I have refrained from being political on my blog. Not sure why. It is, after all, my blog. But tonight I feel like I have something to say.
I welcome and respect the fact that my friends and family do not always share my political beliefs. I love a good, thoughtful debate. Your political beliefs do not dictate whether I love you or not.
Barack vs Hillary. I thought that I would go for Hillary 20 months ago when all of this madness began. After all, I love Bill and I respect Hillary and what she stands for. But then I started to pay attention to Barack Obama. His speeches sounded fresh to me. His point of view was interesting. He said some things that needed to be said within the African American community. He said some things that white people needed to hear. He is close to my age. He is a parent of two children close to the ages of my children. He is happily married to a successful, strong woman. Hillary's ideas felt like I had heard them before. I was and am proud of the run she made to the White House and I think she would have been a great President. But when it came to making a choice, I felt like Obama was the man who could bring people together and inspire change.
It is not lost on me that Barack Obama is a black man. The historical impact of a win for Obama is huge. I grew up in an environment where the use of the "N" word was liberal. It always disgusted me. My oldest friend in the world is an African American man called Maurice. We have known each other since the first grade. How could he be my friend when the message at home was so negative? It was hard to understand as a child. I fought against that influence and it is something I still fight today. I am proud that in my lifetime I could see a black man elected president. Dr. King is my personal hero. I did my senior leadership thesis on him. Dr. King dreamed of a day when we would all be judged by the content of our character and not by the color of our skin. Today could be that day.
John McCain. I have a ton of respect for John McCain and the service he has given to our country. I even was intrigued by him as a candidate eight years ago. But his voting record with President Bush (whose leadership I believe has been less than stellar) bothers me a lot. When he declared that the fundamentals of our economy are strong back in September as all hell was breaking loose, I felt like he was out of touch.
Sarah Palin. I have nothing against Sarah Palin. I think if our kids went to school together I might even be friendly with her. But I am not going to vote for her just because she is a woman. I didn't choose Hillary because she was a woman. In addition, Sarah Palin and I are on the opposite end of every issue. Why would I overlook that and vote for her because she is a woman?
I am an issues voter. I have certain things that are non-negotiable to me and frankly, I don't think the Republicans will field a candidate who is pro-choice, pro-gay, more dove than hawk, and so on. To do so would alienate their core. But if they ever do, I'd give them an honest look.
So, I am rooting tonight for Barack Obama because he aligns with who I am.
Republican or Democrat, they key is to vote. You are not allowed to complain about the way things are (or aren't) if you don't vote.
So, regardless of your affiliation, as long as you have a thoughtful opinion, we'll be cool. Peace.
