"Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."
I'd like to preface this by stating - first off - that the overriding point of this post is this: If you are an American, and your state is holding a primary or caucus tomorrow, get out and make your voice be HEARD. [Vote early and vote often! ... Kidding, but still, VOTE.]
In the opinion of many, our nation is worse off than it was mere years ago. We all need to take stock in ourselves and our country and make our choice known. Whether you're conservative or liberal, Republican or Independent or Democrat, young or old, black or white or brown or purple, male or female ... This is our time, our chance to affect the future direction of our country.
Whether you agree with my choice in this primary season or not doesn't matter, not really. Oh, sure, I'd love it if everyone agreed with me, and my candidate had an easy road to the White House from here. However, the United States is often referred to as a melting pot - filled with different cultures and backgrounds and, understandably, ideas. The Bill of Rights entitles each of us to hold our own opinion on any number of issues, and this is just another in that line.
So, please, if you're eligible to vote tomorrow [or later this primary season], please, PLEASE do so. The future - mine, yours, our children's and our grandchildren's - is at stake here.
We've reached a defining moment in our country. Make your voice be heard.
DISCLAIMER: This is all my opinion. I don't expect any of you to agree with me necessarily, but I would appreciate it if you would at least read and consider my words with an open mind. I don't expect my mind to be changed on the subject - I've made a point of trying to following political developments as closely as I can - but I'd be happy to listen to your own thoughts, if you have any to share in the comments and/or in your own journal. :)
We have a number of problems in this country - problems that need to be solved. It is unlikely that any of these problems can be solved simply by counting on Congressmen and Congresswomen to vote along party lines. We are, after all, the United States of America, and I think that it is important for bills about the economy, Iraq, health care, immigration, etc. to be bipartisan in nature to hopefully provide solutions that we can count to last generations.
Given the distaste that many Republicans have for the Clinton family, I don't know that that would be possible with Senator Clinton as our President. As I understand it, she has worked on some bipartisan legislation during her years in the Senate for the state of New York, but I can't say that I have any confidence that she will have the bipartisan support to make the sweeping changes that I think our country needs.
I want to see our country come together and work together to make changes to the things that are broken in our government. I am sick of lobbyists in Washington winning the votes of our elected officials and preventing the real change that we need from happening in our country.
I like Senator Obama's idea of negotiating a national health care plan with open doors that is perhaps televised on a network such as CSPAN. Clearly, the American public wants to expand the health care system - 1 in 7 people being uninsured is ridiculous - and I think that the pressure from the public would be enough to get all the relevant parties to the table to talk about these issues. And with the public watching, hopefully a solution will be more possible than ever.
I like that Senator Obama understands that the 1 in 7 people who don't have health insurance are generally uninsured because of the rising costs of health insurance. He will not mandate health coverage like Senator Clinton says that she will but will instead work to make insurance less expensive so that those who have been wanting to buy in *can.* If someone does not wish to buy health insurance, I believe that's their perrogative, so long as it's a true choice. Choosing food over insurance is terrible, but if an individual prefers to spend their money in a different way, that's their right, I believe, as an American. [He would require health insurance for all children, for the record.]
I like that Senator Obama is talking about getting young adults in America to rededicate themselves in service to the nation and the world. I was very active in Alpha Phi Omega when I was at Drake, and I really feel that I gained a lot from those experiences. I saw a number of people while I was at Drake who were also looking to make a difference in the world, and I think it's something that could have a wonderful and positive effect on our nation as we move towards the future. Programs like the Peace Corps and Americorps are doing great things around the world, and I also believe that having a greater number of Americans involved in such problems would do a great deal to improve our reputation around the world.
Finally, I like that Senator Obama was right about the Iraq war from the start. While he was not in the US Senate at that time, he was fighting for a highly contested seat in the Illinois Senate [per Michelle Obama]. In that October, Senator Obama made it clear that he did not oppose all wars - he just opposed dumb wars. He made it clear that he felt that such an endeavor would spread our military too thin and distract us from the real threat to the United States - Osama bin Laden and the Al Quaida in Afghanistan.
He was right.
Senator Clinton often speaks about how she can be "ready on day one," and about how important that is. I agree that that's an important characteristic of a President, but more important to me is what Senator Obama has been speaking about recently. I think it's more important to be right on day one. Senator Clinton may be ready to lead on day one, but if she is leading us in the wrong direction, what does that do but give us further to go in order to make real progress, real change.
Looking back over my twenty-four years on this planet, I've lived through four Presidencies. I was born near the end of Reagan's first term, but I can't remember - vividly - his Presidency. I remember Bill Clinton's campaign - and how he and Hillary and Chelsea were celebrating that November as "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac played in the background.
I'm sick of the Rovian politics of 50% +1, which is likely what the Democratic hopes will amount to if Senator Clinton wins the nomination. I want a candidate who is not only willing but seeks the opportunity to work with the other party to make a difference. I want a candidate I can believe in, a candidate that doesn't just tell me how it's going to be, but asks for my help in changing my country - our country - for the better.
That's why I'm supporting Senator Barack Obama - even though he is a Bears fan. Because he makes me hope, he makes me dream, he makes me believe that we have so much unfulfilled potential as a nation and that we can be something better than what we are today.
[I'd be happy to link up various things, if you're interested in learning more about Senator Obama and his positions, but I won't shove that in here as I think I've rambled on long enough. :) You get a cookie if you made it this far.]
Finally, this video was not made or coordinated by Senator Obama's campaign, but I think it's a fantastic example of what we can all accomplish when we are motivated and work together. [Initial idea was that of will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas, I believe, and he worked with Jesse Dylan to get this all done - will.i.am's thought process on all of this can be found here.]
