Throwing My Choice Out There

Though I hate to get political, this is my blog and I need to get this out. The presidential election in 2008 is one of the most critical in years. Our country is at a crossroads in our history and we need to throw all of our efforts into electing someone with new ideas. Barack Obama has the best chance in doing that of anyone. I have never been an enormous Clinton fan. On top of that, Hillary Clinton is one of the most polarizing figures in our country. Some people like her, but the people on the right who hate her HATE her with a passion. Throughout the Clinton presidential years, Bill was dogged by scandal after scandal. At the same time, he made promise after promise and reneged on many of them. Environmental reform, inclusion of gays in the military, health care, and on and on. What did we get? A president who signed the Defense of Marriage Act, the United States not participating in the Kyoto Treaty, a failed health care plan, and the Monica Lewinsky scandal. If Clinton could have gotten over his ego and resigned in the late 90s after the scandal broke, Al Gore would have been a sitting president and would have easily won reelection in 2000. The course of our nation and the reality we look at today would be vastly different.

Obama represents change, an influx of fresh ideas, intelligence, and a president who can speak properly. (Gee, isn't that a novel concept?) We cannot afford to let our country continue on the path we are on. The United States is nearing the end of our dominance as the world superpower. (This is not a huge concern for me as all things must come to an end. We cannot be number 1 forever. However, we need to make preparations for this inevitable event.) China, India, and the European Union are nipping at our heels. We have serious issues that we as a country and a global community need to deal with. Iraq, health care, national security, the environmental crisis, the struggle for equality for gays and minorities, falling education standards, globalization, immigration, reforming our nation's energy systems, Supreme Court vacancies to worry about, and on and on. If we approach these problems head on instead of denying they exist, the American people can find solutions and save the planet for generations of people to come. By the nature of the American system, we can solve problems better than anyone else in the world. Ingenuity, the free exchange of ideas, and a free market all allow this to happen. But we cannot do it without a leader that is poised to push the envelope and think outside the box. Electing Hillary Clinton or any of the Republicans would be continuing the polarizing political game that has been played out for the last eight years to devastating results. What kind of a president would veto legislation that will provide health insurance for America's children? What kind of chicken shit senators and representatives will not vote to end funding for our participation in a civil war that is costing us hundreds of billions of dollars a year not to mention young people's lives? Eighty percent of the country disapproves of our presence in Iraq at this time. Meanwhile, our national debt continues to soar. Currently we are 9 trillion dollars in the hole. The name and reputation of the United States around the world has never been more trashed. We garner little if any respect from anyone. We need to start engaging both our allies and enemies in a respectful dialogue, not sets of demands like some fat spoiled child.

This a critical time in our country. We all need to be watching the debates, reading these candidate's websites, and taking a stand for the future of our country. I encourage all of you to get involved in the process and convince your friends and family members too. We cannot afford another repeat of the last eight disastrous years.

http://www.barackobama.com/

Cuidate.