Why I’m voting Democrat
October 17, 2008 @ 12:25 pm
I’ll make my basic position clear. I’m voting Democrat this election. Long before anyone threw their hat in the ring, I knew I was voting Democrat in 2008. I can’t, in fact, think of a single Democrat so stupid, insipid, ridiculous, or otherwise undesirable that I wouldn’t cast my vote for a change of leadership in the White House. From the time Bush was elected almost 8 years ago, I’ve wanted to get the Republicans out of the White House, where I consider them to be quite dangerous. I find the last two terms of war-mongering and finance-mangling to be ample evidence for my position. As much as I found Kerry milk-toast, and Gore steady but uninspiring, I voted whole-heartedly for their chance in the Oval Office, and was incredibly depressed at the result of both elections.
Even if there are Republicans out there who are responsible both fiscally and socially, who think about their role as representatives of a people, of all kinds of people, and who are capable of handling the reigns of responsibility with integrity, the party as a whole doesn’t seem to back them up. The party as a whole seems to run the financial health of the government into the ground every time, abandons the social issues which hold our communities together and keep people from falling through the cracks, and quite frequently embarrasses us on the international stage.
And I don’t think a different Republican president, no matter how progressive, could shake that machine up. I don’t think McCain really is a maverick, I think he’s someone who will huff and puff and then basically do what the entrenched Republican machine will advise him to do. The country will keep operating with the same policies and approaches, perhaps slightly modified but essentially continuing what we have see for 8 years. I confess, I understand completely why Obama keeps tying McCain to the Bush presidency. It is incredibly unlikely that McCain will be able to shake off its pressures, regardless of what kind of Maverick he may think he is. And let’s not even go to the Palin-takes-over-the-Presidency issue. Gawd.
My position: Any damn Democrat is an improvement over the Republicans. So it was that 8 years ago, and again 4 years ago, I committed to my party of choice even before the Donkeys chose their candidate. Then I prayed that someone would rise through the ranks who was actually exciting, inspiring, motivating. Frankly, I had my doubts. However earnest, Democrats can be so… boring.
That said, I am incredibly pleased that the Democrats managed to get not just one but two energetic, brilliant, far-thinking candidates to the heat of the primaries, and that the candidate who came out on top is well-spoken, well educated, and has those qualities I look for in a president: responsible representation, ethics, good administrative and negotiating skills, and the ability to surround oneself with brilliant and insightful people.
If crappy vote-counting doesn’t do us in, I’d say we’ll be welcoming the Obamas to the White House in January. And I won’t just be pleased to see the regime change, I be excited for the new directions we’ll be headed.