In conclusion: VOTE!
In the opinion of many, our nation is worse off than it was mere years ago. We all need to take stock in ourselves and our country and make our choice known. Whether you're conservative or liberal, Republican or Independent or Democrat, young or old, black or white or brown or purple, male or female ... This is our time, our chance to affect the future direction of our country.
Whether you agree with my choice in this primary season or not doesn't matter, not really. Oh, sure, I'd love it if everyone agreed with me, and my candidate had an easy road to the White House from here. However, the United States is often referred to as a melting pot - filled with different cultures and backgrounds and, understandably, ideas. The Bill of Rights entitles each of us to hold our own opinion on any number of issues, and this is just another in that line.
So, please, if you're eligible to vote tomorrow [or later this primary season], please, PLEASE do so. The future - mine, yours, our children's and our grandchildren's - is at stake here.
We've reached a defining moment in our country. Make your voice be heard.
DISCLAIMER: This is all my opinion. I don't expect any of you to agree with me necessarily, but I would appreciate it if you would at least read and consider my words with an open mind. I don't expect my mind to be changed on the subject - I've made a point of trying to following political developments as closely as I can - but I'd be happy to listen to your own thoughts, if you have any to share in the comments and/or in your own journal. :)
We have a number of problems in this country - problems that need to be solved. It is unlikely that any of these problems can be solved simply by counting on Congressmen and Congresswomen to vote along party lines. We are, after all, the United States of America, and I think that it is important for bills about the economy, Iraq, health care, immigration, etc. to be bipartisan in nature to hopefully provide solutions that we can count to last generations.
Given the distaste that many Republicans have for the Clinton family, I don't know that that would be possible with Senator Clinton as our President. As I understand it, she has worked on some bipartisan legislation during her years in the Senate for the state of New York, but I can't say that I have any confidence that she will have the bipartisan support to make the sweeping changes that I think our country needs.
I want to see our country come together and work together to make changes to the things that are broken in our government. I am sick of lobbyists in Washington winning the votes of our elected officials and preventing the real change that we need from happening in our country.
I like Senator Obama's idea of negotiating a national health care plan with open doors that is perhaps televised on a network such as CSPAN. Clearly, the American public wants to expand the health care system - 1 in 7 people being uninsured is ridiculous - and I think that the pressure from the public would be enough to get all the relevant parties to the table to talk about these issues. And with the public watching, hopefully a solution will be more possible than ever.
I like that Senator Obama understands that the 1 in 7 people who don't have health insurance are generally uninsured because of the rising costs of health insurance. He will not mandate health coverage like Senator Clinton says that she will but will instead work to make insurance less expensive so that those who have been wanting to buy in *can.* If someone does not wish to buy health insurance, I believe that's their perrogative, so long as it's a true choice. Choosing food over insurance is terrible, but if an individual prefers to spend their money in a different way, that's their right, I believe, as an American. [He would require health insurance for all children, for the record.]
I like that Senator Obama is talking about getting young adults in America to rededicate themselves in service to the nation and the world. I was very active in Alpha Phi Omega when I was at Drake, and I really feel that I gained a lot from those experiences. I saw a number of people while I was at Drake who were also looking to make a difference in the world, and I think it's something that could have a wonderful and positive effect on our nation as we move towards the future. Programs like the Peace Corps and Americorps are doing great things around the world, and I also believe that having a greater number of Americans involved in such problems would do a great deal to improve our reputation around the world.
Finally, I like that Senator Obama was right about the Iraq war from the start. While he was not in the US Senate at that time, he was fighting for a highly contested seat in the Illinois Senate [per Michelle Obama]. In that October, Senator Obama made it clear that he did not oppose all wars - he just opposed dumb wars. He made it clear that he felt that such an endeavor would spread our military too thin and distract us from the real threat to the United States - Osama bin Laden and the Al Quaida in Afghanistan.
He was right.
Senator Clinton often speaks about how she can be "ready on day one," and about how important that is. I agree that that's an important characteristic of a President, but more important to me is what Senator Obama has been speaking about recently. I think it's more important to be right on day one. Senator Clinton may be ready to lead on day one, but if she is leading us in the wrong direction, what does that do but give us further to go in order to make real progress, real change.
Looking back over my twenty-four years on this planet, I've lived through four Presidencies. I was born near the end of Reagan's first term, but I can't remember - vividly - his Presidency. I remember Bill Clinton's campaign - and how he and Hillary and Chelsea were celebrating that November as "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac played in the background.
I'm sick of the Rovian politics of 50% +1, which is likely what the Democratic hopes will amount to if Senator Clinton wins the nomination. I want a candidate who is not only willing but seeks the opportunity to work with the other party to make a difference. I want a candidate I can believe in, a candidate that doesn't just tell me how it's going to be, but asks for my help in changing my country - our country - for the better.
That's why I'm supporting Senator Barack Obama - even though he is a Bears fan. Because he makes me hope, he makes me dream, he makes me believe that we have so much unfulfilled potential as a nation and that we can be something better than what we are today.
[I'd be happy to link up various things, if you're interested in learning more about Senator Obama and his positions, but I won't shove that in here as I think I've rambled on long enough. :) You get a cookie if you made it this far.]
Finally, this video was not made or coordinated by Senator Obama's campaign, but I think it's a fantastic example of what we can all accomplish when we are motivated and work together. [Initial idea was that of will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas, I believe, and he worked with Jesse Dylan to get this all done - will.i.am's thought process on all of this can be found here.]
Click to viewIn conclusion: VOTE!