stole it from Gore in 2000. They stole it from Kerry in 2004. Look at where their behavior has gotten us. They cannot be allowed to steal it again this time. If they do, I feel like it's going to be the end of America, in far too many ways.