Thursday, October 30, 2008

More politics

Have you heard the latest? If Barack Obama is elected president of the United States all the banks will be closed in five days.

That's because it will be Sunday (the election is on a Tuesday). Ha ha ha.

You know, I have been trying lately to be a little kinder when it comes to politics (on the blog and in real life). I have let loose some rhetoric that is not so nice in the past, and for that I am sorry. However, I finally took a gander at some of the crud James Dobson and his cronies at Focus on the Family have been slinging about Senator Obama and.... well.... if the Christian Right has it right, then I'd just as soon be wrong.

I lost all respect for James Dobson years ago. But I can't believe the anti-Obama letter and other things they are circulating. You can see the letter, and also give a response to it, HERE. I wish there was a way to let people know, that just because FoF is a "Christian" group, that doesn't mean all Christians are like that... anymore than we're all like that similar-to-them "Christian" group that demonstrates at military funerals.

So, as far as who to vote for... again, it makes no difference to me who you vote for, or if you even vote. It's a free country. But I thought I would share why I am voting the way I am. I base it on these three criteria (in order of importance): 1) The candidates Character - because character usually dictates action; Visionary leadership - the ability to inspire or lead, because I believe that is largely the Presidents job; and 3) the Issues. I give the nod to Obama in all three.

I used to think both major candidates were men of character. But as the campaign has drug on, and as the one camp has chosen to campaign solely by trying to smear the other camp, I don't see how a lack of character cannot be at the root of it. It is increasingly clear to me that one candidate truly is a man of faith (Obama is the only one of the two who claims to be a follower of Jesus), and one man is not. McCain has never claimed any Christian affiliation, and when he did try to latch on to some high-profile preachers, he later asked them not to endorse him because he realized they were nuts. (When McCain says he has "faith in god," he never specifies which god). And it's not that a Christian candidate is better than a non-Christian one (IMHO), but I continue to be amazed by the number of people who simply assume Christian and Republican are synonymous.

Anyway, Andrew Sullivan has a pretty good post on "The Top Ten Reasons Conservatives Should Vote For Obama." I don't know that I agree with everything he says, but it is good nonetheless.

I will be glad when this is all over. My gut says McCain's fear and smear campaign will win out. Which I think is a really sad statement for America. And why I believe we need someone like Obama now more than ever. We will see though. I hope my gut is wrong.

Peace out; and in.

ht to Brian M