Why It's Okay to Vote for Obama

1. He's got a specific plan for bringing about change to politics as usual in America. You may not agree with his plan, but you cannot say he doesn't have a plan or lacks specifics. Click here for his plan, all 64 pages of it. If you want to continue politics as usual, please don't vote for Obama. And if you're a Republican, many prominent conservatives including Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, and Michelle Malkin have expressed serious concerns about John McCain. Limbaugh and Coulter even suggested that there's not much difference between McCain and the Democrats. So why not vote for Obama?

2. Obama opposed the Iraq War from the beginning, a war that even the conservative National Review said was a mistake. And here is what the late William F. Buckley Jr. had to say, "Our mission has failed because Iraqi animosities have proved uncontainable by an invading army of 130,000 Americans." Let me repeat, these are conservative Republicans saying the Iraq War was a mistake and failure. So what difference does it make if Obama says it was a mistake?

3. Obama realizes that "It's the war economy, stupid." Many people don't make the connection between the Iraq War and our stagnant, if not recessive, economy. The average gas price before invading Iraq was $1.82, but now the national average is $3.39 with averages expected to hit $3.60 by summer. And the cost of the war for US taxpayers: 12 Billion dollars per month, that's 400 Million dollars per day. If you want to keep spending this amount of money on an unnecessary war, please don't vote for Obama.

4. Obama realizes that sometimes it's necessary to talk with our enemies. Remember when Ronald Reagan sat down at the table with the evil Soviet Union? Or when Donald Rumsfeld visited Saddam Hussein? And Iraq's current Prime Minister al-Maliki recently met with Iranian President Ahmadinejad. And even Reagan's administration negotiated with Iran. In 1985, the Reagan administration illegally agreed to sell weapons to Iran, a state sponsor of terror, in exchange for hostages. In the end only 3 hostages were released, but the US made enough money to help fund a "freedom fighting" militia in Nicaragua who engaged in terrorist activities. And if you're a Christian, please remember what Jesus said, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you."

5. Obama is a healer. This is not to say that McCain or Clinton couldn’t be healers. I’m sure they could, but Obama represents the best chance of healing a wounded citizenry. I realize the last so-called healer didn’t work out too well. Bush claimed to be a uniter, but unfortunately many perceived him as part of the problem. I will not put all of the blame on Bush’s shoulders, but he should bear a good deal of it. It certainly doesn’t help when you have one of the most despised vice presidents of all time, a person who only listens to opinion polls when it suits his agenda (Click here and here for videos). Anyway, Obama doesn’t seem to think we’re as divided as it might appear. Obama had this to say in a 2006 interview, “The country is not as polarized as our politics would suggest.” Let’s hope he’s correct.

Each candidate has positives and negatives. Unfortunately, most politicians and voters respond to negativity, and since I’m not afraid to address Obama’s negatives, I will discuss that here. One of Obama’s negatives involves the words of his former pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Opponents of Obama can’t understand how Obama could have stayed in a church with such a leader for 20 years. What opponents incorrectly assume is that Rev. Wright preached “God Damn America” every week. If he did, where are the tapes? If more tapes appear, I’ll be the first to condemn them, but to my knowledge, only two clips were played endlessly on so-called news channels. But one must not forget the importance of context.

Blacks in America were slaves for 250 years, followed by another hundred years or more of inequality (see Jim Crow Laws). Rev Wright was born in 1941 and grew up during the most violent time of America's domestic history. During this time, it goes without saying that Rev Wright was subject to an oppressive culture on a daily basis. Many blacks living during this time witnessed some of the most inhumane treatment of blacks and others on a daily basis. And in 1961 Rev Wright honored his country by serving in the armed forces even before his country would honor him or his race as equals. And even though the Civil Rights Amendment of 1964 was passed, equality did not happen over night. Like Mr. Obama said, Rev. Wright is part of a different generation, and some of them haven't gotten over the past; not unlike the many Jews who have vowed to forgive but never forget the atrocities of Nazi Germany and others. And let's not forget the Native Americans and their ongoing grievances with the US government. And let's not forget women's struggle for the right to vote and equal rights. I certainly believe all these groups have legitimate arguments and frustrations with the governments that oppressed them, especially those people who actually lived under such oppression (like Rev. Wright did). By the way, Rev. Wright and others are not likely to forget that the Confederate Flag flew with the American Flag on top of the South Carolina State House from 1962 to 2000. It has since been removed but the flag now flies in front of the state capitol next to a monument honoring fallen Confederate soldiers.

