(This is adapted from a personal journal entry posted elsewhere. But I thought it would be a good thing to post here tonight.)
Those who fight for a better life for all Americans have risen to power in the house, and nearly so in the senate as of tow years ago. But the occasional majority in the senate and the petulant, greedy president, prevent progress on most pressing issue. Instead we get 'drill everywhere and cut taxes for millionairs'. And that's it from those who are in power. I don't mean to offend the rank and file republicans whom may read this but, the republican leadership is insane. Insane, and must be stopped.
The Bush administration, a vast majority of republican senators and members of the house, have one goal in common, to tell you that only they can be trusted with the keys of power. I'm not meaning that you should just elect them, but that you shouldn't even trust your friends and neighbors to make responsible decisions about where this country should be going. Because those friends and neighbors might be 'liberals' or 'illegal immigrants' or 'traitors' or 'dirty hippies' or 'young and too nieve'... But it doesn't stop there, they want you to doubt your own self. To cloud your mind with lies and innuendo about their opponents to the point where both sides look to be bad. Then they hold up their wedge issue to grab your wavering support. Congratulations, you've just been duped into opposing 80% of what you stand for. I'm not even going to get into the next level, where those who count the votes have promised to deliver certain states to the current president in the previous elections and the folly of electronic voting machines. Or the efforts to increase the difficulty to vote so that poor folks that don't need cars, and thus often don't get driver's licenses, suddenly can't vote at all...
Even before one can even get to the issue differences between the current candidate, its clear to anyone who is able to stand up and trust their own ability to make decisions that there is one party who's primary goal is to make you make bad decisions. I'm not saying both parties don't use negative advertising, negative advertising can both be hard hitting and truthful in its attacks, but I am saying that one party is pursing a policy of destruction of community, self, and democracy. That is unacceptable.
Before I even think about day to day issues, my core political beliefs are that democracy is to be encouraged and protected. Failure to do that is a good way to get on my bad side. Also it helps if you participate. (register to vote NOW damn it!) Some folks cite the war, the economy, gas prices, or what ever as the reason for supporting one candidate over the other. For me, it starts with democracy. Do they support it? From what I've seen, Obama does support democracy. That belief in our system of governance, in my opinion, is why he is where he is. Instead of relying on the usual suspects of lobbyists to raise money, he asked us. Instead of trying to persuade the regular voter only, he asked more people to start voting. Even before this campaign, he worked towards open government, such as the bill to make it easier to find out who in congress is pushing for what pet projects. Knowledge about your government's activities is a potent tool in controlling it as a citizen. These all point towards someone who is not cynical about what is possible in the American democracy. I think deep down, that's why I support him. The issues are nice fits, but this is why I'm proud to call my self an American for Obama.
The long good bye can strike democracy too. But unlike those friends who have drifted into their own personal hell, in the ship of America, we're all in this together. And I'll be a fool to let the once and future greatest nation on Earth be tossed into the dust bin of history because power hungry ass holes decided they wanted power forever. The only winning in America is when we all don't collectively suck at being Americans.
We can choose to not suck. We will over come.