If I had a dollar each time someone asked me how a Republican could or would consider voting for
this November I'd be a rich man. Admittedly, Obama didn't start out as my candidate of choice; I had already made up my mind that I was going to support
during the primary and if he was our party's nominee I'd vote for him in the general election. It was my view as political junkie and former student of politics that his years in Congress, where he has worked hard at being a moderating voice in the Republican Party, was what the country needed and, by gosh, he's a Republican. Then something happened; I became an angry Republican. It's not the anger one has with a spouse or loved one, but the anger felt when the bank charges another dollar for using the teller instead of the ATM machine. It's not the money; it's the principle.
Our party has spent eight years behaving in a mean-spirited manner by using various issues that in my view have nothing to do with governing our nation, these include: abortion, that is God's business and we should let Him tend to it. That said, it has been shown that proper healthcare for young women and education is the single best deterrent, as such, wouldn't that be a better use of our energies? Gay marriage, the thought of including any form of discrimination in the U.S. Constitution is shameful. The influence of religion in our politics with attempts to force sundry moral values on fellow Americans; the U.S. Constitution forbids it and to prove the point religious organizations are exempt from various forms of federal and state tax. Then there's the war in Iraq, and the multiple infractions and suspensions of fundamental rights that are so basic to this nation that our current president and his followers wrap themselves in under the guise of “national security.” Our party has also decimated a budget surplus with the very war the current administration wants to continue. This isn't the Republican Party I know, one that has stood for lower taxes, less government, personal freedoms or a strong national defense. Nor has George W. Bush turned out to be the compassionate conservative, non-nation building uniter that he sold himself as when he campaigned for our votes in 2000. What's even worse, our party's presumptive nominee promises to continue the course (which, if you've noticed isn't working; the economy is proof and Iraq is debatable) and admits he knows little about the economy.
Recognizing that turn-about is fair play I ask my fellow party members: How many times should we, as voters, fall victim to the bait-and-switch game that has been played for so long? Are we so blindly loyal to our party that we can't see the forest for the trees? Why in all these years has abortion not been overturned? After all, seven of nine (a clear majority) sitting justices are Republican appointees. Why wasn't a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage proposed after the 2004 election? Especially when Congress was controlled by our party. Why has our current president decimated a budget surplus on a war, yet extolls the virtues of tax cuts? Who among us would quit our jobs and increase spending at home with less money flowing into our personal bank accounts? Do we honestly believe that another Republican Administration is the best thing for our country or that it will bring to fruition all of the moral issues that it campaigns on each election year to “energize the base?” By the way, energize the base is a nice way of saying “use these voters until I'm elected, and then I can go back to neglecting them.”
At the prompting of a very close friend who is a Democrat, I decided to read-up on Barack Obama and I tuned-in to a few of his speeches prior to the Iowa Caucus. The only thing that came to my mind after listening was this man moved me like Ronald Reagan did when he ran against Jimmy Carter. During that election cycle, America was hostage not only to militants in Iran but to high interest rates, outrageous inflation, lines at gasoline pumps with odd-even days and an economy that wasn't doing very well. Obama's vision of change mirrored what I had felt about our current government and the Bush Administration over these past eight years; our political system is broken, and needs a serious makeover.
Senator Barack Hussein Obama (yes, Hussein; truly, how many of us have a choice in selecting any of our names?) has rejected the politics of division and the win-at-all-costs attitude that has hurt our ability to move forward as a nation. While a Republican I will not always see eye-to-eye with a President Obama, if elected, but I strongly believe that his politics of competency and unity will lead to a stronger America and will go a long way to improving our stature abroad. Moreover, strip away the attacks: He's a Muslim, he is not; he's inexperienced, he has as much experience as John Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush when they campaigned and were elected. The only presidents in my lifetime to have more experience were Richard M. Nixon and George H.W. Bush. Remove these fables and he is the the epitome of Republican ideals, that of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.
The focus of both parties should be about coming together to solve the major issues that trouble our country, regardless of individual political ideology. The national debt; lower-cost, domestic energy sources; lower healthcare costs―these are some of the many growing problems that the majority of Americans want our political leaders to handle. These true issues will be addressed and solutions realized if we are united politically without partisan infighting that has crippled us for the last 20 years. Obama has the intellect and temperament to accomplish this.
Most people still ask, “but you're still a Republican?” My answer is yes I am, but first and foremost, I'm an American and more importantly a wise consumer. I will not continue to buy a product that doesn't function as it should and the only way that I can bring about a new improved Republican brand is to say to my party “I'm not buying this year.” Hopefully, Republican brand and product managers will rethink their offerings after this election season and in four years or maybe eight our party will have had enough time for reflection and introspection and will offer up a slate of candidates worthy of our votes.
-Golf