Anyway, what was Obama’s response to Rev. Wright? Obama denounced and rejected Rev. Wright's comments saying, "Let me say at the outset that I vehemently disagree and strongly condemn the statements that have been the subject of this controversy. I categorically denounce any statement that disparages our great country or serves to divide us from our allies. I also believe that words that degrade individuals have no place in our public dialogue, whether it's on the campaign stump or in the pulpit. In sum, I reject outright the statements by Rev. Wright that are at issue."

So let me put this all into perspective by asking you a few questions. How could any presidential candidate prior to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 have sat in church week after week listening to preachers talk about how God and Jesus loved everyone equally while non-whites were degraded on a daily basis outside the church building? And this next question is specifically for whites: How many of you have disowned family or friends outright who said things far worse than “God Damn America,” words such as nigger, coon, or spade? Obama considers Rev. Wright family, and he did what most of us have always done; that is, he condemned the words but not the person, Obama attacked the sin, not the sinner. Even Mike Huckabee and other preachers agree with Obama on this (Click here and here for links). Even so, we (including all races) have come a long way, but we (everybody) still have work to do.

Here’s another question: How is “God Damn America” any different from Rev. Jerry Falwell’s comment that America deserved to be attacked on 9/11? (Click here for video). Or what about Rev. John Hagee’s statement that the Catholic Church is the Great Whore? John McCain rightly called Falwell and others “agents of intolerance” in 2000, but he kissed and made up in 2006 when he decided to run for president again. McCain even accepted the endorsement of John Hagee. And what was McCain’s response? “When he endorses me, it does not mean that I embrace everything that he stands for and believes.” I totally agree with McCain, but does the same standard apply to Obama? (Click here for video).

I don’t agree with Rev. Wright, Rev. Falwell, or Rev. Hagee, but that doesn’t mean they can’t express their First Amendment Right to Freedom of Speech. This is, after all, America. To say they can’t say such things is simply un-American. And what did Thomas Jefferson have to say about dissent? “Dissent is the highest form of patriotism."

Another negative associated with Obama is his so-called lack of patriotism. Most of this stems from his decision not to wear a flag pin. Here is Obama’s response: “You know, the truth is that right after 9/11, I had a pin. Shortly after 9/11, particularly because as we’re talking about the Iraq war, that became a substitute for, I think, true patriotism, which is speaking out on issues that are of importance to our national security, I decided I won’t wear that pin on my chest; instead I’m gonna try to tell the American people what I believe will make this country great, and hopefully that will be a testimony to my patriotism.” Enough said. If you don’t agree then you can just be like those bleeding heart liberals and wear your heart or, in this case, your flag on your sleeve, I mean lapel.

I included a section on Obama’s negatives to emphasize the fact that we all make mistakes and have weaknesses. It doesn't matter if you are Democratic, Republican, Independent, etc. I could just have easily spent my entire time writing about McCain’s and Clinton’s negatives, but I don’t respond well to negativity and neither should you. The world would certainly be a better place if we didn’t.

Anyway, you can denounce Obama's speeches and what he represents if you like, but you would only end up sounding like Hillary Clinton who stated, "We don't need to be raising the false hopes of our country about what can be delivered."

I prefer to believe in hope: “Yes, we can heal this nation. Yes, we can seize our future. And as we leave this great state with a new wind at our backs and we take this journey across this great country, a country we love, with the message we carry from the plains of Iowa to the hills of New Hampshire, from the Nevada desert to the South Carolina coast, the same message we had when we were up and when we were down, that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we will hope.”

Even if you still don’t think Obama is a healer, he’s certainly no less a uniter than Bush. At least Obama’s words or actions (or even those of his pastor) haven’t divided a nation against a war that has killed 4036 US soldiers and many thousands of Iraqis.

This year, the distinctions are clear: more of the same or a fresh start. Which are you going to choose?