The Positive Side of Things

I've written a lot of negative things on this blog, talking about politics. I am, without a doubt, one of those "angry liberals." I'm flat out disgusted by a lot of what I see in politics, and almost everything I see from the Republican party. I don't extend courtesy and respect to the George Bushes, Dick Cheneys, Bill O'Reillys, Rush Limbaughs of the world. I'm not sure I'd even tap the brakes if I saw them crossing the street in front of me. ;)

I was always going to vote against John McCain, or whoever else the Republicans ran. I voted against George W Bush in 2000 and 2004, despite not having any particular affection for the candidates I voted for.

I'm not voting against John McCain this year. I'm voting *for* Barack Obama. For the first time in a long time, there's a candidate I believe in. I'm as cynical as they come, in a lot of ways, but I believe what Obama and his campaign have to say. Do I think they're going to accomplish everything they're setting out to do? Of course not. Part of me finds it impossible to believe that we're ever going to see our healthcare system fixed... too many people are making too much money off of it. Part of me knows that corporate interests have their roots so deep into the infrastructure of this country that no matter what party is in power, there's always going to be a sharp divide between the haves and the have-nots. But I believe that we might move just a bit closer to having a middle class again, a middle class that isn't just barely hanging on by its fingernails to avoid being dumped into that lower middle class, struggling to survive situation that so many others live with every day. I believe that an Obama administration is actually going to work towards energy independence and environmental responsibility, instead of hinting that they're not even sure global warming is man-made.

I believe in Barack Obama. I've been inspired not just by his speeches, but by his policies. Tonight I watched the Obama campaign's half hour special, and it reminded me that for all of the anger, and fear, and worry that this political season has stirred up in me, for all the snark and sarcasm and derision I've aimed (and will continue to aim) at McCain and Palin and their campaign team and their surrogates, that's not why I'm in this. I'm in this because of hope, and optimism. I actually believe things might get better under a President Obama. I'm not voting for the lesser of two evils. For the first time in my life, I'm voting for the person I want to be voting for.

This, among so many other reasons, is why I'm voting for Barack Obama: